Bartow Voters Head To The Polls For May 22 Primary Elections

BARTOW COUNTY, GA -- Tuesday is Election Day in Bartow County, and voters will head to the polls today to elect a new Bartow school board member, consider renewing the Special Purpose Local Sales tax and allowing the county to create a tax allocation district that would generate revenue to pay for various economic redevelopment initiatives.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. May 22 for registered voters to cast ballots in local, state and federal races that are on the ballot for the 2018 primary elections.

The race for the Bartow County School Board District 1 seat will be contested in the primary as well as the general election. Incumbent John Howard will face Republican challenger Tony Ross in the May 22 race. The Republican candidate who wins the primary will face Democrat Larry Slocum in the Nov. 6 election.

The District 2 race will also be contested in the May 22 Republican primary, with incumbent Davis Nelson fending off a challenging from Terry Lee Eggert. District 3 incumbent Derek Keeney, a Republican, will face no primary opponent, but will face off against Democratic challenger Willie Coombs in the Nov. 6 general election.

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In the Georgia House of Representatives, Republican candidates Matthew Gambill and Allan Levene are seeking the State House District 15 seat, as incumbent Rep. Paul Battles is not seeking re-election.

Voters should note that incumbent State Representative Christian Coomer of Cartersville and State Senators Bruce Thompson of White and Chuck Hufstetler are not facing Republican primary challenger. However, Thompson will be challenged by Democrat Rachel Kinsey for the District 14 seat and Evan Ross, another Democrat, will run against Hufstetler for the Senate District 52 seat in the Nov. 6 general election.

Incumbent Judge G. Carey Nelson also qualified for the Cherokee Judicial Circuit Superior Court seat, which covers Bartow and Gordon counties, and will run unopposed. Fellow incumbents Judge David K. Smith and Judge D. Scott Smith will also seek their Cherokee Judicial Circuit Superior Court seats without opposition.

For the 11th Congressional District race, incumbent U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Cassville) faces no opposition in the primary, but will be challenged by Democrat Flynn Broady, Jr. in the Nov. 6 election. The 11th Congressional District encompasses Bartow, Cherokee and parts of Cobb and north Fulton counties.

Bartow County voters will also consider whether to renew the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, which would be used to fund various capital projects around the county and in cities. The county has had a SPLOST since 1989. The current tax was approved in 2011, went into effect in 2014 and is set to expire at the end of 2019. If approved by voters, the renewal would extend the tax from January 2020 to December 2026, and pump about $160 million into county coffers over six years. Click here for an outline of projects that would be funded with the renewal.

Another question on the ballot will ask voters if the county should have the powers to exercise options outlined in the Georgia Redevelopment Powers Law. Essentially, the county would like to establish a tax allocation district and collect revenue from that tax for economic development purposes.

The boundaries would be set by the county and as private investment and public improvements are made in that area, the property's taxable value in the district would also rise. According to the county, these increased values would spell an increase in property tax revenues.

If approved by voters, Bartow County would collect the money and use the funds to "pay back the costs of the infrastructure or other redevelopment costs in the district." Those costs, the county adds, can be incurred either by the developer or by the local government and may be financed by bonds or loans or funded directly. You can read more about the county's proposal by clicking here.

You can view the Republican, Democratic and nonpartisan sample ballots on the Bartow County Elections website. If you are unsure of where your assigned precinct is located, visit the Georgia Secretary of State My Voter Page.

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