Once again, most Oconee voters stayed home

Dramatic as results were in Oconee voting, the truth is most county residents qualified to have cast ballots yesterday sat the elections out. The figures pored over this morning by Joy Brooks, elections director, attest to another countywide turnout of fewer than 20%—19.7% to be exact according to unofficial totals. As one county leader lamented, it’s sad and it raises questions about those people bestowed with the right to vote but who do not exercise it. A partial explanation might be that this is considered an off-election year—meaning it’s not a year to pick a President or the county sheriff. They are two offices that traditionally bring large votes. More than 45 thousand Oconeeans could have voted yesterday. Those who did were 8,917. Oconee remains a solid Republican county, as all but 1.7% of those who voted took part in GOP primary. Besides offices to fill, the ballots yesterday contained four questions. All four were approved in Oconee including the Democrats question on whether medical marijuana should be legalized for certain illnesses and the Republicans’ question related to conception.