Strong Wilkes turnout mirrors state, favors Horgan

Gary Hardy was one of 2,792 Wilkes County voters who cast their ballots in the 2006 General Election. Some 47.3% of eligible Wilkes voters voted in this election. Nearly half the registered voters in Wilkes County turned out for a rainy 2006 General Election, and, although they largely voted in concert with their fellow Georgians, they strongly supported a local Democratic challenger for a Georgia House seat.

Democrat Mike Horgan took 51.51 percent of the Wilkes County vote for House District 116 over incumbent Rep. Mickey Channell, but Channell's strength in other areas of the district made him the overall winner by a large margin. With 92 percent of the vote counted, Channell held an advantage of 63.8 percent to Horgan's 36.2 percent.

"It would have been good to have a voice from Wilkes County in Atlanta," Horgan said Wednesday morning, "but Mickey's strength in his home county was insurmountable."

But Horgan has no regrets over his run. "It was great on the campaign trail - I got such encouragement from the people of the district. I'm really happy I ran."

Wilkes County voters came out in strength, considering the foggy and rainy weather all day Tuesday. The 47.3 percent turnout was equal to the state- wide turnout, said to be "nearly 48 percent" on the Secretary of State's web site.

Wilkes voters participated in the state's resounding re-election of Sonny Perdue over challenger Mark Taylor, and Wilkes County numbers closely paralleled those for other state-wide elections.

U.S. Congressman Charlie Norwood easily defeated Democrat Terry Holley, and State Senator Jim Whitehead was returned to Atlanta unopposed, as was 117th District State Rep. Barry Fleming.

In local races, Wilkes County Commission Chairman Sam Moore and Commissioners John E. Howard (D-3) and Jerry Stover (D-4) were elected without opposition. Wilkes County Board of Education members Kay Finnell (D-1) and Bob Guin (D-2) were also re-elected without opposition.

Marvin McAvoy was re-elected as District Supervisor for the Broad River Soil and Water Conservation District.

One aspect of the 2006 General Election that did stand out in Wilkes County was the number of absentee ballots cast, Judge Jim Burton said. Some 472 people voted absentee out of a total of 2,792 votes cast in the county.