Runoff elections today to decide close contests
Polls opened early Tuesday for Georgia voters to decide a host of races that were too hotly contested to be settled in the July 31 general primary election.
Various public offices are on the ballot for Tuesday's runoff election. The winners will advance to the November general election, though not all candidates who win today will have an opponent in the general election.
The runoffs are needed because none of the candidates in the affected races won a majority of votes July 31. Among the races to be determined:
- Republicans must choose between state Rep. Doug Collins and former radio talk show host Martha Zoller in the 9th Congressional District. The winner will face Democrat Jody Cooley in November.
- Cobb County Commission Chairman Tim Lee faces fellow Republican and former Chairman Bill Byrne. The winner will face no Democratic opposition in November.
- Gwinnett County Commissioner Mike Beaudreau faces former planning commissioner and fellow Republican Tommy Hunter in the District 3 race. The winner will face no Democratic opposition in November.
- Clayton County Sheriff Kem Kimbrough faces fellow Democrat and former Sheriff Victor Hill. The winner will face no Republican opposition in November.
- In school board races, nearly a quarter of the DeKalb seats are contested in nonpartisan races, and Cobb Republicans must pick their challenger of a Democratic incumbent.
If you didn't vote in July or voted nonpartisan, you can vote in either party's runoff Tuesday. But if you picked a party in July, you can't switch parties for the runoff. For example, if you voted in the Republican primary July 31, you have to vote in the Republican runoff Tuesday.
