While the race for president is getting much of the attention in the 2024 election cycle, Georgia voters will also be electing officials for local, state, and federal office this year. Some of those races will be on the ballot for the state’s primary on May 21.
This year’s election does not include the high-profile statewide offices, such as governor, lieutenant governor, or secretary of state, as those positions were all elected in 2022, and won’t be up for election again until 2026. Also, neither of Georgia’s two U.S. Senators, Jon Ossoff or Raphael Warnock, are up for election this year. The only offices that will be on every Georgia voter’s primary ballot will be a single state Supreme Court race and a single Georgia Court of Appeals race.
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In Ware County, voters will also make choices on several countywide offices, as well as county commission and board of education seats. There will also be a question about a special sales tax for regional transportation projects. Also, the county’s Republican Party has put additional party questions on its ballot, in addition to the eight state Republican Party questions.
Ware County Tax Commissioner
Incumbent Roger Collins is seeking re-election. No Democrats qualified for this race.
| REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES |
- Roger E. Collins - Ware Co. Tax Commissioner (Campaign Facebook page)
- Cindy White - Accounts Technician (Campaign Facebook page)
Ware County Coroner
Incumbent Atha Lucas is seeking re-election. No Democrats qualified for this race.
| REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES |
- David Lane Jordan - Retired
- Atha M. Lucas - Ware County coroner (Campaign Facebook page)
Ware County Judge of Probate Court
The current probate court judge, Calvin Bennett, is not seeking re-election. This is a non-partisan race.
- Steve A. Barnard, Sr. - Retired (Campaign Facebook page)
- J. Edward Cady, Jr. - Clerk, Probate Court (Campaign Facebook page)
- Wayne Joyner - Business owner (Campaign Facebook page)
- Janet D. Thrift - Bus driver
Ware County Commission, District 2
Incumbent Jerry Pope is seeking re-election. No Democrats qualified for this race. This race will only appear on the ballot for voters in the district.
| REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES |
- Jerry M. Pope - Owner, Pope Tools
- Mark Osburn, Sr. - Real estate
- Jonathan Tindall - CEO, Tindall Enterprises
Ware County Commission, District 4
The incumbent, Republican Sammy Hendricks, is not on the ballot for re-election. No Democrats qualified in this race. The race will only appear on the ballot for voters in the district.
| REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES |
- Barry Cox - Retired
- Terry Simmons - Auto collision
Ware County Board of Education, District 2
Incumbent Karen Ethridge is seeking re-election. This is a non-partisan race that will only appear on the ballot for voters in the district.
- Karen R. Ethridge - Retired educator
- Larry Rood - Retired
Ware County Board of Education, District 3
Edward “Buster” Tyre is seeking re-election. This is a non-partisan race that will only appear on the ballot for voters in the district.
- Edward “Buster” Tyre - Retired
- Caleb Peacock - Sales rep
- Nga Nguyen - Translator
- Albert L. Bussey - Teacher
Ware Republican Party Questions
In addition to the eight questions placed on the ballot by the Georgia Republican Party, the county Republican Party added seven additional questions:
- 9. Understanding that the American Library Association has used its influence to push questionable ideologies in our libraries and on our children, would you be in favor of denying the American Library Association (ALA) any and all financial support through Georgia’s taxpayer funds as well as no longer requiring Georgia’s librarians to graduate from an ALA accredited program for state licensure?
- 10. Are you in favor of prohibiting any new form/type/method of gambling in the State of Georgia?
- 11. The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is being considered for the United Nations designation as a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Site. The UN has an agenda which includes a policy for control of local school curricula, infrastructure plans, land use, transportation and housing. Knowing that this infringes on United States sovereignty, do you favor the designation of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge as a United Nations UNESCO World Heritage Site?
- 12. Shall the Constitution of the State of Georgia be amended so as to prohibit non-United States citizens from holding any elected or appointed public office?
- 13. Shall the Constitution of the State of Georgia be amended so as to prohibit persons with dual citizenship from holding any elected or appointed public office?
- 14. Shall the Constitution of the State of Georgia be amended to prohibit non-United States citizens from voting in all elections?
- 15. Shall a law be passed to prohibit the federal government from allowing any asylum seeker or migrant into any state without that state having knowledge and giving approval of any entry?
Special Election - Southern Regional Commission Transportation Investment Act
Voters across an 18-county region in South Georgia will be asked to vote on a one percent regional sales tax for transportation purposes. This is a renewal of a tax that was first approved in May 2018. Though the wording on each county’s ballot is tailored to include that county, a majority of voters across the entire region must approve it in order for the tax to continue.
READ MORE: Southern Georgia Regional Commission Transportation Investment Act
Shall Ware County’s transportation system and the transportation network in this region and the state be improved by providing for a 1 percent special district transportation sales and use tax for the purpose of transportation projects and programs for a period of ten years?