Barrow Co plans for special election, NE Ga House race still undecided

The Barrow County School Board will appoint a replacement for Board member Rolando Alvarez, who says he will qualify as a candidate for a special election to fill a seat on the Barrow County Commission: Board interviews for the Alvarez successor are scheduled for January 10. Alvarez says he will run to fill the unexpired term of former Barrow County Commissioner Roger Wehunt, who resigned last month. Candidate qualifying for the March 19 election is scheduled for next week in Winder. 

Absentee ballots from this past Tuesday's runoff elections will be counted as long as they arrive at county elections offices by close of business today: those ballots won't affect the outcome of races for Secretary of State or Georgia Public Service Commission; Republicans won both those contests Tuesday. But absentees and overseas and provisional ballots could impact a northeast Georgia House race: when the polls closed earlier this week, former Banks County School Superintendent Chris Erwin led incumbent Republican Dan Gasaway by just three votes in the House District 28 special election. The District covers portions of Banks, Stephens, and Habersham counties.