Absentee voting normal for mid-term election

By the 5 pm deadline yesterday, 1,434 Oconee County voters had cast absentee ballots in the primary elections. That number is considered normal by Joy Scharich, elections director, for an off-Presidential voting year. Scharich broke down the absentee voting this way: 301 Democratic ballots were cast and 1,133 Republican ballots were cast. In a further breakdown, Scharich determined that of 1,133 Republican absentee ballots, 589 were cast in District One, where there’s a contest for the GOP nomination for council between the incumbent, Edda Cammick, and her Republican challenger, John Elliott. The results of the absentee voting are usually announced before the results of the county’s regular precincts. And some election observers believe that many times the absentee results will mirror the precinct results. Precinct balloting in both parties’ primary elections is underway and will continue until 7 o’clock tonight.