Forsyth County voters join statewide early voting for June runoff

The runoff that will settle Georgia’s Republican nominees for governor and U.S. Senate moved into its final phase in Forsyth County, where early voting ran June 8 through June 12 and Election Day is June 16. For county voters, the key question is simple: if you did not vote early, the last chance to weigh in comes Tuesday.

The June 16 General Primary Runoff is being held because no candidate in those May 19 races cleared the majority threshold Georgia requires to avoid another round. On the statewide ballot are the Republican runoff for governor between Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and businessman Rick Jackson, and the Republican runoff for U.S. Senate between U.S. Rep. Mike Collins and former football coach Derek Dooley. The Senate winner will go on to face Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff in November.

Forsyth County’s elections office says the runoff covers races from the May 19 General Primary in which no candidate received a majority of votes cast. The county also says any registered Georgia voter can participate in federal, state and local runoff elections, meaning Forsyth County residents are part of the same runoff system that is deciding these high-profile nominations across the state. Forsyth County Voter Registrations & Elections is at 1201 Sawnee Drive in Cumming, a familiar stop for voters tracking ballots, deadlines and election notices.

The timing is tight. Georgia officials say runoff early voting is typically shorter than a regular election cycle, running during the week immediately before Election Day. This runoff followed the May 19 primary by four weeks, with the November 3 general election still ahead on the calendar. Forsyth County also posted that absentee ballot opening and tabulation will begin no earlier than 9 a.m. on Election Day, another deadline that can trip up voters who wait until the final hours.

For Forsyth County, the practical takeaway is that a small summer electorate can still decide who carries two major Republican tickets into the fall. The governor’s race and the Senate contest will shape the November campaign, but the first decision point comes now, before the June 16 runoff closes the door on this round of voting.