Early Voting Turnout Light For Education Sales Tax Referendum

Only 1,282 voters cast a ballot in early voting, which ended Friday, or returned an absentee ballot, making it almost certain that a very small percentage of Oconee County’s 31,965 registered voters is going to decide the fate of a major educational tax referendum.

Oconee County Schools is asking citizens to approve a new Education Local Option Sales Tax–effectively continuing the one in place–and authorize issuance of general obligation bonds for up to $42,950,000 to finance construction of a list of new capital projects.

Included is a third middle school at the site of the existing Dove Creek Elementary School in the far northwest of the county, additional classrooms at three elementary schools, and a new central administrative Instructional Support Center.

Also to be funded by the new tax are renovations of the three additional elementary schools and of the system’s sole primary school, purchase of new buses, and technology projects, including devices and infrastructure upgrades.

Polling locations around the county will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday for in-person voting, and the deadline for returning absentee ballots is the end of in-person voting on Tuesday.

To continue reading this story, please go to Oconee County Observations.