64% of absentee ballots requested were returned in Augusta
Augusta voters listened and have now returned 64 percent of their mailed absentee ballots, up from fewer 49.6 percent nine days ago.
All polls will be open Tuesday for the general primary and nonpartisan election, but state and local officials strongly encouraged voters to vote absentee, to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at polling places. The ballots can be mailed or dropped at several secure ballot boxes around Richmond County.
Voters using Democratic ballots outperformed Republicans slightly, returning 65.6 percent of the ballots to 63.3 of the GOP, according to data from Richmond County Board of Elections.
Heavily Democratic Richmond County requested 19,941 ballots by mail to Republicans’ 8,776. The largest request came from District 4 voters who use Diamond Lakes Community Center to vote in person. They asked for 1,117 Democratic ballots and have returned 67.9 percent of them.
Voters from another large polling place requested the most GOP ballots, District 7 voters who use Warren Road Community Center with 542. Of them 64.7 percent have been returned.
The highest rate of return came from Blythe City Hall voters, where a former campaign worker remains under investigation for vote-buying. Ninety percent of 92 Democratic absentee voters have returned their ballots.
No other polling place cracked 80 percent, although some came close. Forty-six Democrats who use First Baptist Church returned 78.2 percent of them, followed by 75.7 percent of District 7 Democrats who vote at Vineyard Church. The best-performing Republican set came from the 32 at Southside Baptist Church with 78.1 percent.
Voters least likely to return the ballots were District 8 Democratic voters who use Diamond Lakes, with only 55.3 percent returning them. Only 43.8 percent of the 16 Republican ballots from the Augusta Deliverance Evangelistic Church in District 2 have returned them.
Voters who requested absentee ballots but did not return them should bring them to the polls Tuesday or risk voting provisional and having to follow up later, elections Executive Director Lynn Bailey said.
While the number of mailed ballots increased five-fold in Tuesday’s election, the return rate remains below its average of 80% over the last three general elections, Bailey said.
Absentee ballots must reach the elections office or a drop box by the close of business Tuesday.
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