Time to vote! Check out this breakdown of contested races in Clarke, Oconee counties

Voters in Athens-Clarke and Oconee counties will cast ballots in a host of local and state races and a congressional contest in Tuesday’s partisan primary and nonpartisan elections. Primary balloting will decide a number of races.

In Athens-Clarke County, the races for sheriff, tax commissioner and coroner will be decided on Tuesday. Each race attracted just two candidates, both of whom are running in the Democratic primary. Also up for final voter decisions Tuesday are three nonpartisan county commission contests.

The lone Clarke County Board of Education race on the ballot is a three-way contest, leaving open the possibility of a runoff.

More: Biden and Trump to debate in Atlanta, announces CNN

In the contest for sheriff, incumbent John Q. Williams, a former Athens-Clarke County Police Department detective, is facing a challenge from Tommy Dorsey, a 20-year veteran of the sheriff’s department who now serves as a Clarke County School District police officer.

The contest for tax commissioner features local insurance agent Brant Spratlin facing J.P. Lemay, a project manager for the Athens-Clarke County Department of Leisure Services. Both are running as Democrats in an office that became open after incumbent Toni Meadow opted not to seek reelection.

The race has been at least somewhat contentious, with Spratlin taking a challenge to Lemay’s candidacy to the Clarke County Board of Elections. Spratlin contended that a county ordinance addressing political activity by county employees barred Lemay from running, but the elections board found that state law, which sets qualifications for tax commissioners, did not bar Lemay.

In balloting for coroner, both candidates are funeral home employees, and both are running as Democrats. Michael Eberhart and William Gaulden are seeking to replace Sonny Wilson, who opted not to seek reelection after 16 years in the post.

Both men have praised Wilson’s handling of the office, and have indicated that they would like to expand its operations to better handle the hundreds of calls for service received each year.

Athens-Clarke County Commission

In nonpartisan balloting in Athens-Clarke County, three Athens-Clarke County commission seats will be decided Tuesday.

In the race for the District 2 seat, incumbent Melissa Link is being challenged by downtown Athens businessman Jason Jacobs.

Link, an outspoken advocate for affordable housing and environmental issues, is a progressive firebrand, while Jacobs has used his campaign to call for inclusive approaches to addressing issues from small business growth to safe public spaces.

In District 6, former Athens-Clarke County government internal auditor Stephanie Johnson will face off against local businesswoman Rashe Malcolm, owner of Rashe’s Cuisine, a Jamaican restaurant. Both are political newcomers vying for the seat for which incumbent Jesse Houle is not seeking reelection.

More: Georgia's Supreme Court election: What to know ahead of the primary

As a commission candidate, Johnson, who was fired as the county’s internal auditor in 2021 for inadequate job performance, supports responsible spending of public funds, along with property tax relief and properly equipping public safety personnel.

Malcolm’s platform focuses in large part on small business development, which she has said is as important as the county’s efforts to attract major employers for economic development.

The District 8 seat on the Athens-Clarke County Commission pits incumbent Carol Myers against Sidney “Mama Sid” Waters, whose family established the popular eastside Mama Sid’s pizza restaurant some years ago.

Waters, who served on the Clarke County Board of Education from 1996 to 2008, decided to seek the seat as the qualifying was drawing to a close. Her decision came in the wake of the death of 22-year-old Athens nursing student Laken Riley, in which an undocumented Venezuelan immigrant has been charged with murder.

Waters has been critical of what she sees as sanctuary-like policies of the Athens-Clarke government, and has also suggested that the county’s eastern side, which includes District 8, has been all but ignored by the county government.

Myers, first elected to the commission in 2020, is a former dean of general education at Athens Tech, and is currently involved with a local workforce development task force focused on small business development and attracting high-wage jobs to the county. Myers is also an advocate for alternative transportation.

Clarke County Board of Education

In other nonpartisan Athens-Clarke County balloting on Tuesday, there is one contested seat on the Clarke County Board of Education. In the District 2 race, incumbent Claudia Butts is being challenged by Mary P. Bagby and Kirrena N. Gallagher.

Butts was appointed to the District 2 seat by the school board in 2022 after Gallagher, who defeated Bagby in 2020 balloting, left the board in an unsuccessful effort to seek a seat on the Athens-Clarke County Commission.

Butts is a native Athenian and a graduate of Cedar Shoals High School who holds a degree in psychology from Paine College. Gallagher’s campaign website describes her as “embracing a forward-thinking approach to education.” Bagby, a 40-year resident of Athens-Clarke County, frequently attends school board meetings.

Oconee County homestead exemptions

Oconee County ballots for the May 21 primary could be intimidating for some voters, although not necessarily with regard to candidates seeking office. All county ballots -- Democratic, Republican and nonpartisan, will include 10 questions, all related to potential changes to the homestead exemption on property taxes in the county.

Broadly, the 10 questions would, if all are approved by voters, repeal four existing homestead exemptions, but add six new exemptions. If any one of the questions is defeated, none of the proposed changes to homestead exemptions could be enacted by the county.

According to county officials, the questions were placed on the ballot following citizen requests to look at exemptions offered to senior citizens, and to address apparent confusion with existing exemptions.

Beyond the questions, voters who choose a Republican ballot for Oconee County primary voting will face choices for a number of offices.

Oconee County Board of Commissioners

The race for chairman of the Oconee County Board of Commissioners will be decided in Tuesday balloting, as Republican incumbent John Daniell faces Republican challenger Pamela Lohr Hendrix. There are no Democrats vying for the chairmanship.

Daniell, seeking a third term in office, has touted the county’s low tax millage rate and high bond rating as he has campaigned for another term. Hendrix, a Watkinsville attorney, has been part of a group of Republicans seeking to challenge the county’s current Republican officeholders.

The Post 4 race for the Oconee commission also will be decided Tuesday, as Victoria E. Cruz and incumbent Mark Saxon meet in the Republican primary. Cruz, a longtime county resident, is a retired physician. Saxon, first elected in 2013, is a 55-year resident of the county.

More: Oconee promotes Anne Poss to principal at Oconee middle school

Oconee County Board of Education

In the decisive Tuesday race for the Post 1 seat on the Oconee County Board of Education, Republicans Michael D. Ransom and Joyce Reifsteck are the two candidates.

Ransom, who currently serves in the board’s Post 5 seat, is seeking the Post 1 seat because its occupant chairs the school board. The current Post 1 officeholder, Kim Argo, is not seeking reelection.

Reifsteck is a retired teacher who had her own advertising agency before becoming an educator.

There will be a three-way contest Tuesday in the Republican race for the Post 4 school board seat, featuring Adam Hammond, Andy Pippin and Russell Toms.

Hammond is executive director of the Georgia 4-H Foundation. Pippin is a business development professional and former manager of the city of Hampton, Ga. Toms is a sales executive and former hospital director.

The winner in Republican balloting will face Democrat Sherri Ward Long, who is seeking the seat without party endorsement, in November’s general election.

In balloting for the Post 5 school board seat, Republicans Stephen L. Aleshire and Brock Toole are angling for their party’s nod. Aleshire is a retiree who has lived in the county for almost 30 years. Toole is a former chief operations officer for the Oconee County school system.

The winner of the Republican primary will move on to face Democrat Katie Green in November.

Other Oconee contests

The races for Oconee County sheriff, Oconee County Superior Court clerk and County Commission Post 1 will be decided in the November general election, although candidate’s names will appear on their respective partisan primary ballots on Tuesday.

The Democratic candidate in the sheriff’s race is Reginald Wade, with James A. Hale seeking the office as a Republican. In the contest for Superior Court clerk, Laura L. King is running as a Democrat, with Angela Elder-Johnson running as a Republican.

In the contest for the Post 1 seat on the Oconee County Commission, Democrat Suzannah Heimel and Republican Mark H. Thomas, the incumbent, will meet in the November general election.

Georgia House District 120

There is nopartisan primary challenge in Tuesday voting for House District 120, which includes part of Athens-Clarke County and extends into Barrow and Jackson counties.

In the November general election, incumbent Republican Rep. Houston Gaines will face Democratic challenger Andrew Ferguson.

Georgia House District 121

In House District 121, which includes Oconee and parts of Athens-Clarke County, incumbent Republican Marcus Wiedower, a small business owner, will face John Michael Grigsby, a nurse practitioner making his first foray into electoral politics.

The winner of the Republican primary will face Democrat Courtney Frisch, an engineering consultant, in November’s general election.

Georgia House District 124

There is a Democratic primary contest on Tuesday ballots for the House District 124 seat, which includes parts of both Athens-Clarke and Oconee counties. The winner of Democratic balloting will face incumbent Republican Rep. Trey Rhodes in November.

Tuesday’s Democratic contest features Greensboro paralegal Melanie Miller and Rickie Glenn, about whom no information is readily available.

Georgia Senate District 46

There are no Tuesday primary contests for the District 46 seat in the state Senate, with Republican incumbent Bill Cowsert and Democrat Gareth Fenley each having no primary opponent.

Cowsert, an attorney, and Fenley, a social worker, will face each other in the November general election.

Georgia Senate District 47

There is a Republican primary contest for the District 47 seat in the state Senate, with longtime incumbent Frank Ginn set to face businessman Ross Harvin. The district stretches across parts of Barrow, Jackson, Clarke and Madison counties.

Harvin’s campaign website indicates that he wants to work to end the state income tax. Ginn has extensive experience in local government management.

The winner of Tuesday’s Republican primary will face Democratic contender Conolus Scott in November.

US House District 10

In the contest for the District 10 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, incumbent Republican Mike Collins, who has been a consistent critic of Athens-Clarke County government in the wake of the death of Laken Riley, is unopposed in Republican primary balloting.

Collins will, however, face a Democratic challenger in November. Vying in Tuesday’s primary for the right to face Collins are Alexandra “Lexy” Doherty and Jessica Fore.

According to her website, Doherty, an educational consultant, is an advocate for rural economic development, alternative energy and federal codifying of privacy rights to ensure access to abortion services.

Fore, who grew up in Macon and has lived in or near Athens for 20 years, notes on her campaign website that she supports both automatic and same-day voter registration, a living wage indexed to local housing costs, and limiting government involvement in personal healthcare decisions.

Georgia Supreme Court

One of the four nonpartisan races for a seat on the Georgia Supreme Court has an interesting local angle, as Athens native John Barrow, vies for the seat currently held by Justice Andrew Pinson.

Barrow, a former Athens-Clarke County commissioner and former member of Congress whose district included the Athens area, has made abortion rights a center of his campaign.

His focus on abortion rights prompted the filing of an ethics complaint by the state Judicial Qualifications Commission, on grounds that judicial candidates can’t indicate how they might rule on specific issues. Barrow subsequently filed a complaint against the Judicial Qualifications Commission in federal court earlier this month. A federal court hearing on the issue was held May 14.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: See who is on the ballot in Clarke and Oconee counties for the primary