By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
MAY 21, 2024 | Today is election day in Georgia, as our state has its in-person voting open today until 7 p.m. in the Georgia primary for 2024. We’ll be voting primarily for local offices in Democratic and Republican primaries. Non-partisan candidates for local and statewide judgeships and the Gwinnett School Board will be elected today.
Through Friday in Gwinnett, 27,559 people have early-voted, and 2,062 of the 4,080 absentee ballots have been returned.
Today as election day is not a surprise to most people, since for weeks the voters have been bombarded by candidates, and seen their mail boxes filled with flyers bringing up all sorts of issues for the voters to make up their mind on which candidate they will support.
You may have been asked to attend a fundraising session for a local candidate, and you may have been asked by mail or phone for a campaign donation. For sure, many candidates have sought your vote.
Now you’ll see a couple of activities if you are going to cast your vote today.
First, as you approach the polling site, you are overwhelmed with candidate signs on all approaches to the poll. These signs must be at least 150 feet from the actual poll site.
And at many places where you will vote, the actual candidates may be standing outside that free-sign zone, waving at voters as they drive or walk by.
To us, having candidates outside polling places is intimidating, worrisome, awkward, and downright wrong. If I see a candidate waving to me at a polling place, I vote against that candidate. I’ve even seen unopposed candidates waving!
Can’t the candidates give voters a little break on Election Day?
After all, candidates have had plenty of time since they began running, some a year ago, to try to convince people to vote their way. Can’t the voters deserve a little peace on the actual day by the candidates staying away from the polls?
With Gwinnett a big county, having 154 locations serving 156 voting precincts, most voters may not have candidates waving and hawking themselves to you at the polls. You tend to see this, however, in city elections in Gwinnett, when there is usually only one polling station. Often opposing candidates are across the street from one another seeking to catch your eye. And in small counties, it’s not unusual for candidates to stay on the road on Election Day, visiting first one polling site after another. That serves no purpose in our way of thinking.
Our view is that election day is for the voter, not the candidates. Few voters are convinced just before casting their vote that they should vote for those grinning, waving, hopeful candidates clamoring at you at least 150 feet from the poll building.
Years ago, when we were hiking often in the Georgia mountains, we proposed to local candidates join us for a hike. On several voting days, about a dozen candidates did just that, taking the day off, so to speak, driving to and enjoying the mountain air and company of fellow candidates, and giving the voters a break.
We picked a leisurely hike, and each time we did this, the candidates seemed to have a good time. Luckily, we didn’t have any broken ankles, though many found hiking was more tiring than campaigning.
Some won their races, others lost. But the voters got a break.
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