Here’s what Columbia County voters need to know for Election Day

Date: May 21, 2024

Today is Election Day for the general primary/special election and here’s what Columbia County residents need to know. 

When voters head to the polls, they will have to pick a ballot to cast, either Republican, Democrat or nonpartisan and depending on which one is selected, voters might not see every race. Voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the regular voting precinct.

MORE: Today is Election Day for the general primary and special election. Here’s what Augusta voters need to know. 

In Columbia County, on the Republican ballot, depending on the district where the voter lives, will be:

  • U.S. House of Representatives District 12: Rick Allen (incumbent)
  • State Senate District 23: Max Burns (incumbent)
  • State Senate District 24: Lee Anderson (incumbent)
  • State House District 123: Rob Leverett (incumbent)
  • State House District 125: Gary Richardson (incumbent), C.J Pearson (note: Pearson has withdrawn from the race and any vote for him will not count. There will be signs up at the precincts to let voters know.)
  • State House of Representatives District 127: Mark Newton (incumbent)
  • State House of Representatives District 131: Paul Abbott, David Byrne, Benjamin Cairns, Rob Clifton, Russell Wilder
  • Judge of the Probate Court: Alice Padgett (incumbent)
  • Clerk of Superior Court: Cindy Mason (incumbent)
  • Sheriff: Clay Whittle (incumbent)
  • Tax Commissioner: Wayne Bridges (incumbent)
  • Coroner: Terry Norman
  • Chief Magistrate: Jason Troiano
  • County Commissioner District 2: Trey Allen, Mark Petersen
  • County Commissioner District 3: Michael Carraway, Rickey Meredith
  • Justice Supreme Court of Georgia: Michael Boggs (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • Justice Supreme Court of Georgia: John Ellington (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • Justice Supreme Court of Georgia: Nels Peterson (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • Justice Supreme Court of Georgia: John Barrow, Andrew Pinson (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • Judge Court of Appeals of Georgia: Stephen Dillard (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • Judge Court of Appeals of Georgia: Ken Hodges (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • Judge Court of Appeals of Georgia: Ben Land (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • Judge Court of Appeals of Georgia: Amanda Mercier (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • Judge Court of Appeals of Georgia: Jeff Davis, Tabitha Ponder (nonpartisan)
  • Judge Court of Appeals of Georgia: Brian Rickman (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • Judge Court of Appeals of Georgia: Jeffrey Watkins (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • Judge – Superior Court Columbia Judicial Circuit: Sheryl B. Jolly-Turner (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • County Board of Education Chairman: David Dekle (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • County Board of Education District 1: Philip Kent, Jr. (nonpartisan)
  • County Board of Education District 4: Katie Allen, Lee Ann Meyer (incumbent) (nonpartisan)

On the Democratic ballot in Columbia County, depending on the district where the voter lives, will be:

  • U.S. House of Representatives District 12: Daniel “DJ” Jackson, Elizabeth “Liz” Johnson
  • State Senate District 23: Shayna Boston 
  • State House of Representatives District 123: Hope S. Beard
  • State House of Representatives District 125: Kay Turner
  • State House of Representatives District 131: Heather Rose White
  • Coroner: Helen L. Bratton
  • Justice Supreme Court of Georgia: Michael Boggs (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • Justice Supreme Court of Georgia: John Ellington (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • Justice Supreme Court of Georgia: Nels Peterson (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • Justice Supreme Court of Georgia: John Barrow, Andrew Pinson (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • Judge Court of Appeals of Georgia: Stephen Dillard (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • Judge Court of Appeals of Georgia: Ken Hodges (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • Judge Court of Appeals of Georgia: Ben Land (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • Judge Court of Appeals of Georgia: Amanda Mercier (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • Judge Court of Appeals of Georgia: Jeff Davis, Tabitha Ponder (nonpartisan)
  • Judge Court of Appeals of Georgia: Brian Rickman (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • Judge Court of Appeals of Georgia: Jeffrey Watkins (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • Judge – Superior Court Columbia Judicial Circuit: Sheryl B. Jolly-Turner (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • County Board of Education Chairman: David Dekle (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • County Board of Education District 1: Philip Kent, Jr. (nonpartisan)
  • County Board of Education District 4: Katie Allen, Lee Ann Meyer (incumbent) (nonpartisan)

On the nonpartisan ballot in Columbia County will be:

  • Justice Supreme Court of Georgia: Michael Boggs (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • Justice Supreme Court of Georgia: John Ellington (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • Justice Supreme Court of Georgia: Nels Peterson (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • Justice Supreme Court of Georgia: John Barrow, Andrew Pinson (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • Judge Court of Appeals of Georgia: Stephen Dillard (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • Judge Court of Appeals of Georgia: Ken Hodges (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • Judge Court of Appeals of Georgia: Ben Land (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • Judge Court of Appeals of Georgia: Amanda Mercier (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • Judge Court of Appeals of Georgia: Jeff Davis, Tabitha Ponder (nonpartisan)
  • Judge Court of Appeals of Georgia: Brian Rickman (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • Judge Court of Appeals of Georgia: Jeffrey Watkins (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • Judge – Superior Court Columbia Judicial Circuit: Sheryl B. Jolly-Turner (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • County Board of Education Chairman: David Dekle (incumbent) (nonpartisan)
  • County Board of Education District 1: Philip Kent, Jr. (nonpartisan)
  • County Board of Education District 4: Katie Allen, Lee Ann Meyer (incumbent) (nonpartisan)

The Columbia County Board of Commissioners District 3 special election will be on all Republican, Democratic and nonpartisan ballots in District 3 due to it being a special election.

In Richmond County, there are many races for voters to cast their ballots on, including commissioners, sheriff and district attorney. More information about those races can be found here.

To check your voter status or find your precinct, visit mvp.sos.ga.gov

What to Read Next

The Author

Stephanie Hill has been a journalist for over 10 years. She is a graduate of Greenbrier High School, graduated from Augusta University with a degree in journalism, and graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Masters in Mass Communication. She has previously worked at The Panola Watchman in Carthage, Texas, The White County News in Cleveland, Georgia, and The Aiken Standard in Aiken, S.C. She has experience covering cities, education, crime, and lifestyle reporting. She covers Columbia County government and the cities of Harlem and Grovetown. She has won multiple awards for her writing and photos.

Comment Policy

The Augusta Press encourages and welcomes reader comments; however, we request this be done in a respectful manner, and we retain the discretion to determine which comments violate our comment policy. We also reserve the right to hide, remove and/or not allow your comments to be posted.

The types of comments not allowed on our site include:

  • Threats of harm or violence
  • Profanity, obscenity, or vulgarity, including images of or links to such material
  • Racist comments
  • Victim shaming and/or blaming
  • Name calling and/or personal attacks;
  • Comments whose main purpose are to sell a product or promote commercial websites or services;
  • Comments that infringe on copyrights;
  • Spam comments, such as the same comment posted repeatedly on a profile.