THOMAS COUNTY, GA — Voters across Thomas County headed to the polls Tuesday for Georgia's primary election, with election officials saying many residents are still making time to show up despite several local races featuring unopposed incumbents.
Four Thomas County Commission races and four school board races feature incumbents running unopposed this election cycle. Still, some voters say casting a ballot is about more than just competitive races.
John Moon, a neighbor, said, "Just to make sure that everybody votes, that's the most important thing. I always vote on election day. I just think it's important to do it on election day. It means I'm participating in the process."
Other voters say they see Election Day as a responsibility, even when many local outcomes appear already decided.
One race generating interest is the State House District 173 contest, where Democrats Adam Chitwood and Anue Chance are vying for a spot in the general election against Republican incumbent Darlene Taylor.
Early voter turnout in Thomas County is down compared to the last midterm primary. Georgia Secretary of State data shows 4,257 people voted early in the 2022 primary compared to 3,574 this year — a drop of about 16%.
Interim Elections Supervisor Hannah Phillips says many voters arriving on Tuesday appear engaged and ready to participate, even if some are still learning about the candidates on their ballot.
Phillips said, "I do get the sense that they don't know a lot about the candidates, and so I just really encourage people to do as much research as you can reach out to your particular party to find more information if you don't know much about the candidate."
Phillips says her office can track turnout throughout the day, but the actual vote totals will not be released until after polls close Wednesday night.
Phillips said, "We get the votes at 7:00 p.m. when they close the polls, so they'll bring in the results, and that's when we get the results."
Phillips says certification happens Friday at 5:00 p.m. at the elections office.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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