Tuesday is the last chance for Peachtree City and east Coweta residents to vote in the special election to fill the vacant District 71 seat in the Georgia House of Representatives.
Although Coweta resident Robert Stokely won election last year, he withdrew from the position in December after being offered a full-time job in Coweta Magistrate Court. That has left the district, which encompasses much of east Coweta County and two small areas in northwest Peachtree City, without a representative as the general assembly cranked up several weeks ago.
With six contestants in the field, that is unlikely to change as a runoff election is likely. Should no candidate get 50 percent of the vote, the top two vote-getters will face off in the runoff election which is scheduled for March 5, near the end of the legislative session.
The six candidates who have qualified for office include Cynthia Bennett (D, Newnan), Thomas G. Crymes (R, Sharpsburg), Michael Farbo (R, White Oak), Darryl Marmon (R, Sharpsburg), David Stover (R, Palmetto) and Richard Weisser (R, Sharpsburg).
Polls Tuesday will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Because the district’s footprint in Peachtree City is so small, there will only be two polling locations open for the election: Precinct 18 at Peachtree City Christian Church and Precinct 31 at the Kedron Fieldhouse and Aquatic Center.
Stokely has expressed thanks to fellow Reps. Lynn Smith and Matt Ramsey for helping cover constituents’ issues while the District 71 seat remains vacant. Smith and Ramsey, however, cannot vote on behalf of the district.
It is not yet known how much the special election will cost Coweta and Fayette counties, and the cost will grow higher if the runoff election occurs as expected.
