Who won in Oconee County Primary Election races? Find the results here.
Voters in Oconee County cast ballots in many races in Tuesday’s primary elections. Many contests were decided in the primary contests. Results reported here are unofficial and may not include all absentee or provisional ballots cast in the various races.
Oconee County Board of Commissioners Chairman
The race for chairman of the Oconee County Board of Commissioners was decided in Tuesday balloting in the Republican primary, as incumbent John Daniell easily outdistanced Republican challenger Pamela Lohr Hendrix.
Daniell won the balloting with 4,459 votes, while Hendrix earned 1,233 ballots in the contest.
On his way to winning a third term, Daniell touted the county’s low tax millage rate and high bond rating.
Hendrix, a Watkinsville attorney, has been part of a group of Republicans seeking to challenge the county’s current Republican officeholders.
Oconee County Board of Commissioners Post 4
The Post 4 race for the Oconee commission also was decided Tuesday, as incumbent Mark T. Saxon won the Republican primary with 4,697 of the 5,676 ballots cast for the at-large post.
Saxon’s challenger, Victoria E. Cruz, failed to break four figures in the race, claiming 979 votes.
Saxon is a 55-year resident of the county, and Cruz is a longtime county resident and retired physician.
There are no Democrats vying for the Post 4 seat.
Oconee County Board of Education Post 1 (Chairman)
Republicans Michael D. Ransom and Joyce Reifsteck squared off in the decisive Tuesday race for the Post 1 seat on the Oconee County Board of Education, which became open when the seat’s current occupant, Kim Argo, opted not to seek reelection.
Ransom handily earned the office over Reifsteck, earning 4,184 of the 5,358 votes recorded in the contest. Reifsteck, a retired teacher who previously had her own advertising agency, claimed the remaining 1,174 ballots in the race.
Ransom, who currently serves the board’s Post 5, sought the Post 1 seat because its occupant chairs the school board.
Oconee County Board of Education Post 4
The Republican race for the Post 4 seat on the Oconee County Board of Education was a three-way contest featuring Adam Hammond, Andy Pippin and Russell Toms.
Hammond, executive director of the Georgia 4-H Foundation, easily took the contest, claiming 3,767 of the 5,373 votes in the race. Pippin managed to earn 856 ballots, with Toms recording 750 ballots.
Pippin is a business development professional and former manager of the city of Hampton, Ga. Toms is a sales executive and former hospital director.
Hammond’s work did not end with his Tuesday victory. In the November general election, he will face Democrat Sherri Ward Long, who faced no primary opposition. However, Long is seeking the seat without her party’s endorsement.
Oconee County Board of Education Post 5
In Republican balloting for the Post 5 school board seat, Stephen L. Aleshire and Brock Toole angled for their party’s nod. Toole, a former chief operations officer for the Oconee County school system, won the primary with 3,730 votes. Aleshire, a retiree who has lived in the county for almost 30 years, garnered 1,622 votes.
Toole moves on to face Democrat Katie Green, who was unopposed on Tuesday, in November balloting.
Ballot questions on homestead exemptions
In addition to the array of partisan primary contests, all Oconee County voters on Tuesday faced 10 ballot questions, all related to potential changes to the homestead exemption on property taxes in the county.
All 10 questions earned passage, with approvals ranging from 69% to 84% among the nearly 7,000 votes cast for each measure.
Broadly, the affirmative answers to the 10 questions will repeal four existing homestead exemptions, but add six new exemptions. If any of the questions were defeated, the county could not enact any proposed changes.
Upcoming 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 appeared alone 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.
Also appearing on Tuesday ballots in Oconee County were Tax Commissioner Jennifer T. Riddle and Coroner Ed Carson. Both are incumbent Republicans, and neither drew a challenger from either party.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Oconee County 2024 Primary Election results
