Light voter turnout expected for election

Except for a liquor vote in LaFayette, North Georgia officials expect a light turnout at elections across the region today.

Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. in Northwest Georgia cities, including Fort Oglethorpe, Chickamauga, LaFayette, Trenton and Lookout Mountain.

Orma Luckey, superintendent of elections in Fort Oglethorpe, said the city has gotten about 160 absentee and advance ballots for the three council seats up for grabs. That’s off the pace from 2007 municipal elections, when they had 365 early ballots amid a total of 3,200 voters.

“I don’t think we’re going to get that,” she said, adding that she hopes 2,000 voters will come to the polls at Constitution Hall on Forrest Road.

It’s the same story in Chickamauga, where voters will elect two school board seats and a council member. Superintendent of Elections Richard Barclift said he has received about 70 early votes compared to 109 in 2007.

“There was a lot more interest” in the last local election, he said.

In Trenton, things may be even slower. Residents there have only one office on the ballot: police commissioner. Election officials have received two absentee ballot and 63 early votes.

In LaFayette, where voters will pick a mayor, a city judge and two council members and will decide whether restaurants can sell alcohol, poll workers expect to be busier.

“I think we’ll have a pretty big turnout,” said City Clerk Brenda Snyder, who has received more than 300 advance and absentee votes. She credited the liquor vote for the turnout.

Residents in Varnell, Summerville, Trion, Chatsworth and Eton also go to the polls. Rossville, Dalton, Tunnel Hill and Ringgold will not have elections because none of the candidates were opposed.