And even that race may not be finished this summer, as another candidate announced this week he would attempt to get on the November ballot as an independent candidate. While that's a long shot since over 800 voters will have to sign a petition, it's not impossible. All of this is the result of the rise of the Republican Party in Jackson County from the tidal wave moving out of Gwinnett County. Suddenly, party affiliation has become important. What party labels have to do with local positions, however, isn't clear.
Local positions revolve around local issues that transcend party politics.
In reality, all local races should be non-partisan contests. That's because those positions don't have any policy-making authority and are departmental functions. Local party politics is now mostly a strategic decision rather than an ideological affiliation. From that standpoint, the effect of party affiliation could make a difference this summer. For one thing, only three local races have more than one Democratic Party candidate - BOC District 2, coroner and sheriff.