Watkinsville Early Voting Suggests Final Turnout Of 30 Percent

In the first week of Absentee In Person, or early, voting, only 121 of Watkinsville’s 2,209 registered voters have cast a ballot, or 5.5 percent.

Early voting usually picks up some as the election gets closer, but, if it holds to the present pattern, only 363 people will cast a ballot before the Nov. 5 election, or 16.4 percent.

In recent elections in the county, more than half of those who voted did so in early voting. The figure was 56.3 percent last November. That suggests about 726 out of the city’s 2,209 registered voters will cast a ballot--or just 32.9 percent.

Oconee County Director of Elections Fran Leathers had estimated turnout at about 30 percent at the Watkinsville Election Forum on Oct. 3 when she was asked how she was preparing for the election.

Two days earlier, at the meeting of the county’s Board of Elections and Registration, Leathers had explained procedures for the Watkinsville election and demonstrated the new election equipment that will be used next year.

For more on the story, with a video of a demonstration of the new election equipment, please go to

Oconee County Observations.