After 3,814 Bulloch County citizens – or just over 7% of the county’s 53,749 eligible registered voters – cast ballots early, the county’s 16 traditional precinct voting places are open for the remaining more than 92% of voters 7 a.m.- 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4.

Countywide, the ballot features two questions on sales taxes, the E-SPLOST and FLOST. Statewide, the ballot also includes contests for two seats on the Georgia Public Service Commission. Only Statesboro city voters should see the mayoral choice between incumbent Mayor Jonathan McCollar and challenger Raymond Harris, while just those Statesboro voters who reside in Council District 1 are also deciding a rematch between incumbent Councilmember Tangie Reese Johnson and challenger John Grotheer.

“E-SPLOST” refers to the five-year extension of the existing Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, proposed by the Bulloch County Board of Education to fund completion of the planned new Southeast Bulloch High School, plus annual “capital” purchases of things such as school buses, instructional materials and technology infrastructure, and potentially other renovation and construction projects.

“FLOST” is the proposed creation of a new, “ninth penny” Floating Local Option Sales Tax by Bulloch County and the municipalities of Statesboro, Brooklet, Portal and Register for the purpose of a proportional rollback of their property taxes.

The state Public Service Commission contests are the District 2 PSC race between Republican incumbent Tim Echols and Democratic challenger Alicia M. Johnson and the District 3 race between Democratic challenger Peter Hubbard and Republican incumbent Fitz Johnson. Although PSC members are required to live in their districts, voters statewide elect all of the members to the board that regulates electric power bills and certain aspects of telecommunication.

Pre-Election Day voting turnout numbers are from a chart released by Bulloch County Election Supervisor Shontay Jones after the last of 16 days of in-person advanced voting – including 14 weekdays and two Saturdays – concluded at 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31. The countywide total of 3,814 early voters included 3,718 who voted in-person plus 96 who had returned absentee ballots previously mailed to them.

Within the county total were 1,450 voters from the two Statesboro city precincts, which reflects interest in the mayoral contest. The city’s five council districts do not correspond to voting precincts, except that Districts 1 and 2 vote in Precinct 1 and Districts 3, 4 and 5 in Precinct 2 in ordinary city elections.

A further breakout Jones provided shows that 537 voters from Council District 1 – which has the one contested council race, between Grotheer and Johnson – cast early ballots, including 521 in-person and 16 absentee. Meanwhile, only 124 voters, including 121 in-person and three absentee, had cast early ballots in Council District 4, where longtime Councilmember John Riggs is running unopposed.

Any mailed-out absentee ballots still outstanding can be counted if properly completed and returned to the county election headquarters by the close of polls at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Just 56 Bulloch County absentee ballots were still out as of Friday night.

Election Day reminders include to bring your driver’s license, government-issued ID or other state-accepted form of photo ID and report to your assigned voting precinct. Voters can find directions to their polling place by logging in at https://mvp.sos.ga.gov/s/ with their first initial, last name, county and date of birth.