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Photo credit: Parker Johnson
By Dawson Baker
Staff writer
More than 10,000 people cast a ballot by Tuesday, Nov. 8, in the 2022 midterm election, which is nearly 62 percent of the registered voters in Hart County.
“We had a great day,” Robin Webb, Hart County Elections Coordinator said. “[It was] probably one of the smoothest elections we have had.
“We didn’t have the turnout I anticipated, but it was still great for a midterm election.”
Webb went on to say that her team put in a lot of work behind the scenes to prepare for this election.
“We put a lot of work in so that voters could have the best experience possible.”
The following results were compiled from the Georgia Secretary of State’s website, and the results from Hart County are expected to be certified on Monday, Nov. 14, according to Webb.
Hart County voters decided in favor of allowing the county government to permit the Sunday sale of liquor by the drink. This is already allowed within the city limits of Hartwell and will now be expanded to the county.
This was decided by a 6,677 vote in favor of the item, versus 3,696 votes against it.
Voters also decided in favor of raising the homestead exemption from the Hart County School District for residents who are 65 years of age or older from $10,000 to $15,000 of the property’s assessed value.
It was a big night for the Republican Party, with the GOP taking every race on the ballot in Hart County.
The U.S. Senate race, which has caught national attention, between incumbent Raphael Warnock (D) and challenger Herschel Walker (R), was decided in favor of Walker in Hart County.
He received 7,977 votes compared to Warnock who received 2,319 votes. The candidate for the Libertarian Party, Chase Oliver, received 192 votes.
As of press time on Tuesday this race was considered too close to call.
Governor Brian Kemp (R) defeated challenger Stacey Abrams (D) in Hart County, receiving 8,423 votes compared to Abrams’ 2,038 votes. Shane Hazel, the Libertarian Party candidate received 94 votes.
As of press time on Tuesday, Governor Brian Kemp was projected to win re-election.
Burt Jones (R), candidate for lieutenant governor, received 8,128 votes from Hart County’s voters, and Brad Raffensperger received 8,108 votes in favor of returning to his job as secretary of state.
Incumbent Attorney General Chris Carr (R) received 8,161 votes from Hart County compared to democratic challenger, Jennifer Jordan, who received 2,140 votes.
Incumbent Commissioner of Insurance John King (R) received 8,322 votes in favor of returning to his job, and incumbent State School Superintendent Richard Woods (R) collected 8,327 votes to return to his job in Atlanta.
Tyler Harper (R) received 8,251 votes in favor of becoming the next commissioner of agriculture in Georgia, and Bruce Thompson (R) collected 8,175 votes from Hart County voters to become the next commissioner of labor.
According to unofficial results, incumbent U.S. Representative, Andrew Clyde (R), received 8,198 votes from Hart County to be sent back to the U.S. House of Representatives. He defeated Michael Ford in Hart County who received 2,225 votes.
According to unofficial results, State Senator, Lee Anderson (R), will be returning to the statehouse alongside State House Representative Alan Powell (R), each receiving more then 9,000 votes. Neither candidate faced a challenger in this midterm election.
District Two Commissioner Frankie Teasley (R) received 2,708 votes, sending him back to his seat on the Board of Commissioners. Jeff Brown (R) received nearly 2,000 votes to secure his seat on the board. Brown was sworn into office earlier this year to replace former commissioner, Ricky Carter.
Henley Clearly (R) and Richard Sutherland (R) were re-elected to their seats on the Hart County Board of Education representing districts two and four respectively. Neither Clearly nor Sutherland faced a challenger in this election.
For full election results and for a breakdown of all the numbers in Hart County and across the state, go to the Georgia Secretary of State website at sos.ga.gov.