Polls open Tuesday for Muscogee County sheriff’s runoff
Welcome to the last election of what seems of have been a year full of them, from the March 1 presidential preference primary to the May 24 state party primaries and nonpartisan local elections, then to a July 26 school board runoff, then the Nov. 8 General Election, and now the runoff for Muscogee County sheriff.
All of Muscogee County’s neighborhood voting precincts will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday for the runoff between Independent incumbent John Darr and his Democratic challenger Donna Tompkins, a retired sheriff’s captain.
The official results on Nov. 8 left Tompkins with 29,866 votes to Darr’s 21,608, or 44.3 to 32 percent. With Republican Mark LaJoye taking 20.2 percent and write-in candidate Brown drawing 3.4 percent, neither of the top two had the majority needed to win outright.
That sent them on to this runoff in which 3,725 Columbus residents cast ballots early in person last week, an impressive turnout for a single election held over the holidays.
Anyone registered by the Oct. 11 deadline for the General Election is eligible to vote in the runoff, so they do not have to have voted Nov. 8. Residents unsure of their eligibility may check it through the Georgia Secretary of State’s “My Voter Page” at www.mvp.sos.ga.gov or call the local elections office at 706-653-4392.
Voters signing in at the polls Tuesday must show a government-issued photo ID.
Tim Chitwood: 706-571-8508, @timchitwoodle
Muscogee County Voting precincts
▪ Wynnton United Methodist Church, 2412 Wynnton Road.
▪ Carver-Mack, Columbus Public Library, 3000 Macon Road.
▪ St. John AME Church, 3980 Steam Mill Road.
▪ Britt David Baptist Church, 2801 Britt David Road.
▪ St. Peter United Methodist Church, 6507 Moon Road.
▪ Cornerstone Church of God, 7701 Lloyd Road.
▪ Columbus Technical College, 928 Manchester Expressway.
▪ St. Mark United Methodist Church, 6795 Whitesville Road.
▪ Wynnbrook Baptist Church, 500 River Knoll Way.
▪ Cusseta Road Church of Christ, 3013 Cusseta Road.
▪ National Infantry Museum, 1775 Legacy Way.
▪ Eddy Middle School, 2100 S. Lumpkin Road.
▪ Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church, 4400 Old Cusseta Road.
▪ Faith Tabernacle Church, 1603 Floyd Road.
▪ Fort Middle School, 2900 Woodruff Farm Road.
▪ Rothschild Middle School, 1136 Hunt Ave.
▪ Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 4400 Reese Road.
▪ St. Paul United Methodist Church, 2101 Wildwood Ave.
▪ North Highland Assembly of God, 7300 Whittlesey Blvd.
▪ St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, 4980 Hancock Road.
▪ Salvation Army Church, 5201 Warm Springs Road.
▪ First African Baptist Church, 901 Fifth Ave.
▪ Epworth United Methodist Church, 2400 Devonshire Drive.
▪ Marianna Gallops Center, 1212 15th St.
▪ Edgewood Baptist Church, 3564 Forrest Road.
▪ Psalmond Road Recreation Center, 6500 Psalmond Road.
This story was originally published December 5, 2016 at 3:18 PM with the headline "Polls open Tuesday for Muscogee County sheriff’s runoff."