Through Monday, 830 voters who reside in Statesboro City Council District 2 had cast early or absentee ballots in the ongoing, overall Nov. 3 election that includes that district's three-candidate special election for its vacant council seat.

With four days of early voting and next Tuesday's 12-hour traditional Election Day remaining, that was a roughly 17% turnout so far among the 4,865 "active" registered voters in Council District 2, where candidates Loletta Donaldson-Elliott, Maleek Jones and Kathleen Keehner are vying for the seat.

However, as Bulloch County Election Supervisor Shontay Jones cautions, both in regard to the Statesboro council seat and concerning a similar breakout of voter participation from Bulloch County Commission District 1, the turnout is not specific to those local contests.

"It just means that when I pulled those reports (on voter turnout) that those people were in those districts, and on their ballot those contests would have been available," she said. "It doesn't mean, you know, they necessarily voted in them, but the contests would have been there."

OK turnout for city

After 10 weekdays and two Saturdays of in-person early voting, Statesboro Council District 2 voter participation was actually trailing slightly behind the early voter turnout, percentage-wise, in Bulloch County overall.

As of 5 p.m. Monday, the Bulloch County total was 9,418 voters, including 8,893 who had voted early in-person and 525 whose absentee ballots had been accepted at the county election headquarters. That was an 18.2% turnout, so far, out of 51,765 active voters registered in Bulloch County.

That "active registered" total, which doesn't include voters who remain registered but have not voted in several years, was obtained Tuesday morning from the Election Data Hub maintained by the Georgia Secretary of State's Office. (As long as they're still on the rolls and remain residents of the county, inactive voters can become active again just by voting.)

But even at 17%, the Statesboro Council District 2 turnout had already roughly matched, and will now certainly exceed, the total percentage participation in most recent, stand-alone Statesboro city elections, including final Election Days as well as early voting.

"With turnout, it's beneficial for them (the city) when we put it on our (county) ballot," Jones observed Tuesday. "Usually, it's a good turnout when we add it."

In Statesboro's last stand-alone municipal election, in November 2025, total citywide turnout was 17.4% when Mayor Jonathan McCollar secured a third term. In November 2021, the turnout had been just 12.6%, according to the Statesboro Herald's story at the time.

Regular city elections are held in odd-numbered years, apart from county elections. But the District 2 special election was called in this even-numbered year after former Councilmember Paulette Chavers, who served six years, resigned in May.

Then, just for city District 2 residents, the special election was placed on ballots, including those programmed into voting machines, as an add-on to the regular state and county general election. Only registered voters in District 2, apportioned to include roughly one-fifth of Statesboro's residents, are choosing that new council member.

The three candidates qualified in August.

Donaldson-Elliott

Loletta Donaldson-Elliott, 48, has lived in the area that's now Statesboro District 2 her entire life.

"It's the community I was raised in and have always called home," she wrote in August.

This is her first time running for an elected, public office. That is also true of the other two candidates.

"I'm a partner at Gayla's Gifts of Beauty, a healthcare professional, and co-manager of Bigma's Restaurant," Donaldson-Elliott noted. "I'm also a wife, mother, and grandmother, and a member of Historical First African Baptist Church, where I teach youth Sunday school and serve as Youth Choir director."

She is a graduate of Statesboro High School, Ogeechee Technical College and Swainsboro Technical College.

When contacted in August, she also answered a central question, for which only a brief response was requested of all three candidates.

"I'm running because I know District 2 — its people, its history, and its needs — and I want to bring that firsthand understanding to the council table to serve my neighbors well," Donaldson-Elliott said.

She has elsewhere, such as on her Facebook page, identified "affordable housing, strong neighborhoods, a budget that respects your tax dollars, and real investment in our young people," as concerns and commitments for District 2.

Maleek Jones

Maleek Jones, 32, works for Georgia Southern University as a lead success coach in the Academic Success Center, and noted that he's a "double Eagle," having obtained both a master's degree in social science with a concentration in political science and a bachelor's degree in psychology at Georgia Southern.

He moved to Statesboro in 2018, so eight years ago, and has been a resident of District 2 for four years.

"We live in District 2 and started a family there, raising kids there," Jones said in August. "So all around I'm a family man, looking to hear what District 2 desires and be a representative for their voice."

His wife is a "triple Eagle," and they have two young children.

Then again that central question was asked, why does Jones want to serve on the council?

"The main thing is I'm feeling led to step into this space to be a voice for the people of the district," he concluded. "I spend my time representing students in sort of the same way at Georgia Southern, being an advocate for them, and I think I'd just be doing that but in a different capacity, listening to what the people need."

'Katie' Keehner

Kathleen Keehner was the first candidate to qualify during the three-day opportunity to do so in August.

"I am 25 years old and have never run for public office before, but I am deeply passionate about securing a prosperous future for the next generation and building a strong community," Keehner wrote then, in an email response to the Statesboro Herald.

A resident of Statesboro for a little less than two years, she reported that she and her family moved into District 2 in January "after purchasing a fixer-upper," which they have been renovating while they save up.

Keehner graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2023 with a bachelor's degree, having studied painting and business.

"Since then, I have worked as a substitute teacher and started my apparel and design business, JTK Supply Company," she wrote then. "I am also a mother to a 9-month-old boy (who's at least a couple months older now) named Jayden, which is the full-time job I am most proud of."

Why does she want to serve?

"I would like to serve on the City Council to contribute to our community's growth and help ensure a thriving, supportive environment for all families in our district," Keehner concluded in August.

Since then, she has spoken up during some City Council hearings and public comment times. Keehner has voiced concerns about what she sees as unnecessary city spending and costly contracts. She also expressed opposition to the mayor and council's approval of rezoning for a data center, and especially that the decision was made on a split vote with a mayoral tiebreaker while the District 2 seat remains vacant.

If no one candidate receives more than 50% of the votes in the Nov. 3 count, a runoff between the top two vote-getters would be required. The statewide Election Day for runoffs is Dec. 1.

But when one candidate has a majority, that winner can be sworn in to represent District 2 before the next council meeting after the election results are certified, City Attorney Cain Smith said earlier this year.