What Columbus voters need to know ahead of June’s runoff election
Although May 19 has passed, the election in Muscogee County is not over yet.
A runoff election will be conducted June 16 to decide three Columbus races because none of those candidates received a majority of the votes:
- The runoff for the mayor’s race is between former city manager Isaiah Hugley, who received 45% of the initial round of votes among six candidates, and Columbus Councilor Joanne Cogle of District 7, who finished second with 25. Mayor Skip Henderson couldn’t run for reelection because city law limits the mayor to two four-year terms.
- The runoff for the citywide District 9 seat on Columbus Council is between dentist Cathy Cook, who received 37% of the initial round of votes among four candidates, and Ankerpak owner John Anker, the incumbent who received 35%.
- The runoff for the 10-member city council’s District 7 seat is between Dragonfly Trails executive director Becca Zajac, who received 45% of the initial round of votes among three candidates, and insurance professional Laketha Ashe, who received 38%. Cogle couldn’t run to retain this seat because she decided to run for mayor instead.
Those three races for local offices are nonpartisan, meaning the candidates don’t officially represent a political party. But the June 16 runoff election also will include primaries for statewide partisan races in Georgia.
Registered voters who voted in the same party’s primary or did not vote in the original primary are eligible to vote in the runoff election, according to information provided by the Muscogee County Elections and Registration Office.
Voters cannot switch parties if they’ve already voted in another party’s primary, according to the website. If someone voted nonpartisan in the original primary, they may vote any ballot available for their precinct.
New voters who registered to vote between April 20 and May 18 will be eligible for a federal-only ballot for the June 16 runoff. Voters may check their registration and polling place information online through Georgia’s My Voter Page.
Early voting in Columbus for this runoff election will be conducted June 8-12, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., at the City Services Center, 3111 Citizens Way.
New absentee-by-mail requests for the runoff must be received by June 5, and ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day in the elections office.
On June 16, voters must go to their assigned polling place to vote between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Anyone in line to vote before 7 p.m. will be allowed to vote.
Georgia requires photo identification for in-person voting, including:
- Georgia driver’s license (even if expired)
- Valid U.S. passport
- Government employee ID
- Military ID
- Tribal ID
- Georgia Voter ID card.
The full list of runoff candidates is on the Muscogee County elections website.
