Habersham voters approve return of 1-cent SPLOST

CLARKESVILLE - Habersham County voters have approved the return of a 1-cent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for county purposes.<br /> <br /> The vote was 57.69 percent (5,557 votes) in favor to 42.31 percent (4,075 votes) opposed.<br /> <br /> Just more than 50 percent of the county's 19,541 registered voters cast ballots - many standing in line for two or more hours Tuesday.<br /> <br /> Lines occurred because about 20 percent of the county's voters chose to cast ballots on Election Day - most at two county precincts.<br /> <br /> When the polls closed at 7 p.m. at the Habersham North Precinct at the Ruby Fulbright Aquatic Center near Clarkesville and at the Habersham South Precinct at the Cornelia Depot, poll workers estimated two hours' worth of voters still were in line.<br /> <br /> This was the first major election since the county's consolidation from 14 precincts to two, and also the first where the county operated two large precincts and three municipalities - Baldwin, Demorest and Mt. Airy - hosted their own county-run elections inside their cities.<br /> <br /> In other races, in Habersham County only David Perdue carried the U.S. Senate race with 79 percent; Gov. Nathan Deal received 80 percent; Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle received 85 percent; Secretary of State Brian Kemp received 85 percent; Attorney General Sam Olens received 84 percent; Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black received 83 percent; Commissioner of Insurance Ralph Hudgens received 82 percent; Republican Richard L. Woods received 82 percent for state school superintendent; Commissioner of Labor Mark Butler received 84 percent; PSC incumbent Herman Everett received 87 percent; PSC incumbent Lauren "Bubba" McDonald received 79 percent; and Congressman Doug Collins received 83 percent.<br /> <br /> Habersham County Commission and Board of Education candidates were unopposed.<br />