Newspaper Page Text
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The ADVANCE, Jonuary 10, 2024/Page 5A
Raffensperger renews
call to end general
election runoffs
By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
Georgia Secretary of
State Brad Raffensperger
has renewed his call for the
General Assembly to end
general election runoffs in
the Peach State.
In a statement released
last week, Raffensperger
said getting rid of runoffs
following the November
elections would give Geor
gians a holiday-season
pause from politics.
“Next year, there will
be a contentious presiden
tial election - and families
across Georgia will be set
tling down for the holi
days shortly after,” he said.
“Let’s give them a break
and take another costly
and unnecessary election
off the Thanksgiving table.
I’m calling on the General
Assembly to visit this topic
next session and eliminate
this outdated distraction.”
Raffensperger raised
the issue of runoffs last
December after incumbent
U.S. Sen. Raphael War-
nock, D-Ga., defeated Re
publican challenger Her-
schel Walker in a runoff.
However, it didn’t gain any
traction during this year’s
legislative session.
While some second-
place finishers in general
elections have gone on to
turn the tables and win
runoffs, Warnock finished
first in both the 2022 gen
eral election and runoff,
lending credence to the ar
gument that general elec
tion runoffs are an unnec
essary waste of tax dollars.
Georgia lawmakers
have made changes to the
vote threshold general
election candidates must
meet to avoid runoffs
since 1968, when voters
approved a constitutional
amendment requiring the
governor’s race to go to a
runoff if none of the can
didates received a majority
of votes in the general elec
tion.
After Democratic
incumbent Sen. Wyche
Fowler lost to Republican
challenger Paul Coverdell
in a 1992 runoff, the Gen
eral Assembly’s then-Dem-
ocratic majority reduced
the 50%-plus-one vote re
quirement to avoid a run
off to 45%. That worked
out for the Democrats four
years later when the late
Max Cleland won the seat
of retiring Sen. Sam Nunn
with more than 45% of the
vote but less than 50%.
Republicans respond
ed to that 1996 loss when
the GOP won control of
the legislature in 2004.
During their first legis
lative session in power,
Republicans changed the
requirement back to the
50%-plus-one threshold.
Georgia and Louisiana
are the only two states that
feature general election
runoffs. A handful of oth
er states — mostly in the
South — limit runoffs to
primary elections in which
no candidate receives a
majority of the vote.
Crossword Puzzle
Solution, page 14A
CLUES ACROSS
1. Defensive nuclear weapon
4. Moved back and forth
9. One-time coach of the
Cowboys
14. Last letter
15. Cause to become less
intense
16. Genus of tree bugs
17. Body art
18. Romance novelist
20. Be filled with love for
22. City
23. Make vivid
24. Horses
28. Mauna , Hawaiian volcano
29. Atomic #18
30. Shortly
31. A type of prejudice
33. Whirls
37. Six
38. Old world, new
CLUES DOWN
1. Indigenous people of Mexico
2. Dietary supplement
3. Having a particular sheen or
luster
4. Views
5. Academic Bill of Rights
6. Automobile
7. When you anticipate arriving
8. Beef or chicken intestine
9. Conspiracy
10. Blood disorder
11. Long-time NBAer Shawn
12. Time zone
13. US, Latin America, Canada
belong to
19. Upton Sinclair novel
21. What a cow does
24. Cavalry-sword
25. Ancient Greek war galley
26. Stars
27. Rebukes
39. Hess, oil company
41. Talk
42. Not off
43. Begets
44. Cars need them
46. Computing architecture (abbr.)
49. Of I
50. Journalist, activist Wells
51. Takes apart
55. Lists
58. Positively charged electrode
59. Hard, colorless compound
60. Inflammation of the
peritoneum
64. Trent Reznor’s band
65. Simply dry fruit
66. “Ivanhoe” author
67. Google certification
68. French commune
69. Medieval circuit courts
70. Soviet Socialist Republic
31. Billion year periods
32. Some are in a bottle
34. Tears down
35. Lethal dose
36. Humorists
40. Midwestern US state (abbr.)
41. Frameworks
45. Rocker Billy
47. More thin
48. Dog
52. Habitual repetitions
53. State of fuss
54. Uneasy
56. Chemical compounds
57. More cognizant of reality
59. A place to build
60. Exclamation that denotes disgus
61. Supplement with difficulty
62. Very slick
63. Hill or rocky peak
From the Record
THE BLOTTER
These are the reported
arrests from the Toombs
County Sheriff's Office,
the Vidalia and Lyons
police departments,
and the Montgomery
County Sheriff's Office
for the past week.
Incidents are taken
directly from police
files, All suspects are
innocent until proven
guilty.
In Lyons...
• Pamela M. Da
vis, of Lyons, was ar
rested on December
25 and charged with
Expired Tag, Operat
ing a Vehicle While
Registration is Sus
pended, No Insur
ance-1 st.
• Chasidy Cha-
von Williams, of Ly
ons, was arrested on
December 26 and
charged with War
rant Service.
• Jose Anibal
Borja Pontifice, of Ly
ons, was arrested on
December 29 and
charged with Failure
to Use Turn Signals,
Driving While Unli
censed, DUI-Less
Safe-Alcohol-2nd Of
fense.
• Delwyn Lavelle
Jones, of Lyons, was
arrested on Decem
ber 30 and charged
with Giving False
Name, Address, Birth-
date to LE Officer;
Driving While License
Suspended or Re
voked (Third); Expired
Tag; No Proof of In
surance; Driving
Without License on
Person; Warrant Ser
vice.
• Benjamin Roy
Burton, of Lyons, was
arrested on Decem
ber 31 and charged
with Shoplifting.
• Benjamin Roy
Burton, of Lyons, was
arrested on Decem
ber 30 and charged
with Warrant Service.
• Brian Leon Mo
bley, of Lyons, was
arrested on January
1 and charged with
Public Indecency,
Cruelty to Children,
Disorderly Conduct,
Willfully Obstruction
of Police Officer/Sim
ple/Verbal.
• Justin Lee
Moore, of Lyons, was
arrested on January
1 and charged with
Warrant Service, No
Brake Lights, Driving
While License Sus
pended or Revoked
(First).
• Paul Lisbon, of
Glennville, was ar
rested on January 3
and charged with
Warrant Service, Driv
ing While License
Suspended or Re
voked (First).
• David Wayne
Oliver, of Vidalia, was
arrested on January
4 and charged with
Criminal Trespass,
Public Drunkenness.
• John Lyndon
Moore II, of Glen
nville, was arrested
on January 4 and
charged with Driving
While License Sus
pended or Revoked
(First).
• Donja Michelle
Wilds, of Lyons, was
arrested on January
7 and charged with
Driving While License
Suspended or Re
voked (Third), No In
surance-1 st, Expired
Tag.
In Toombs
County...
• Nyshun Bell, of
Vidalia, was arrested
on December 28
and charged with
Speeding in Excess
of Maximum Limits,
Possession of Drug
Related Objects,
Possession of Mari
juana <1 oz.
• Charles Buice,
was arrested on De
cember 28 and
charged with Giving
False Name, Address
or DOB to Officers.
• Benjamin Bur
ton, of Uvalda, was
arrested on Decem
ber 30 and charged
with Theft by Shoplift
ing, Theft of Automo
bile, TCDC-Out of
County Hold.
• Charles Conner,
of Uvalda, was ar
rested on December
28 and charged with
Battery-FVA-2
Counts, TCDC-Out of
County Hold.
• Jessica Cruz, of
Baxley, was arrested
on December 27
and charged with
Probation Violation-
Felony.
• Casey Fountain,
of Uvalda, was ar
rested on December
28 and charged with
Probation Violation-
Felony.
• George Kent, of
Vidalia, was arrested
on December 30
and charged with
Failure to Maintain
Lane, Open Con
tainer-Alcoholic Bev
erage-Passenger, Li
cense to be Carried
and Exhibited on De
mand, DUI/Alcohol/
Less Safe.
• Ashdyan Meeks,
of Lumber City, was
arrested on Decem
ber 27 and charged
with Probation Viola
tion-Felony.
• Justin Spires, of
Mt. Vernon, was ar
rested on December
25 and charged with
Failure to Appear-
Felony, TCDC-Out of
County Hold.
• Annie Wilson, of
Soperton, was ar
rested on December
27 and charged with
Probation Violation-
Felony.
• Johnathon
Baker, of Red Level,
AL, was arrested on
January 3 and
charged with Speed
Restrictions Basic
Rules, Failure to Main
tain Lane, DUI/Alco-
hol/Less Safe.
• David Bray, of
Lyons, was arrested
on January 4 and
charged with Driving
While License Sus
pended or Revoked-
Misd, Probation Vio
lation-Misdemeanor.
• Cesar Cev-
antes, of Lyons, was
arrested on January
3 and charged with
Driving While License
Suspended or Re-
voked-Misd, Im
proper Use of Turn
Lane.
• Jameson Dykes,
of Lyons, was ar
rested on January 1
and charged with
Failure to Maintain
Lane, DUI/Drugs/Less
Safe, Possession of
Marijuana <1 oz.
• Israel Gal-
breath, of Vidalia,
was arrested on Jan
uary 1 and charged
with Stop Signs and
Yield Signs, Driving
on Right Side of
Roadway-Excep
tions, DUI/Alcohol/
Less Safe.
• Quantez Gillis,
of Stone Mountain,
was arrested on Jan
uary 6 and charged
with TCDC-Out of
County Hold.
• Michael Law
rence, of Lyons, was
arrested on January
3 and charged with
TCDC-Out of County
Hold.
• Justin Mathews,
of Lyons, was ar
rested on January 4
and charged with
Probation Violation-
Misdemeanor.
• Christopher Par-
tin, of Lyons, was ar
rested on January 1
and charged with
Probation Violation-
Felony, TCDC-Out of
County Hold.
• Sanjaykumar
Patel, of Lyons, was
arrested on January
3 and charged with
Sexual Battery.
• Florelia Perez-
Ortiz, of Lyons, was
arrested on January
6 and charged with
No Insurance, Driving
While Unlicensed.
• Wendell Tillman,
of Vidalia, was ar
rested on January 3
and charged with
Fleeing or Attempt
ing to Elude a Police
Officer, Operating
Motor Vehicle With
out Registration or
Valid License Plate,
Reckless Driving,
Speeding in Excess
of Maximum Limits.
• Kathy Wallin, of
Vidalia, was arrested
on December 31
and charged with
DUI/Alcohol/Less
Safe, Failure to Main
tain Lane.
• Marquis Wright,
of Lyons, was ar
rested on January 4
and charged with
Probation Violation-
Felony.
In Montgomery
County...
• Saviyah Javi-
oun Brantley, of Vi
dalia, was arrested
and charged with
Felony Probation Vio
lation (2 Counts).
• George William
Strickland, of Vidalia,
was arrested and
charged with Crimi
nal Trespass, Public
Drunkenness, Disor
derly Conduct.
• Clinton Michael
Conway, of Mount
Vernon, was arrested
and charged with
Terroristic Threats and
Acts (2 Counts), Ag
gravated Assault (2
Counts), Possession
of Firearm during
Commission of
Crime, Possession of
Firearm by Con
victed Felon, Cruelty
to Children-3rd (3
Counts), Felony Pro
bation Violation.
• Edison Young III,
of Mount Vernon,
was arrested and
charged with Exploi
tation of Disabled
Adult.
• Thomas Ran
dolph Avery, of Vida
lia, was arrested and
charged with Seat
Belt Violation, Driving
with Suspended Li
cense, DUI.
• Dillon Smith Cor
ley, of Vidalia, was
arrested and
charged with Felony
Probation Violation.
In Vidalia...
• Azirian Wright,
of Vidalia, was ar
rested on December
28 and charged with
Murder.
• Triston Braswell,
of Mt Vernon, was ar
rested on December
28 and charged with
Warrant Served
(Bench Warrant Vi
dalia).
• Antjony Ander
son, of Suwanee,
was arrested on De
cember 29 and
charged with Bur
glary / Theft by Tak
ing / Simple Obstruc
tion.
• Camden Line,
of Dahlonega, was
arrested on Decem
ber 29 and charged
with Burglary / Theft
by Taking.
• Chandler Stew
art, of Vidalia, was
arrested on Decem
ber 29 and charged
with Hit and Run.
• Jacob Red
wood, of Lyons, was
arrested on Decem
ber 29 and charged
with Theft by Shoplift
ing.
• Becky Mcbee
Berry, of Ocklawaha,
FL, was arrested on
December 29 and
charged with Theft
by Shoplifting.
• Burch Gene
Berry, of Vidalia, was
arrested on Decem
ber 30 and charged
with Aggravated As
sault / Cruelty to Chil
dren / Battery.
• Noah John
Prosser, of Mt Vernon,
was arrested on De
cember 30 and
charged with Bench
Warrant (Vidalia).
• Anthony Smith,
of Glennville, was ar
rested on January 1
and charged with
Bench Warrant (Cof
fee County).
• Nathaniel Miller,
of Claxton, was ar
rested on January 1
and charged with
Theft by Taking.
• Ansley Lyn
Dasher, of Vidalia,
was arrested on Jan
uary 3 and charged
with Probation War
rant (Emanuel
County).
• Mitchell Hugh
Milton, of Dexter, was
arrested on January
3 and charged with
Theft by Shoplifting.
• Phillip Smith, of
Vidalia, was arrested
on January 4 and
charged with Proba
tion Warrant (Toombs
County).
• Camron Harriel-
son, of Vidalia, was
arrested on January
4 and charged with
Possession Alcohol
Underage / Speed
ing / Open Con
tainer.
• Tanashia Col-
trane, of Glennville,
was arrested on Jan
uary 5 and charged
with Theft by Shoplift
ing.
• Michael Scott,
of Vidalia, was ar
rested on January 6
and charged with
Warrant Served
(Toombs Co. Proba
tion Warrant).
• Michael
Thomas, of Vidalia,
was arrested on Jan
uary 7 and charged
with False Public
Alarm.
In Wheeler
County...
No report avail
able.