a man wearing a earpod
Photo by Edmond Dantès on Pexels.com

Overview:

In Clayton County, it's Democrats who will narrow down their picks to face GOP candidates in the next round.

June 10 absentee ballot request deadline

The Clayton County Board of Elections and Registration will hold early and advance voting for the General Primary Runoff on these dates:

  • Monday, June 13: 8 a.m.—7 p.m.
  • Tuesday, June 14: 8 a.m.—7 p.m.
  • Wednesday, June 15: 8 a.m.—7 p.m.
  • Thursday, June 16: 8 a.m.—7 p.m.
  • Friday, June 17: 8 a.m.—7 p.m.

Four locations will be open for early and advance voting:

Elections & Registration Office
Historic Courthouse

121 S. McDonough Street, Jonesboro

South Clayton Recreation Center

1837 McDonough Road, Hampton

Carl Rhodenizer Recreation Center

3499 Rex Road, Rex

Virginia Burton Gray Recreation Center

1475 East Fayetteville Road, Riverdale

Remember: The paper absentee/advance ballot drop boxes are only available inside the polling places during normal voting hours (8 a.m.—7 p.m.). You have until June 10 to request a paper absentee/advance ballot. Your safest bet is to request it in person at the Election and Registration Office, 121 S. McDonough Street, Jonesboro, to eliminate longer mail delays.

Who’s on the ballot?

As of press time, no sample ballot showed in the editor’s My Voter Page. However, these are the races with runoffs that affect Clayton County:

Lt. Governor Democratic Primary Runoff

Kwanza Hall vs. Charlie Bailey
The winner will face Republican Burt Jones

Secretary of State Democratic Primary Runoff

Bee Nguyen vs. Dee Dawkins-Haigler
The winner will face Republican incumbent Brad Raffensperger

Insurance Commissioner Democratic Primary Runoff

Janice Laws Robinson vs. Raphael Baker
The winner will face Republican incumbent John King

Labor Commissioner Democratic Primary Runoff

William Boddie vs. Nicole Horn
The winner will face Republican Bruce Thompson

How to vote a provisional ballot

If you do not receive your absentee ballot in time to vote, or if you discover your precinct has changed and it’s after 5 p.m. but before the polls close and you don’t have enough time to go to the new precinct (beware), you can tell the election worker your absentee ballot has not arrived and that you’d like to cancel it and vote a provisional ballot. You then have three business days after the election to “cure” your ballot by presenting approved Georgia photo ID and documentation.

Runoff Tuesday, June 21

The General Primary Runoff will take place on Tuesday, June 21.

Votes will be “computed and canvassed” after the polls close on Tuesday, June 21, from 7 p.m. until complete. The count takes place at Clayton County Elections Center, 7946 N. McDonough Street, Jonesboro. The public is invited to observe. You will be asked to sign an oath stating that you will not disrupt the proceedings and no electronics are allowed inside.

As always, if you see any suspected fraudulent activity at the polls, you can report it to the Georgia Voter Fraud Hotline at (877) 725-9797. A state elections investigator may interview you for more information. If your claim is substantiated, the State Elections Board will decide whether to take further action, including referral of your complaint to the state attorney general’s office for possible prosecution.

Robin Kemp is executive editor and CEO of The Clayton Crescent, which she founded in 2020. She has worked for Gambit, CNN, The Weather Channel, Clayton News, Henry Herald, and numerous freelance outlets....

Leave a comment