VALDOSTA – A missing database stalled early voting for a city school board runoff election Friday.

Early voting for the runoff was scheduled to start Friday, Nov. 12, but will now start Saturday, Nov. 13.

The Lowndes County Board of Elections had to adjust the early voting dates for Valdosta Board of Education District 7 Superward East runoff election.

In a runoff election between Debra Bell (incumbent) and David Gilyard, early voting had been scheduled to begin Friday.

In the Nov. 2 election, Bell received 614 votes and Gilyard received 514. Paul Leavy received 177 votes. With no candidate receiving the necessary 50% plus one vote needed to win, a runoff election was scheduled to determine a winner. 

District 7 voters arrived at the board of elections Friday and were turned away.

Gilyard was one of the voters.

“I was outraged and upset because there was no notification to the public,” he said. 

Gilyard said he was met by voters in the parking lot who told him they were told early voting would not begin Friday.

The board of elections confirmed that early voting would not begin Nov. 12 due to the database not being received at the expected time.

Elections staff will be taking names and phone numbers to contact the voters who arrive Friday to allow them to vote Saturday, Deb Cox, board of elections supervisor, said.

Cox said the database has been received and early voting will begin Saturday, Nov. 13.

 

The runoff election will be held Nov. 30.