Whitehead, Broun head for 10th District runoff in July; Wilkes voter turnout high for two-race special election

Voter turnout was better than average across Wilkes County for Tuesday's special election. If Wilkes County voters had their way, Jim Whitehead wouldn't need any runoff.

Some 58 percent of an aboveaverage voter turnout here Tuesday gave Whitehead the nod in the special election to replace the late Rep. Charlie Norwood in the U.S. Congress.

District-wide, however, Whitehead took only 43.5 percent of the votes, which will put him in a runoff with Athens physician Paul Broun. With all precincts reporting, Broun held only a 115-vote lead over James Marlow, according to the Associated Press, with both Broun and Democrat Marlow getting just over 20 percent of the total.

With such a close race, candidates may request a recount this week.

Local favorite Denise Freeman took six percent of the vote district wide and over 10 percent in Wilkes County, while Evita Paschall won eight percent county-wide.

In the election to replace Sen. Jim Whitehead in the Georgia Assembly, Wilkes County voters mirrored the rest of the 24th District. William (Bill) Jackson took that race in a landslide with more than 60 percent district-wide and 54 percent in Wilkes County.

Whitehead, who left the Georgia Senate to run for Norwood's seat, failed to take an outright win throughout the 10th District with more than 50 percent of the vote. That forces a runoff with the second-place candidate, Paul Broun set for July 17.

Nearly 20 percent of Wilkes County voters voted Tuesday, far better than the expected 10 percent turnout that Secretary of State Karen Handel predicted for the district-wide election. Wilkes District 4-A had the highest turnout, with 28 percent. Only 12 percent of voters in District 3-A cast ballots.