Early Voting Slowing In Watkinsville Special Election

Early voting slowed to a trickle on Monday, with only 11 persons casting a ballot in the Watkinsville Special Election that will fill the position of Mayor and Post 1 Council Member.

As of the end of the day on Monday, a total of only 232 voters had cast a ballot, and two more had returned an absentee ballot.

The total of 234 ballots cast is 10.4 percent of the city’s 2,247 eligible voters.

Early voting continues from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday at City Hall, and election day voting, also at City Hall, will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

The Oconee County Elections and Registration Office, which is running the election for the City of Watkinsville, has issued seven absentee ballots, according to Jennifer Stone, assistant director of Elections and Registration.

Peter Steckel, who is listed on the ballot as a candidate for Mayor, officially withdrew on Friday, so only votes for Acting Mayor Brian Brodrick will be counted on Tuesday.

The remaining contest is between Chuck Garrett and Carolyn Maultsby. The race is nonpartisan, though Maultsby labels herself as a Republican on her campaign signs.

For more on the story, please go to Oconee County Observations. The post includes a link to a candidate forum in which Maultsby, Garrett, and Brodrick participated.