VALDOSTA –Midterms have not always been popular with voters. This year, the stakes have been raised by a tempest of political dissension nationwide. The rivalries between Democrats and Republicans all over the country might not be anything new, but the fervor with which these opposing forces are campaigning is unprecedented.
November 6, 2018 between 7 a.m. till 7 p.m. will bring voters out to vote on Lowndes County Commission District 2 Republican Scott Orenstein (incumbent) and Democrat Aaron Strickland, Lowndes County Tax Assessor Post 2 Republican Dean Blevins and Democrat Felicia Williams, and State House Representative for District 175 Republican John LaHood (incumbent) and Democrat Treva Gear. Lake Park will be voting for mayor and city council seats. On the state level, the hotly-spotlighted gubernatorial battle between Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, and Stacy Abrams has roused the state, and the nation. This race has been one for the history books, not only because Abrams, if she wins, will be the first African-American female governor here in Georgia, or anywhere in the U.S., but also because Abrams has campaigned relentlessly with full-throated support from former President Barack Obama, actor Will Ferrell, rapper Common, former Attorney General Eric Holder, and Oprah Winfrey.
Kemp, conversely, has been backed by President Donald Trump, who came to Georgia this past Sunday to campaign for Kemp – who opted out of a debate with Abrams to join Trump. Kemp has sustained harsh criticism for being responsible for the suppression of 53,000 voters – his critics claiming he used his position as Secretary of State to manipulate his own campaign’s outcome. Abrams has been walloped with equally harsh accusations of being a “radical” and a “socialist,” funding her campaign with monies from
The Lowndes County Board of Elections released numbers over the weekend showing that over the past three weeks of early voting, 22,596 have already cast their ballots.
Comparatively, in 2014 during the last midterm gubernatorial election, just under 10,000 Lowndes residents turned out to vote early. Early voting in 2016 similarly brought out nearly 26,000 voters for the presidential election.
The Lowndes County Board of Elections can be contacted at (229) 671-2850; or e-mail elections@lowndescounty.com.