Runoff to decide state senate, Congressional candidates

CARNESVILLE – Local voters will decide Tuesday on what candidates will be on November’s ballot for Congress and state senate.

Regular polls will be open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Republican voters will have two races to decide.

Two Habersham County residents are facing each other for the Republican nomination for the District 50 State Senate seat.

Habersham County Commission Chairman Stacy Hall is facing attorney Bo Hatchett.

Hall led the six-candidate field in the regular primary with 24.41 percent, while Hatchett was second with 23.45 percent.

The winner will face Democrat Dee Daley in the November general election.

In the race for U.S. Representative for the Ninth District, Athens businessman Andrew Clyde is facing State Rep. Matt Gurtler.

Gurtler was the leading vote-getter in the regular primary, finishing with 20.96 percent of the vote in the nine-person race. Clyde was second with 18.46 percent.

The winner will face Brooke Siskin or Devin Pandy, who will be on the runoff ballot for Democratic voters.

Siskin, a small business owner from Norcross, was the leading vote-getter in June with 41.21 percent of the vote.

Pandy, a retired U.S. Army veteran from Athens, was second with 33.57 percent.

The runoffs are required because candidates in Georgia must get more than 50 percent of the vote to be declared the winner.

Voters who cast ballots in the June 9 primary will have to vote for the same party in the runoff.

Anyone who did not vote, who registered since the primary or who voted non-partisan in the primary may choose with which party they would like to vote.

Elections Supervisor Gina Kesler said that anyone who has an absentee ballot must return it by Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Voters may return ballots to the dropbox in front of the elections office at 7850 Royston Road in Carnesville.

For more information, visit www.mvp.sos.ga.gov or call the Franklin County Elections and Registration Office at 706-384-4390.