Elections

Oglethorpe County elections supervisor Marilyn Huff-Waller and elections assistant Steve McCannon check out the turnout at the elections office on Tuesday. Of the 12,464 registered voters in the county, 3,650 — or 29% — voted in the primary. (Ronnie Boggs/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Oglethorpe County elections supervisor Marilyn Huff-Waller and elections assistant Steve McCannon check out the turnout at the elections office on Tuesday. Of the 12,464 registered voters in the county, 3,650 — or 29% — voted in the primary. (Ronnie Boggs/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Brooks defeats Sanders by 39 votes in BOC race

Lexie Shadix
Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Britt Brooks will join the Oglethorpe County Board of Commissioners next year. Brooks, the challenger who owns a construction company in Crawford, defeated incumbent Howard Sanders in the Republican primary for the District 1 seat by just 39 votes.   Brooks had 246 votes to Sanders’ 207 votes.

Early voting light as officials gear up for primaries

Lexie Shadix
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Oglethorpe County election supervisor Marilyn Huff-Waller said “everything has been running smoothly” during early voting leading into next Tuesday’s general primary. “We’ve been getting a lot of compliments, and people have been volunteering, saying ‘What can we do?
Tracy Norman (left) is the incumbent for the Board of Commissioners District 5 Republican primary, while Randy Gordon (right) is the challenger. (Submitted Photo (left), Photo/Felix Scheyer (right))

Tracy Norman (left) is the incumbent for the Board of Commissioners District 5 Republican primary, while Randy Gordon (right) is the challenger. (Submitted Photo (left), Photo/Felix Scheyer (right))

Election Q&A: Growth key topic for District 5 candidates

Nick Hasnain
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Incumbent Tracy Norman and challenger Randy Gordon are on the Republican primary ballot for the District 5 seat for the Oglethorpe County Board of Commissioners. They also ran against each other for this position in the 2018 general primary.
Jenny Wisham (left) and Thomas Carroll pose for their headshots. Wisham and Carroll are running for the District 5 BOE member. (Photos/Submitted)

Jenny Wisham (left) and Thomas Carroll pose for their headshots. Wisham and Carroll are running for the District 5 BOE member. (Photos/Submitted)

Election Q&A: Budget, resources top priorities for BOE candidates

Jasmine Milbourne
Wednesday, April 8, 2026
Jenny Wisham and Thomas Carroll are both running on the Republican ticket for the Oglethorpe County Board of Education for District 5.  Wisham is a physical therapist who works in home health care.
Howard Sanders (left) is the incumbent for the Board of Commissioners District 1 Republican primary, while Britt Brooks (right) is the challenger. (Submitted Photos)

Howard Sanders (left) is the incumbent for the Board of Commissioners District 1 Republican primary, while Britt Brooks (right) is the challenger. (Submitted Photos)

Election Q&A: Taxes, property rights focus for District 1 candidates

Nick Hasnain
Wednesday, April 1, 2026
Incumbent Howard Sanders and challenger Britt Brooks are on the Republican primary ballot for the District 1 seat on the Oglethorpe County Board of Commissioners.
U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, who represents Georgia’s 10th Congressional District, is seeking a U.S. Senate seat, opening the race for his current position. Early voting for the primary will start on Monday, April 20 and ends at noon Friday, May 15 at the Oglethorpe County Board of Elections at 41 Fairground Road in Lexington. (Photo Submitted)

U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, who represents Georgia’s 10th Congressional District, is seeking a U.S. Senate seat, opening the race for his current position. Early voting for the primary will start on Monday, April 20 and ends at noon Friday, May 15 at the Oglethorpe County Board of Elections at 41 Fairground Road in Lexington. (Photo Submitted)

Oglethorpe resident runs for Congress

News Staff
Thursday, March 19, 2026
An Oglethorpe County resident has qualified to run for Georgia’s 10th Congressional District seat this year. John B. Dority, who lives on Watson Mill Road according to public records, is a Democratic candidate for the open seat after U.S. Rep.
Houston Gaines (left), a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, chats with Vernon Jones, former state representative and candidate for Georgia Secretary of State, on Saturday. They took part in the GOP rally held at the Historic Crawford Depot. (Photo/Riley Baugh)

Houston Gaines (left), a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, chats with Vernon Jones, former state representative and candidate for Georgia Secretary of State, on Saturday. They took part in the GOP rally held at the Historic Crawford Depot. (Photo/Riley Baugh)

Republican rally brings candidates, voters together

Riley Baugh
Wednesday, January 28, 2026
More than 100 people cycled in and out of the Historic Crawford Depot on Saturday as Oglethorpe County hosted a multi-county Republican rally focused on voter engagement ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Alan Erwin, Crawford’s incoming mayor, poses at the Crawford Depot on Nov. 14 2025. Erwin will replace longtime Mayor Seavy O’Neal, who is stepping down, when he takes office Jan. 1, 2026. (Photo/Mia Fishman)

Alan Erwin, Crawford’s incoming mayor, poses at the Crawford Depot on Nov. 14 2025. Erwin will replace longtime Mayor Seavy O’Neal, who is stepping down, when he takes office Jan. 1, 2026. (Photo/Mia Fishman)

Love for Crawford leads Erwin to mayor’s office

Mia Fishman
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
When current Crawford Mayor Seavy O’Neal announced he wouldn’t run for office again after serving for seven years, Alan Erwin told his wife he was ready for the challenge. Crawford City clerk Amy Wall-Lance later called Erwin, who ran unopposed, to let him know “he was in.” “You ready?” she asked.
Eligible voters from Lexington visited the Oglethorpe County Board of Elections building on Nov. 4, 2025 to vote on FLOST, ESPLOST, homestead exemption tax and public service commissioners. (Ansley Gavlak/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Eligible voters from Lexington visited the Oglethorpe County Board of Elections building on Nov. 4, 2025 to vote on FLOST, ESPLOST, homestead exemption tax and public service commissioners. (Ansley Gavlak/The Oglethorpe Echo)

County voters approve FLOST and ESPLOST

Sophia Eppley
Thursday, November 6, 2025
Oglethorpe County voters approved a new Floating Local Option Sales Tax (FLOST) and the renewal of the Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST) on Tuesday.