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City council qualifying starts Tuesday
Two contests on ballot
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Candidates seeking a seat on the Dawsonville City Council can begin qualifying Aug. 28 for the Nov. 6 special election.

The election is required to fill the unexpired terms of former Councilmen James Grogan and Calvin Byrd, who both resigned to run for mayor following the death of Joe Lane Cox in March.

Grogan won the mayoral election on July 31 with 318 votes, or about 62 percent, to Byrd's 196 votes, or about 38 percent.

Angie Smith, 36, and Caleb Phillips, 25, are temporarily filling the two council posts. Both have said that they do not plan to run for election.

The deadline for candidates to qualify is 4:30 p.m. Aug. 30, according to the city's Web site.

To qualify, candidates must complete the proper paperwork and pay a fee of $180.

The two people elected will be sworn in to the city council at its Nov. 13 meeting and will serve until December 2013.

The special election was first scheduled for Sept. 18, however at the July 2 meeting the council voted to move it back to Nov. 6 to comply with a new state law.

According to City Attorney Kevin Tallant, the recent legislation states the third Tuesday of September is no longer open for a special election.

The November special election and qualifying will be held at the Dawson County Board of Elections office on Academy Avenue.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 6.

The deadline to register to vote this fall is Oct. 8

For more information, contact the elections' office at (706) 344-3640.