Early voting begins | Richmond County voters to decide if mayor gets a vote

Kim Vickers
·2 min read

AUGUSTA, Ga (WJBF)- Advance voting for Georgia’s General Primary election starts today. Voters will decide who their next leaders will be. And in Richmond County they have an important question to consider.

The question is, should the mayor of the Garden City get a vote at commission meetings Richmond County voters now have to decide.

Since the Augusta Richmond County consolidation nearly 30 years ago, the mayor only gets a vote in the event of a tie. That means that a commissioner could vote to abstain to prevent the mayor from voting on an issue.

Mayor Garnett Johnson doesn’t think it’s right and wants the people to decide if he gets a vote.

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“The abstention rules somehow caught traction. And it has, in my opinion, disenfranchised the mayor’s right to vote. I am the only at large member of our commission, elected by the entire population of Augusta Richmond County, yet I am refused the opportunity to vote by a simple abstention.”

Mayor Johnson believes it’s important that the mayor have more of a say in issues facing the city.

“You know, the mayor is the one that provides all of the strategic initiatives as it relates to our city. He shares the vision as to where we should be going, the economic investments that come into the city, the viability for its citizens, the accountability. Making sure that we’re being held accountable and transparent to the entire voting population and the entire population of Augusta- Richmond County,” he said. “So that’s why it’s critically important. If he’s elected by the entire voting population of the county, he should have a right to vote.”

Advance voting in Georgia begins April 29th and runs through May 17th. You can vote during any weekday or on Saturday May 4th or Saturday May 11th.

You can find the full list of polling locations and times in our Georgia counties by clicking the link below.

CSRA advance voting locations in Georgia General Primary election

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