Election special — Nov. 6, 2024
Good morning, Coastal Georgia!
We have some good news to report. Robust numbers of Peach State residents cast ballots, a victory for civic engagement, especially after debunked conspiracy theories in 2020 spread the lie that we should mistrust elections.
In fact, our elections in 2024 went smoothly. Early voting drew millions of Georgians. Precincts across Coastal Georgia saw no lines and no significant glitches.
FEATURE: ELECTIONS
Men make trek to watch precincts
Some worst-case scenarios did not come to pass. Politics reporter Craig Nelson met some supporters of Donald Trump who came to Chatham County from Connecticut so that they could help “stop the steal,” the phrase that galvanized hundreds of thousands of Americans over the last four years in a frenzied and mistaken belief that Trump should have won the 2020 election. As our story notes, however, instead of finding themselves in the throes of a conspiracy, the poll watchers left their Savannah precinct without anything to report. Read more about their experience here.
Chatham County’s election supervisors made the ballot counting more transparent than ever. Jake Shore and Craig Nelson explain how the night progressed here.
Meanwhile, our Elections Reporter Gillian Goodman met a former election skeptic in Bryan County — a man who decided to get more engaged with voting after 2020 and got appointed to the county election board. Last night, in the beige-walled room in Pembroke, where ballots were counted, Keith Spitznogle told The Current how trustworthy the process was. Read more here.
NEWS: ELECTIONS
New local faces
Across Coastal Georgia voters are waking up to a few new local winners. See our rundown of contested election races here.
McIntosh County has a new sheriff for the first time since 2009. Democrat Thornell “T.K.” King threw his hat in the ring when outgoing Sheriff Stephen Jessup decided not to run for reelection and beat Jessup’s top deputy, Chris Mitchell.
Camden County, the focus of several investigations by The Current in the last year, also elected a new sheriff. Kevin Chaney, a captain in the Kingsland Police Department, handily beat his former boss and the incumbent sheriff, James “Jim” Proctor.
In Liberty County, Sheriff Will Bowman, twice Georgia State Patrol Trooper of the Year and Liberty County’s first African-American sheriff, retained his seat.
County Commissioner Chairman Donald Lovette also won reelection. He has amassed significant political power over 4 decades on the Liberty County School Board and the Board of Commissioners, as well as several other local boards.
In Chatham County vote tallies were continuing early Wednesday morning. It appears that residents have a new sheriff, as unofficial totals suggest Richard Coleman, a Democratic first-time candidate, has unseated incumbent 80-year-old John Wilcher.
And finally, in one of the most closely watched races, unofficial results suggest that a controversial incumbent may have squeaked out a victory: Chatham County District Attorney Shalena Cook Jones. Counts will be finalized this morning.
Voter views: what Georgians really think
Our team of reporters spread out across Georgia’s 1st Congressional District to ask voters about their choices. Read through the diverse set of priorities in our compendium here.
Meanwhile: The Associated Press oversaw an exit survey of voters across Georgia after they cast their ballot to see what issues were dominating their choices. The survey, conducted by a nonpartisan research group at the University of Chicago, asked about the economy and jobs, health care, immigration, abortion, crime, climate change, foreign policy, gun policy and racism. Check out the results on our website here.
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Georgia: Voter issues, shifts
By The Current
Of all issues important to Georgia voters, the economy and immigration stand out.
He joined his local election board because he was concerned about fraud. He found none.
By Gillian Goodman
When Keith Spitznogle joined the Bryan County Election Board he was prepared to prove a flawed process. What he found was different.
Georgia votes: Chatham ballot count occurs transparently
By Jake Shore and Craig Nelson
Chatham County walks election skeptics and stalwarts through a transparent and smooth ballot count.
Results: Coastal Georgia counties contested races
By The Current
List of results for contested Coastal Georgia county races
How key groups of Americans voted
By The Current
These 6 interactive charts come from an extensive survey done for The Associated Press each elections cycle with the goal of giving insight into voter opinions and beliefs.
Pro-Trump poll watchers chase vote fraud in Savannah
By Craig Nelson
In Savannah, it’s clear that the men aren’t serving as poll watchers to ensure, strictly speaking, a fair election; they’re serving as poll watchers to ensure Trump doesn’t lose.
Vote 2024: Bulloch County voices
By Mary Landers
The Current’s Mary Landers watched voting today in precincts across the county, Statesboro
Georgia real-time updates, results
By The Current
Results updated throughout count by The Associated Press through a grant from the Knight Foundation for the 2024 election.
President, Congress maps with real-time results
By The Current
National maps, charts for presidential, Congressional elections delivered in real-time by The Associated Press.
Robust Election Day turnout in Coastal Georgia. Here are the voices
By The Current
The Current’s reporters are visiting precincts in Coastal Georgia throughout Election Day to talk to voters. Here’s what we’re hearing.
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