SPRINGFIELD, Ga — Effingham County voters narrowly rejected renewal of the county's 1-cent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax Tuesday, turning down a measure projected to generate about $200 million over six years for roads, drainage and other local projects.
The referendum failed by just 140 votes, with 12,440 voting no and 12,300 voting yes.
Voters overwhelmingly approved a second referendum, the Local Homeowners Incentive Adjustment Grant, or LHIAG, with 22,079 voting yes and 2,739 voting no.
The measure allows Effingham County to move faster on Project Zero, its plan to phase out the county government's share of property taxes on qualifying homes over three years. It does not immediately eliminate those taxes, and school district property taxes would remain.
In County Commission races, Republican incumbents Roger Burdette and Jamie DeLoach held on to their seats. The District 5 race remained unresolved Wednesday morning as elections officials continued reviewing write-in ballots.
Democrat David Dillie also defeated longtime incumbent independent Bill Hitchens in State House District 161, which includes South Effingham. Dillie received 9,183 votes to Hitchens' 5,841.
Tuesday's election drew 25,621 voters, representing 50.33% of Effingham County's 50,909 registered voters. All 20 precincts reported.
District 5 race awaits review
The District 5 County Commission race remained unresolved Wednesday morning as elections officials continued reviewing write-in ballots. Republican incumbent Phil Kieffer had 3,182 votes, while write-in candidate James Daniels had 193. The remaining write-in votes had not been fully adjudicated.
Elections Director Laura Basset said the delay stemmed from the volume of write-in votes in the Soil and Water Conservation District race, which had no candidate listed on the ballot. Thousands of voters wrote in names, including frivolous entries such as Mickey Mouse and Scooby-Doo.
“We have to look at every single ballot,” Basset said. “And so there were thousands of ballots that had, you know, just the Mickey Mouse and the Scooby-Doos and the different things. We have to go through all those and sort those from the real votes.”
The review delayed completion of the District 5 commission race, which was only partially adjudicated Tuesday night.
“I couldn't hold up results for the rest of Effingham any longer,” Basset said. “So that'll just have to continue tomorrow, the adjudication.”
Basset said she could not give a definite time for completing the review because workers still had thousands of ballots to examine.
She also emphasized that the other election results remained unofficial. They will not become official until the Board of Elections meets Monday morning and certifies the results.
Dillie unseats Hitchens
Dillie's victory in House District 161 cameafter a late legal challengethreatened to keep him off the ballot.
A challenge alleged that Dillie had voted in both Georgia and Nevada primaries. An administrative law judge ruled Oct. 30 that the state had not established that Dillie voted in Nevada, allowing him to remain on the ballot.
Dillie, 24, went on to defeat Hitchens, who has represented the district as an independent.
State Rep. Jon Burns, a Republican, was reelected without opposition in House District 159. Republican state Sen. Billy Hickman also ran unopposed and was reelected in Senate District 4.
Local results
Effingham County Commission
- District 2: Roger Burdette (R), 2,986; Darlene Ainsworth (D), 2,451.
- District 3: Jamie DeLoach (R), 3,349; Scott Hoffman (D), 1,932.
- District 5: Phil Kieffer (R), 3,182; James Daniels (write-in), 193. Remaining write-in ballots were still being reviewed Wednesday.
Georgia House and Senate
- House District 159: Jon Burns (R), unopposed.
- House District 161: David Dillie (D), 9,183; Bill Hitchens (I), 5,841.
- Senate District 4: Billy Hickman (R), unopposed.
Referendums
- SPLOST: No, 12,440; Yes, 12,300.
- Local Homeowners Incentive Adjustment Grant: Yes, 22,079; No, 2,739.
