by Al Summers
News Editor
alsummers@timescourier.com
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Gilmer Countians spoke in record numbers on election day, Tuesday, Nov. 2, electing Stacy Nicholson as their sheriff, Anita Mullins as probate judge, and Jerry Hensley as coroner for the next four years.
The county voters also supported the re-election of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, and Johnny Isakson for the United States Senate seat vacated by retiring Sen. Zell Miller.
The Bush/Cheney ticket garnered 7,410 votes to the John Kerry/John Edwards ticket’s 2,509. Isakson received 7,132 votes to Denise Majette’s 2,365 votes. The winners of the state and federal races had not been determined at press time Tuesday evening.
Nicholson received 7,354 votes to Eldridge Harper’s 2,443 votes. Mullins received 7,344 votes to Delores Welch Fowler’s 2,319 votes, and Hensley received 5,955 votes to Billy Bernhardt’s 3,757 votes.
Also in Gilmer County, Chip Pearson received 6,583 votes to Bobby Adams’ 2,816 votes in the race for District 51 State Senator and Howard Mead received 3,324 votes to Debra Bernes’ 3,004 votes and Mike Sheffield’s 1,399 votes for a judgeship on the State Court of Appeals.
Gilmer Countians said “yes” to a constitutional amendment that would recognize a marriage as the union of a man and woman, 8,177 votes to 1,608 votes. They said “yes” to a constitutional amendment that would give the State Supreme Court jurisdiction and authority to answer questions of law from any state appellate or federal district or appellate court by a vote of 5,537 to 3,374.
A total of 10,057 of Gilmer’s 13,400 active voters cast ballots in the General Election. This represented 75 percent of the voters casting ballots. Gilmer County Voter Registrar Jim Fredrickson told the Times-Courier 2,419 people took advantage of the advance voting option and 682 voted by absentee ballot.
For a precinct by precinct vote breakdown, see the chart on page 8C of this week's paper edition of the Times-Courier.