Secretary of State Brian Kemp has kicked off the second annual Georgia Presidential Peanut Straw Poll at the Georgia National Fair in Perry through October 16. Kemp is asking fair-goers to stop by his booth in the Georgia Grown Building and vote for President and Georgia’s U.S. Senator.
"Georgians’ high level of participation in the Peanut Poll last year shows that they are invested in the future of our nation,” said Kemp in a press statement. “I expect the excitement to continue this year.”
In its inaugural year, the “Peanut Poll” became the largest straw poll in America after surpassing the 2015 Iowa Straw Poll by nearly 20,000 votes. This year, voting is open to all Georgia National Fair visitors until the booth closes at 10 each night. Voters will receive one peanut to place in the jar of the candidate of their choice.
Fair attendees can also participate in the Peanut Poll’s “Question of the Day” with results posted nightly on Secretary Kemp’s social media.
"This is a fun event with a serious purpose: to inform Georgians about the importance of the upcoming election in November,” said Kemp. “We have started a new tradition in Perry, and I look forward to hearing what Georgia voters have to say about this year’s slate of candidates.”
At 5 p.m. each day, Kemp will enlist a special guest to announce the results of the day's votes and update the overall count. Votes cast after 5 p.m. will go toward the next day's tally.
Georgians can keep track of the results each day through Secretary Kemp's Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter feeds, and he encourages voters to utilize the office’s custom Snapchat Geofilter, which showcases the “President Peanut” logo, at the Georgia Grown Building.
Last year, Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson led all of the candidates with 8,576 total votes. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton finished with 2,513 votes.
