In Hall County and other counties in the immediate Gainesville area, there are several contested municipal elections, although most office-seekers are running unopposed.
The contested races in Hall County are in Gainesville (a mayoral race with four candidates), Flowery Branch (a mayor's race with two candidates and two city council elections, each with two candidates) and Clermont (where five people are running for two seats with a winner -take-all outcome for the two top vote-getters).
In Gainesville, three voting places will be used:
Gainesville Civic Center, Wards 1 and 2
Fair Street Neighborhood Center, Ward 3
Georgia Mountains Center (Brenau Downtown Center) Wards 4 and 5
If you are new to Gainesville or unsure of your ward, call the Hall County Elections Office at 770-531-6945. Sample ballots are available on the City of Gainesville website at www.gainesville.org/2013-municipal-election.
In Flowery Branch and Clermont, voting will take place at each town's city hall.
Elsewhere in the region, there are contested races in Homer, Baldwin, Clarkesville, Cornelia, Demorest and Mt. Airy. Also, Dawsonville, Dahlonega, Jefferson, Commerce, Winder and Helen.
In addition, voters will be asked to decide on extension of a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) in Habersham County and authorize a SPLOST for education in Lumpkin County. Those will be countywide votes.
In Clarkesville, meanwhile, voters are being asked to decide the fate of Sunday liquor-by-the-drink sales and the Sunday sale of packaged beer and wine as well as three issues that deal with exempting from property taxes goods that a manufactured in the city.
The Sunday sale of liquor-by-the-drink will also be on the ballot in Dawsonville.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2013/11/267462