[CORRECTED] — In this strange political year, I decided to cast my ballot early, before I could change my mind — three or four times.
My votes came up short — three-fifths short on Fayette offices, thanks to a federal court district voting settlement that replaced at-large voting for county commission and school board with four districts and one at-large post on each board.
The folks who think they won this lawsuit should consider that they each replaced their five votes per board with two votes per board. They thus got a guaranteed Democrat for one slot on each board. For that they gave up the majority of their voting rights and took away mine. Everybody lost in that settlement.
Of the candidates I voted for, some were easy decisions, some not so.
I note also the candidates now insulated from my vote that I would have voted for had not my voting rights been abridged for pure partisan gain.
Enough sour grapes; let’s make some astringent wine with the ballots we have.
My votes (and would-be votes) in contested races:
CORRECTION: In earlier editions, I mistakenly omitted a race about which I had absolutely no doubts — Fayette County Sheriff. I absolutely and confidently voted with enthusiasm for Barry Babb, the incumbent. I urge you to do the same.
For 3rd District U.S. representative: Jim Pace.
For state representative 72nd District (Peachtree City): Josh Bonner.
For district attorney Griffin Judicial Circuit: Rudjard Hayes.
For superior court judge Griffin Judicial Circuit: Mack Crawford.
For superior court judge Griffin Judicial Circuit: Tommy Hankinson.
For Board of Education District 3: Marion Key.
For Board of Education District 5: Susan Stopford.
For County Commission District 1: Eric Maxwell.
For County Commission District 2: Randy Ognio.
For County Commission District 5: Allen McCarty.
For magistrate judge Post 1: Christy A. Dunkelberger.
For coroner (let’s don’t forget this one): Bee Huddleston.
For U.S. Senate: Mary Kay Bacallao. (Why not? Isakson will win and within one year resign for health reasons, leaving his pal Gov. Nathan Deal the pre-arranged opening to appoint his very good pal Lynn Westmoreland to be our junior senator, thus giving Lynn the leg up five years from that point as the incumbent. That’s not much of a conspiracy theory; the writing is on the wall for this one. The old Democrat guv takes care of his buddies. Maybe by that time Lynn will have learned all 10 of the commandments for a triumphant reappearance on the Stephen Colbert Show.)
[Cal Beverly has been editor and publisher of The Citizen since its formation in 1993.]
