Bartow Vote Count Complete, Certification Expected Friday

CARTERSVILLE, GA — Barring any problems that might be found when canvassing ballots, Bartow County has finished counting votes and is expected to certify its results Friday.

Elections Supervisor Joseph Kirk told Patch that Nov. 3 went well for Bartow, in part because fewer voters than expected showed up.

“It was a lot slower than I anticipated,” said Kirk, who staffed up for a 40-percent turnout of voters on election day and instead got only about 20 percent.

“It’s hard to have problems if you don’t have voters," he said.

Overall, about 68 percent of registered Bartow County residents voted, far less than the 70-percent-plus that cast ballots in 2016.

If this election was so important, why did fewer voters show up?

“That’s the $20 million question, and I don’t have an answer,” Kirk said Monday. “To me, it’s good to vote every chance you get, but I guess some folks disagree with that.”

Bartow County went overwhelmingly Republican, with President Donald Trump getting almost 75 percent of the vote, former Vice President Joe Biden getting about 24 percent, and the remaining 1 percent going to other candidates.

The race to defend U.S. Senator David Perdue’s seat produced similar results, with the incumbent receiving about 74 percent of the vote and Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff receiving only 23 percent. Ossoff fared better statewide and will compete with Perdue in a runoff election.

The race for Sen. Kelly Loeffler’s seat was much the same, with the two Republican candidates — Loeffler and former U.S. Rep. Doug Collins — earning 67 percent of the vote between them. That left Democrat Raphael Warnock with about 15 percent of the vote in Bartow County, with the remaining 18 percent divided among 17 other candidates. Loeffler herself took almost 43 percent of the Bartow vote and will also face Warnock in a statewide runoff in January.

A complete list of Bartow's unofficial voting results is posted to the county website.

Kirk said that one of his biggest challenges has been fielding numerous calls from in-person voters worried that they may not have been counted.

They needn't worry, Kirk said. When the printed paper ballot was placed by a voter into the scanner, it was definitely counted at that moment. That makes the voter the ultimate observer.

"Those votes were counted, because you're the one who counted it," Kirk said.

RELATED:

Trump Campaign Taps Collins To Lead Georgia Recount Effort

Bartow Supervisor Kirk Named To Georgia Elections Task Force