Oconee County Will Need Special Election On Nov. 8 To Fill Vacancy If Daniell Runs For Chairman

Oconee County will hold a special election on Nov. 8 to fill Post 2 on the Board of Commissioners if John Daniell follows through on his announced plans to seek the position of Commission chair in the May 24 Republican primary.

That Nov. 8 date became firm on Friday when Daniell opted not to resign his current position as Post 2 Commissioner.

State law requires a lapse of 90 days between the call of an election that is held on a statewide general primary date and the primary election itself.

Daniell must resign his current post as soon as he qualifies for the chair position. The first day he can qualify is March 8, which is 77 days before the May 24 primary. The last time he can qualify is noon on March 11.

State law is complex, setting different times that special elections can be held in an even and in an odd numbered year.

The first of the allowed dates for a special election this year would have been with the presidential primary, which is underway.

As of the end of the day on Friday, 216 (1 percent) of Oconee County’s 21,402 active voters had cast a ballot in that primary, with 46 (21 percent) of those individuals selecting a Democratic ballot and 170 selecting a Republican ballot.

For more on this story, go to Oconee County Observations.

Pictured: John Daniell