Elections next week inside Blue Ridge territory

Election time arrives next week inside the multi-county service territory of the Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative.  All qualified Blue Ridge customers are entitled to cast ballots as part of this year’s annual consumers’ meeting.  Voting will take place during drive-up registration at the Oconee and Pickens offices 7 am to 7 pm Wednesday, April 26 and 7 am to 5 pm Thursday, April 27.  Len Talley is the lone candidate for District One representing Oconee County; William Elrod, the lone candidate for District Two representing Pickens County.  For the District Four seat, representing Anderson County, all Blue Ridge customers, regardless of their address, choose between Paul Brown and Will Anderson. This year Blue Ridge introduces a new process for ballot counting.  Pencils will be given out with the ballot, so they can be marked by filling in the circle by the appropriate name.  The ballots will be secured in lock boxes until after the polls close each night.  Blue Ridge announces it has engaged Survey and Balloting Systems to assist with ballot counting.  That company conducts elections for other South Carolina electric cooperatives.  Using a scanning method, the votes are to be tabulated for a final tabulation the evening of the 27th.