Nearly 32.3% of Bulloch County's registered voters cast early or absentee ballots toward Tuesday's statewide runoff election. Now it's Election Day voters' turn.

With 14,945 Bulloch voters participating through Dec. 31, pre-Election Day voting reached historic levels for a runoff. But more residents would have to vote in 12 hours Tuesday than voted during the past three weeks for total local turnout to equal the 67.6% realized in the November general election.

Bulloch resident voters who have not voted early or absentee can vote between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesday at their assigned place in the county’s current 15 precinct locations.

The nation is watching as Georgia's two U.S. Senate runoffs – between Republican incumbent David Perdue and Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff and between appointed Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler and Democratic challenger Raphael Warnock – determine party control of the Senate.

Georgians are also deciding between Republican Lauren “Bubba” McDonald Jr. and Democrat Daniel Blackman for McDonald’s state Public Service Commission, or PSC, seat.

In November 2008, the last time Georgia had a general election runoff for a U.S. Senate seat, 11,405 Bulloch voters participated, so the early and absentee voting this time already exceeds this. In Georgia's last statewide general election runoff of any kind, which included races for secretary of state and a PSC seat in December 2018, just 9,025 Bulloch County voters, or 22.6% of those registered at the time, participated.

But 30,229 Bulloch voters turned out for the Nov. 3, 2020, general election.

Fair Precinct move

Bulloch County has 16 voting precincts, but the Fair Precinct, which would ordinarily vote at the Kiwanis Ogeechee Fairgrounds,  has been temporarily reassigned to share Pittman Park United Methodist Church, at 1102 Fair Road, Statesboro, with its usual precinct voters. As reported last week, this emergency move was ordered by the county Board of Elections and Registration after Fair Precinct's poll manager and assistant poll manager were affected by COVID-19 isolation or quarantine.

Combining the two precincts at one polling place -- but with separate areas for their assigned voting machines -- will enable Pittman Park's poll officers to help oversee the Fair Precinct, county Elections Supervisor Patricia Lanier Jones said last week.

All other precincts will vote at the same location Tuesday as they did Nov. 3, she said.

The statewide My Voter Page, www.mvp.sos.ga.gov, lets voters log on to check their Election Day precinct location or check whether a completed absentee ballot was received.

Early turnout

In-person early voting concluded with the last person who was in line at 5 p.m. Dec. 31, with 9,912 Bulloch voters having cast early ballots on the machines, Jones reported. These included 9,043 voters at the County Annex location during the 13 days it was open for early voting, plus 869 voters at the Honey Bowen Building during the three days it was available.

Meanwhile, 5,033 absentee ballots had been returned by voters and checked in as of Thursday afternoon. These, plus the 9,912 in-person early voters, gives the 14,945 total to that point, which was 32.28% of Bulloch's 46,303 registered voters. The total number of registered voters has been updated from the 44,738 cited in a story last week. That was from before the general election.

No more absentee ballots were allowed to be issued after Thursday. But previously issued absentee ballots completed by voters and returned to the elections office in the County Annex at 113 N. Main St., or one of its drop boxes before the close of polls at 7 p.m. Tuesday would still be counted.

As of Thursday afternoon, 1,426 Bulloch County absentee ballots were still out and could be returned.

Drop boxes

The county has two drop boxes, for deposit of absentee ballots completed by Bulloch resident voters only. An indoor drop box is locked down on a table inside the back entrance of the County Annex in the elections office area.

A red, white and blue freestanding outdoor drop box, which has been available for deposit of absentee ballots 24 hours a day, seven days a week, remains available until 7 p.m. Tuesday.

It is in the parking area of the same complex but behind the North Main Annex, 115 N. Main St., near the cell tower. A warning notice about who may legally deposit a ballot on a voter’s behalf, and who may not, is posted on the box.

Any voters who requested absentee ballots but wish to cancel them and vote in-person Tuesday will need either to bring their absentee ballot with them to their precinct voting place or fill out an affidavit to cancel the paper ballot.

Rule reminders

As always, voters should bring a Georgia drivers license or state issued ID or other accepted photo ID to check in at their precincts. As with the general election, campaigning, including display of signs or clothing items with campaign messages, is prohibited inside a voting place and within 150 feet of its building.