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A previous version of the article used outdated election date information. Updated information provided by the Bibb County Board of Elections is now in use.
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The deadline for voter registration in Macon-Bibb County is on May 11. As we gear up for the mayoral election, here are some things you might want to know.
Secretary of the State of Georgia Brad Raffensperger sent 6.9 million registered voters absentee ballot applications in late March to deter the spread of the coronavirus.
“They can request their ballot by mail to help minimize the spread of the COVID-19 virus,” Jeanetta Watson said. Watson is the Elections Secretary at Bibb County Board of Elections.
The Bibb County Board of Elections said that the election will take place on June 9. Early voting will start on May 18 and continue through June 5.
Five mayoral candidates qualified for the election: Lester Miller, Larry Schlesinger, Blake Sullivan, Cliffard Whitby and Marc Whitfield. Mayor Robert Reichert is not running for reelection.
Many of the candidates are using social media to continue campaigning due to social distancing guidelines.Sullivan said that he has been sending out an email once a week and posting at least every other day.
Miller suspended all in-person campaign events temporarily due to the virus, Miller said in a Facebook post on March 13.
“Basically the campaign has really been effectively suspended,” Whitfield said. “It’s not a campaign anymore.”
Whitfield launched his campaign website on April 4, but he said that he was worried digital campaigns would exclude voters over the age of 60 because many in that age group do not use social media.
“They have more of a feel when they see you in person, and when they can see you eye to eye,” Whitfield said.
For more information, contact the Bibb County Board of Elections.
CORRECTION: A previous version of the article used outdated election date information. Updated information provided by the Bibb County Board of Elections is now in use. The Cluster apologizes for the errors.
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