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With early voting starting Monday, the latest election season returns in full swing. There are many expectations with each election season: debates, political forums, negative campaigning, etc.
One expectation many people have is seeing a sample ballot run in the newspaper. The Times expects hearing this request repeatedly in the coming weeks.
There was a time when a newspaper could easily run a sample ballot in its pages. Then, no matter a voter’s polling place, most everyone in the county used the same ballot. Everyone voted for all commissioners, school board members, etc., and the candidate receiving the most votes won. Legislators represented an entire county. In a region where almost every candidate ran only as Democrats until about 20 years ago, there was little need for even two ballots for differing political parties.
But the times have changed. Commissioners and school board members represent different districts and only the voters living in those districts can vote for those specific candidates. A handful of state legislators represent different parts of Lowndes County while also representing bits and pieces of several other counties. Though Georgia has switched primarily from one-party Democratic rule to one-party Republican control, both parties still field candidates in local and state races.
Though aware of these realities, The Times knows the calls will come from irate voters wondering why we won’t run a sample ballot in the newspaper. So, we asked the Lowndes County Board of Elections for a sample ballot. The Lowndes County Board of Elections reports there are approximately 160 different ballots available throughout the region.
One-hundred-and sixty.
Why so many different ballots? Well, one voter may be eligible to vote for one commission candidate, one school board candidate, one state representative, etc., while a neighbor as close as across the street may live in a completely different sets of districts with completely different candidates for the commission, school board and Legislature. Or any combination of varying districts and candidates. This may be a bit of an exaggeration but with 160 ballots, it’s not much of one.
And if the one resident plans to vote Democrat and the other plans to vote Republican then the entire ballot changes to represent each party’s field of candidates for a given set of districts. Given the number of possibilities, 160 ballots not only sounds feasible but reasonable. But it makes printing a sample ballot neither feasible nor reasonable.
If The Times could publish one or two ballots that represented what the majority of voters will find at the polling place this election season, we would. But such simplicity is no longer realistic in today’s more complex political landscape. Most voters won’t know until they arrive at the election office or the polling place which of the 160 ballots represents them.
So we’ve attempted to break it down and show you the candidates for national, state and local offices, and hope that as voters, you are savvy enough to know what district you live in and which candidates will be on your Republican or Democratic party ballot. (See related story on page one).
What We Think
Nothing easy about sample ballots
- What We Think
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Charity never tasted so good
For one night, you can indulge your sweet tooth while contributing to a worthy cause at the same time.
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Historic day celebrated
On January 1, 1863, Pres. Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, announcing that all persons held as slaves within the rebellious areas are and henceforth shall be free.
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How this garden grew
A special-needs couple wanted a garden. A teacher not only wanted to teach gardening skills but she also wanted to instill a sense of community purpose within her young students.
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Happy Father’s Day
He beamed with pride on our birth. He understood worry upon our birth. He is the giant by which we would judge all men. He protected us. He provided for us. He often sacrificed time with us to provide for us. He spent time with us.
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Thumbs up
THUMBS UP: To Stevie Young of Valdosta. The owner of Artistic Taxidermy, Young won Best in the World, Turkey, in the 2013 World Taxidermy Championship. His eastern wild turkey display dominated the competition, earning him the distinction of best in the world. Another title for TitleTown!
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Canning preserves food, way of life
When the going gets tough, the tough getting canning. Valdosta-Lowndes County residents have this opportunity.
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PSST!: Round Two!
With tonight’s opening of “The Marvelous Wonderettes,” Peach State Summer Theatre presents its second show of the 2013 season.
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A responsible fix for pets
The photo and story in Sunday’s paper about the dog whose owners had left him tied up with an electrical cord elicited a tremendous response from readers, outraged at the dog’s treatment.
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A band-aid in a crisis?
The announcement Monday by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities that a crisis stabilization center will be built in Lowndes County is good news for some, not so great for others.
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Slowing down for summer
Twenty-some years ago, it seemed Valdosta and South Georgia slowed down for the summer. School was out. Controversies seemed to dwindle. People seemed to work shorter hours despite the longer days.
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Charity never tasted so good
