Election Day 2018: Cherokee County Candidates, Sample Ballots

CANTON, GA — Election Day 2018 is finally here, and residents around Cherokee County who did not take advantage of early voting opportunities will venture to the polls Tuesday to cast ballots in federal, state and local races.

Polls are open from 7 a.m to 7 p.m. Nov. 6 so you can have your say in the race for governor, the battle for a Congressional seat and contests for State House and State Senate seats. Kim Stancil, director of Elections and Voter Registration in Cherokee, said 48,641 residents visited early voting sites around the county to cast ballots ahead of Tuesday's historic elections. Across the state, a little more than 2 million voters cast ballots during the early voting period before the midterms, the Secretary of State's Office said.

Of course, the election that has all eyes on Georgia is the race to become the Peach State's next governor. Democrat Stacey Abrams, Republican Brian Kemp and Libertarian Ted Metz are running to succeed outgoing Gov. Nathan Deal. Kemp and Abrams have been polling at a statistical tie, leading many to wonder if Tuesday's race will result in a December runoff.

Of course, this election has become more contentious in its final hours, as Kemp, Georgia's secretary of state, is accusing the Democratic Party of Georgia of trying to hack into the state's voter registration system. The GBI said its Georgia Cyber Crime Center is investigating the claims.

For the lieutenant governor's race, Republican Geoff Duncan and Democrat Sarah Riggs Amico are vying to succeed Casey Cagle, the outgoing incumbent who lost the primary for the governor's seat.

The battle to become Georgia's next secretary of state is a three-way race among Republican Brad Raffensperger, Democrat John Barrow and Libertarian Smythe Duval. Incumbent Republican Chris Carr is hoping to continue on as Georgia's attorney general in his fight against Democrat Charlie Bailey. Other statewide races on the ballot include:

Agriculture Commissioner

• Gary Black (incumbent), Republican
• Fred Swann, Democrat

Insurance Commissioner

• Jim Beck, Republican
• Janice Laws, Democrat
• Donnie Foster, Libertarian

State Schools Superintendent

• Richard Woods (incumbent), Republican
• Otha E. Thornton Jr., Democrat

Labor Commissioner

• Mark Butler (incumbent), Republican
• Richard Keatley, Democrat

At the federal level, voters in Georgia's 11th Congressional District will re-elect incumbent Republican Barry Loudermilk or choose Democrat Flynn Broady to represent them in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Loudermilk, a small business owner, served in the Georgia State Senate before he was elected to Congress in 2014. Broady is the prosecuting attorney for Cobb's DUI court. The 11th Congressional District includes Bartow and Cherokee counties and parts of Cobb and Fulton counties.

At the state level, State Senate candidate Bruce Thompson is facing off against Democrat Rachel Kinsey for the District 14 seat, which covers the western part of Cherokee County and parts of Bartow County. Incumbent Republican Brandon Beach is in a re-election fight against Democrat Nichole Nash for the Senate District 21 seat. Senate District 21 covers eastern Cherokee County and parts of Alpharetta and Milton.

State Senator John Albers of District 56, the incumbent Republican, is being challenged by Democrat Ellyn Jeager for this seat, which covers extreme southeast Cherokee County.

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Cherokee County's five Republican State House Representatives all face Democratic contenders in the Nov. 6 election. House District 20 incumbent Republican Michael Caldwell of Woodstock is battling Democrat Lillian Burnaman for that seat while Republican State Rep. Scot Turner of District 21 faces Democratic challenger Melanie Whitfield.

Incumbents Wes Cantrell of District 22, Mandi Ballinger of District 22 and John Carson of District 46 all face Democratic opposition in the Nov. 6 general election. Cantrell, of Woodstock, faces Charles Ravescraft while Ballinger, of Canton, is being challenged by Adam Wynn. Carson, of Marietta, faces Karin Sandiford.

RELATED: Georgia 2018 Midterm Elections Voting Guide

At the local level, Cherokee County Commission Chairman-elect Harry Johnston, District 1 incumbent Commissioner Steve West and District 4 commissioner-elect Corey Ragsdale do not face Democratic opposition in Tuesday's election. Republican School Board members Clark Menard, Rick Steiner, John Harmon and Mike Chapman were also re-elected in May and do not face any Democratic opposition.

Todd Hayes, Cherokee County's solicitor general-elect, and Tony Baker, Superior Court judge-elect for the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit, also do not have opponents in the Nov. 6 general election.

Voters in Canton and Woodstock will also consider whether to allow restaurants to serve alcohol by the drink starting at 11 a.m. on Sundays instead of 12:30 p.m. Several cities and jurisdictions around the state are voting on this question as a result of the Brunch Bill that passed the Georgia General Assembly.

Polls around Cherokee County will open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 6. Please note that if you did not vote early, you must vote at your assigned precinct. You can check your voter registration card or visit the Georgia Secretary of State My Voter Page to view your precinct location. The My Voter Page site also includes links to sample ballots for Cherokee County voters. You can view your sample ballot on that site by submitting your first initial, last name, county and date of birth.

Photo identification is required when voting in Georgia. Valid forms of ID include driver's licenses, state ID cards, tribal ID cards, United States passports, employee ID cards, military ID cards, and voter ID cards issued by county registration offices.

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