VALDOSTA —
Think your vote doesn’t matter? Did you have a candidate you liked but didn’t vote because you thought, well, what’s one vote?
As Tuesday’s Lowndes County primary proved, one vote can mean the difference between win, lose or front-runner. One vote not cast can even mean a tie.
In the GOP primary race for Lowndes County Commission District 3, one vote placed Randall McClellan ahead of fellow candidate Crawford Powell. McClellan received 43.2 percent, or 747 votes, with Powell receiving 43.15 percent, or 746 votes. Both men will face each other in the Aug. 10 runoff race.
Meanwhile, one vote could turn the tide of who will face candidate Richard Raines in the runoff race for Lowndes County Commission District 2. Both John Page and John Huff tied with 612 votes each, for a statistical dead heat of 23.55 percent each. Provisional and military ballots may decide whether Huff or Page will face Raines by the end of this week. But an extra vote cast Tuesday, or during the weeks of early voting, could have helped decide who will continue to the runoff.
Granted, with no one in these races acquiring the necessary 51 percent to win, one vote arguably makes little difference. Still, just ask John Huff or John Page what one more vote can mean. Or as McClellan mentioned to a Times staff member late Tuesday night, he worked hard to get that one extra vote.
Still, come Aug. 10 and the runoff election, one vote could well make the difference on who will or won’t lead Lowndes County. Make sure your vote helps make that difference.
What We Think
What we think: One vote
- What We Think
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Leaving NCLB behind
Georgia schools may be sighing in relief today, following the announcement that the U.S. Department of Education granted a waiver to the state, along with nine others, from the rigorous requirements of the No Child Left Behind act.
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Don’t jettison landmark
While we respect the request to relocate the F-86 aircraft from outside Mathis City Auditorium to the new Moody Air Force Base Airpark, we would hope the city and MAFB would reconsider moving it.
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Shame in Berrien County
Unfortunately for Sherrie Williams of the Berrien County school-based health clinic, she talked to The Times and praised the program that she oversees. This pride in her work led to the loss of her job.
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Grading policy: A second chance?
In clarifying the Lowndes County Schools’ controversial grading policy, Superintendent Dr. Steve Smith spoke of second chances.
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Be up to any weather challenge
Georgia’s Severe Weather Awareness Week starts today and runs through Friday. The idea behind the week is to prepare Georgians for weather emergencies and how to keep these situations from becoming tragedies.
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Parents and schools
There is a lot of talk lately about school systems and grading policies, and how all of a child's problems come back to a lack of parenting. But is it really that simple? Can it be a case where the school systems are so focused on the problem few that the majority of students are ignored?
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Thumbs up, thumbs down
THUMBS UP: To Brooks County High School engineering and technology teacher Don Morgan and his students. They recently received national attention for their work with biodiesel fuel. They collect used cooking oil from area fast-food restaurants then process this oil into biodiesel. Morgan hopes to next interest the Brooks County school buses into running on the fuel created in his class. This classroom not only prepares students for the future but may prepare all of us for an alternative energy source.
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Take me out to the ball park
The Valdosta State baseball season begins today. The Blazers host Lindenwood at 2:30 p.m. Nothing beats quality baseball played in warm weather with a great venue like Billy Grant Field.
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What We Think: Signing Day
Wednesday was National Signing Day, the day when high school athletes across the country make official announcements about what school they’ve chosen to sign with.
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School policy fails expectations
Lowndes County Schools recently implemented new grading guidelines for students. These guidelines have left many parents upset ...
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Leaving NCLB behind
