157 Counties Counted, Two in Disarray

The old state capitol in Baldwin County, where the votes are in

Sam Burnham, Curator

The polls closed in Georgia at 7pm on Tuesday night. There were a few extensions due to irregularities, Spalding County specifically. But for the most part, all ballots were cast by 7.

The the votes started being counted and sent in to the office of the Secretary of State. Out in the far reaches. Among the peanut fields, the pecan orchards, and in every valley in the state, the totals came in.

New England, Georgia is in northern Dade County. Like the rest of Dade, New England is cut off from the rest of the state by Lookout Mountain. It is a relatively remote place. There’s. No grocery stores or restaurants in New England. It’s a quaint place with some good people but it ain’t fancy or modern.

But their votes are in.

St. George, Georgia sits in the “Georgia bend” of the St. Marys River down in southern Charlton County. It’s cut off from the rest of the state by the Okefenokee Swamp. I’m not sure you can get a good cell signal there. My understanding is that broadband internet isn’t available there. They are surrounded on three sides by Florida.

​But their votes are sitting at the state capitol waiting to be certified.

​I could go on and on about these towns and counties, Parrott, Santa Claus, Talking Rock, Rising Fawn, Dixie, Willacoochee, all have their votes in. Echols County has not one single incorporated municipality in the whole county but you know what they do have? Yep, they have their votes in.

in 96% white and reliably red Walker County and 62% black and reliably blue Randolph County, the votes are in. Black votes, white votes, Hispanic votes, male votes, female votes, and even votes by immigrants from Burkina Faso have all been sent in.

​So all of these places that bougie folks in Atlanta look down upon have their votes in. You know who doesn’t have their votes in? Fulton and Dekalb counties. The two closest counties to the state capitol are still trying to get things together. Sure, the population is high but that hasn’t stopped Cobb, Gwinnett, Muscogee, Chatham, or Bibb counties. The state has a high tech system to streamline things. Those “yokels” out in Taliaferro didn’t have any glitches. But the home of the Fernbank Museum and the Centers for Disease Control might have their votes in by Friday.

Friday.

So I ask the question. Who are the backwards folks here? Who are the rednecks, the hillbillies, the hayseeds? If Echols County were to build a planetarium would they suddenly lose all competence in running an election? Would a busted pipe in a storage room cause cause a three day delay in vote counting in Butts County if they converted the prison into a private university?

For now the rest of the country waits for Fulton and Dekalb counties to get their act together. Among those waiting...the other 157 counties of Georgia.

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