Jackson County voters will take their first step next Tuesday in the selection of the next president of the United States.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and early voting continues this week in the 2012 presidential preference primaries.
Only one candidate, incumbent President Barack Obama, will be on the Democratic ballot, rendering that election moot. The Republican ballot will have nine candidates.
The focus in Georgia will be on the three frontrunners — current delegate leader and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, former Georgia congressman Newt Gingrich and former senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania.
Joining them on the ballot will be Texas representative Ron Paul, along with Minnesota representative Michele Bachman, former Utah governor and former ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, former Louisiana congressman Buddy Roemer, Libertarian Gary Johnson and Texas governor Rick Perry, all of whom have either suspended their campaigns or are considered marginal candidates.
Georgia is one of 10 states voting on what is called “Super Tuesday,” an event offering 419 delegates to the Republican National Convention. Seventy-six of those are in Georgia.
Early voting will continue from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday at three locations, including the Commerce Recreation Department, 204 Carson Street, Commerce; the Jackson County Administrative Building, 67 Athens Street, Jefferson; and the Braselton Police and Municipal Court Building, 5040 Hwy. 53, Braselton.
As of Monday morning, 421 people had voted in person in advance, and 65 had returned absentee ballots. Jackson County has 33,301 registered voters.
