Tuesday's election went smoothly in Richmond County, and a Dec. 1 runoff for the District 1 Augusta Commission seat could move even more quickly because turnout is expected to drop off, an election official said.
"We will get a better feel for that over the next few weeks as we can see how campaigning is going and the level of interest from voters," said Lynn Bailey, the executive director of the Board of Elections.
Candidates Matt Aitken and William Fennoy were the top finishers in Tuesday's District 1 contest and will face each other Dec. 1. The results of Tuesday's voting should be certified today when the board meets at 6 p.m., Mrs. Bailey said.
There were few problems, she said. Equipment functioned properly, and the vote-counting process went off without a hitch.
"I think everything went fine," Mrs. Bailey said. "The issue we expected to have was the issue we did have with general confusion of people not knowing if their district was voting."
Half of the Augusta Commission's 10 seats were up for election, but because only three races had competition, polls were open only in districts 1, 3 and 5.
About 17 percent of registered voters cast ballots, surpassing Mrs. Bailey's prediction of a 10 percent to 15 percent turnout and avoiding a record low.
"It was better than expected, but still at the end of the day 17 percent is nothing to brag about," Mrs. Bailey said.
Reach Erin Zureick at (706) 823-3217 or erin.zureick@augustachronicle.com.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2012. All Rights Reserved.
