The crowded field of seven candidates for Morgan County sheriff has been culled, but a runoff is almost inevitable. Captain Joseph Pritchett of the MCSO received nearly 35 percent of the vote, and Tyler Hooks trailed by less than 300 votes with 28.28 percent.
Ryan Morgan placed third with 16.5 percent. The winner of the runoff will face Democrat Derrick Reid in November.
It appears that Independent Ben Riden held on to his District 3 seat on the Monroe County Board of Commissioner, with just over 50 percent of the vote, Frank Heusser garnering a little more than 32 percent, and Steve Shepard pulling in almost 17 percent.
District 4 Commissioner Philip von Hanstein ran unopposed on the Republican ticket.
District 5 Commissioner Republican Bill Kurtz soundly defeated Diana Cossio with nearly 68 percent of the vote but will face Democrat Claudia Regan Crenshaw in November.
Three seats on the Morgan County Board of Education were up for reelection this year, and all three incumbents, Cheryl Bland (District 1), Joe Slaughter (District 2) and Brad Hawk (District 3) ran unopposed.
Republican Wendy Coe ran unopposed for tax commissioner, and incumbent Republican Jody Higdon ran unopposed for clerk of the Superior Court. Republican incumbent Adam Carter also ran unopposed for coroner.
Magistrate Judge Connie Holt defeated Tiffany Jones Ellenberg for the magistrate judge position in Morgan County with more than 65 percent of the vote.
According to Morgan County Elections Supervisor Jennifer Doran, 2,536 Morgan County citizens voted early, and almost 90% of absentee ballots have been returned. On election day, 17% of active voters had cast their ballots. As of 3 p.m. May 20, 1,200 Morgan County voters had gone to the polls on election day.
Other pertinent elections
Incumbent Republican Tim Fleming of Newton County ran unopposed and will return as the Georgia State House Representative for District 114, which includes Morgan County and part of Newton County.
Incumbent Republican Trey Rhodes of Greene County ran unopposed in the primary but will face opposition in the General Election in the District 124 race in the Georgia House from Melanie Miller, who easily defeated Rickie Glenn in the primary by garnering almost 82 percent of the vote. District 124 includes all of Greene, Oglethorpe, Taliaferro counties, and Putnam and Clarke counties.
Incumbent Republican Lee Anderson of Columbia County ran unopposed to retain his District 24 seat in the Georgia Senate. The district includes Greene, Oglethorpe, Wilkes, Elbert, Hart, Lincoln counties, and part of Columbia County.
Independent candidate Gail Davenport ran unopposed for the District 17 Senate seat in the Georgia House. District 17 includes Morgan County and parts of Newton, Walton, and Henry counties.
Incumbent District Attorney T. Wright Barksdale ran unopposed and will return as the Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit D.A.
All five superior court judges in the Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit ran unopposed, including Terry N. Massey, Amanda S. Petty, Brenda Holbert Trammell, Stephen A. Bradley, and Alison T. Burleson.
The primary runoffs will take place on June 18, 2024. The general election will be held on Nov. 5, and any runoff, if needed, is scheduled for Dec. 3.