Advance Runoff Voting Begins Monday

After , remaining candidates are hoping for another high turnout for the Aug. 21 primary run-off.

However, many voters told Patch that . With TSPLOST off the table, and if this year follows the trend of recent run-offs, less than half of the primary voters will head to the polls again in two weeks.

According to Cobb Board of Elections Director Janine Eveler, turnout for Cobb run-offs in 2004 and 2010 were right around 15 percent. However, it has been as low as 2 percent in 2000.

Voters don't have to wait until Aug. 21 to cast their votes and don't have to have voted in the primary. They can vote in advance in person on Aug. 13-17 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Cobb Board of Elections main office at 736 Whitlock Ave. in Marietta and the following satellite locations:

• , 4400 Lower Roswell Road
• South Cobb Community Center, 620 Lions Club Drive, Mableton. 
• Northstar Church, 3413 Blue Springs Road, Kennesaw. 
• Boots Ward Recreation Center, Lost Mountain Park, 4845 Dallas Highway, Powder Springs.

Voters are advised to ensure that they request the correct ballots.

A Democratic ballot will only include Democratic candidates, so there will not be an option to vote for Cobb Commission Chairman candidates since both incumbent Chairman Tim Lee and former chairman Bill Byrne are Republicans. Conversely, anyone who requests a Republican ballot will be unable to vote for a District 4 commissioner since both incumbent Commissioner Woody Thompson and community advocate Lisa Cupid are Democrats.

During the July 31 primary, Cobb Board of Elections Director Janine Eveler said some voters were confused about which ballots to request.

For instance, some voters who identify themselves as Independents erroneously asked for non-partisan ballots and were surprised when the ballots did not include particular races.

Sample ballots are available online at the Cobb Board of Elections website and are posted at every precinct in Cobb.