A 2011 map determining the five commission districts for voting in the City of Waycross will be used in the November 2025 Municipal Election.
The Office of the Secretary of State acknowledged last week receipt of the city’s submission of the 2011 map and related documents detailing the city commission’s decision to use the map for determining a voter’s district in all future elections. Interim City Attorney Huey Spearman said the city had received a reply from the secretary of state’s office about the submission, and that the office would proceed to upload the map to its system as required by law, making it the city’s official map going forward.
He said state officials will proceed to upload the map to their system as required by law, making it official that the City of Waycross can use the 2011 Map in future elections.
Commissioners approved a resolution February 18 making official the 2011 map of voting districts resulting from the 2010 U.S. Census for all future elections.
The voting map question resulted from a Georgia Supreme Court recommendation in a ruling involving a lawsuit contesting the 2023 voting between then-incumbent Henry Strickland and Alvin Nelson for the District 5 seat. Strickland said the incorrect map (2005) was used to determine district voters instead of one from 2011.
Nelson appealed the Superior Court decision siding with Strickland, with the Supreme Court ruling in his favor, saying the 2005 map was valid because the one from 2011 hadn’t properly been filed with the Office of the Secretary of State.
That court ruling was among the items in the 37-page document sent to the secretary of state’s office. Also included was a copy of the 2011 map and the ordinance approved in July, 2011 by the commission making the 2011 map official as a result of city population changes in the 2010 U.S. Census.
Spearman
The 2011 map will first be used November 4 when the commission seats for Districts 1-4 will be contested.
This is the year for Districts 1-3 to expire in the city’s bi-annual election cycle. District 4 is included in order to fill the vacancy resulting from the January 29, 2025 death of Diane Hopkins.
Qualifying dates for those offices is Tuesday-Friday, August 19-22 in the City Hall office of City Clerk Jackie Powell. The qualifying fee is $288, which is three percent of a commissioner’s salary.
Candidates can file from 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., daily during the four-day period.
Early voting for the offices will be October 14-30 at the Ware County Board of Elections and Registration, 408 Tebeau Street. Hours will be 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on the two Saturdays during the period.
