Early voting wraps as Election Day looms Tuesday

Georgia Primary election date set for Tuesday

As the clock ticks down toward the May 19 Democratic, Republican and non-partisan primary elections in Walton County and across the state, many Walton voters have already cast their ballots. When the polls open on Election Day, Tuesday, May 19, 2026, 8013 ballots would have already been cast.

That’s well ahead of previous early voting tallies in the last two primary elections, each of which saw more than 4,000 voters cast early ballots before Election Day in 2022 and 2024

Ballots were again heavily weighted toward the Republican slate, with 5124 early voters choosing a GOP primary ballot. Democratic votes represented 2,195 of the ballots cast, with 694 voters opting to cast a nonpartisan ballot. Outside the straight nonpartisan ballot, both the Republican and Democratic ballots include nonpartisan races.

Not all ballots, whether for early voting or on election day, will have the same races listed. The ballot received by an individual voter will reflect the various electoral districts in which the voter resides. 

On election day, polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Voters who are in line by 7 p.m. will be allowed to cast their ballot.

Local primary contests

A number of local primary “races” feature only a single candidate. In the District 1 race for the Walton County Board of Commissioners, the Republican candidate, Danny Nelson, a political newcomer, faces no partisan opposition, as the race failed to attract a Democratic candidate. The story is the same in the District 5 race, where incumbent Jeremy Todd Adams, owner of a Monroe chiropractic clinic, is the lone candidate, and there is no Democrat seeking the seat.

Similarly, the District 2 seat on the Walton County Board of Education comprises just one Republican candidate, incumbent Karen Brown, a former Walton County teacher, while there was no Democratic candidate fielded for the contest.

The District 5 school board seat attracted only the incumbent, Republican Tom Gibson of Loganville, with the Democratic side of the slate remaining blank.

In a bit of a switch for county school board races, the District 1 seat garnered just one candidate, Democratic incumbent Angenette Brooks, a 1987 graduate of Monroe Area High School, with no one seeking the Republican nod for the seat.

The District 4 seat on the Walton County Board of Commissioners is the only contested commission contest on the primary ballot, with incumbent Republican Lee Bradford facing a partisan challenge from Dallas Haupt, owner of a health and fitness business.

Haupt has received considerable financial backing in his battle for the District 4 seat from prominent names in the community totaling more than $22,000. The Committee to Elect David Thompson has given several donations totaling nearly $7,000, while Standridge Color Corporation gave several donations nearly $10,000.

State legislative primaries

In state legislative races for seats serving Walton County, the Senate District 42 seat has one Republican candidate, Marine Corps veteran Bret Dunn, and a single Democratic candidate, pastor Eric W. Lee, Sr.

The District 46 seat features a three-way Republican contest featuring lawyer Michael Broun, business owner Doug McKillip and entrepreneur Marc McMain, while the Democratic primary ballot features William Gaulden, who touts his leadership in the party, and Ray Smith, a software engineer and community organizer.

For the District 111 seat in the Georgia House of Representatives, the Republican ballot lists only incumbent Reynaldo “Rey” Martinez, a restaurant owner, with the Democratic ballot featuring only Scott T. Jackson, a developer of leadership programs.

The story is the same in the House District 112 race, where incumbent Bruce Williamson, who has served in the state legislature since 2010,  is alone on the Republican ballot, while Lisa Maria, a healthcare professional, is the only Democrat seeking the seat.

The House District 114 race features a Republican contest between businessman Brett Mauldin and Wendell Delano McNeal, with Michael Caw, a retired research and development technician, as the lone presence on the Democratic ballot.

Statewide races on Walton ballots

In statewide races on Walton ballots, the sole Democratic contender for one of two Georgia seats in the U.S. Senate is incumbent Jon Ossoff. The Republican ballot for the seat, likely headed to a runoff, features Mike Collins, who currently holds the state’s 10th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, which includes Walton County, along with Derek Dooley, son of late University of Georgia head football coach Vince Dooley; longtime U.S. Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter; John F. Coyne III and Jonathan “Jon” McColumn.

The race to replace Collins as Georgia’s 10th District representative features Republicans Jeff Baker, Houston Gaines and Ryan Millsap and Democrats Pamela “Pam” Delancy, Alexandra “Lexy” Doherty, and John Dority.

Both partisan fields in the race for governor to replace term-limited Republican Brian Kemp are crowded. There are eight Republican hopefuls – Chris Carr, Clark Dean, Rick Jackson, Burt Jones, Gregg Kirkpatrick, Brad Raffensperger, Tom Williams and Ken Yasger. Democratic candidates in the race for the state’s top executive spot are Keisha Lance Bottoms, Olu Brown, Amanda Duffy, Geoff Duncan, Jason Esteves, Derrick Jackson and Michael “Mike” Thurmond.

In primary balloting for lieutenant governor, the Republican field comprises David Clark, Greg Dolezal, Steve Gooch, John F. Kennedy, Brenda Lynn Nelson-Porter, Takosha Swan and Blake Tillery. There is a three-way primary race on the Democratic ballot featuring Josh McLaurin, Nabilah Parkes and Richard N. Wright.

The primary contests for Georgia Secretary of State also feature a number of candidates. Vying on the Republican side are Tim Fleming, Vernon Jones, Kelvin King, Ted Metz and Gabriel “Gabe” Sterling. Democratic contenders are Cam Ashling, Dana Barrett, Penny Brown Reynolds and Adrian Consonery, Jr.

In the contest for state attorney general, the Republican contenders are Bill Cowsert and Brian Strickland, with Tanya Miller and Robert “Bob” Trammell seeking the office on the Democratic ballot.

In primary balloting for state agriculture commissioner, incumbent Tyler Harper is the lone Republican candidate, with the Democratic field comprising Katherine E. Juhan-Arnold and Sedrick Kent Rowe, Jr.

Similarly, the Republican ballot in the race for Georgia insurance commissioner is limited to incumbent John King, with five Democrats – Clarence Blalock, Thomas Dean, Ambuj “AJ” Jain, DeAndre Mathis and Keisha Sean Waites – on that party’s primary ballot.

The primary ballots for labor commissioner include just one Republican contender, incumbent Barbara Rivera Holmes. Democrats seeking the office are Brett A Hulme, Jason Moon, Nikki Porcher, Michelle Michi Sanchez and Christian Wise Smith.

The Republican contest for state school superintendent finds incumbent Richard Woods facing partisan challenges from Nelva Lee, Fred “Bubba” Longgrear, Mesha Manor and Randell E. Trammell. The Democrats seeking the post are Anton Anthony, Lydia Powell and Otha Thornton.

There are two Public Service Commission seats open in the current election cycle, the Post 3 seat and the Post 5 seat. While commission members must live in the district they represent, each is elected statewide. This year’s District 3 Republican primary features Fitz Johnson and Brandon Martin, with incumbent Peter Hubard as the lone candidate on the Democratic primary ballot.

The Republican ballot for the commission’s District 5 seat is a three-way contest featuring Bobby Mehan, Carolyn Tatum Roddy and Josh Tolbert. Democrats seeking the post are Craig Cupid, Sheila Edwards and Angelia Pressley.

Walton Tribune Managing Editor Stephen Milligan contributed to this report.