"Ready to Register" Election Scam Targets Voters

Published in the Towns County Herald August 26, 2026

Dear Editor,

During the past year I have been a victim of both scam and fraud. The first was a scam over the telephone by a person posing as a Medicare representative requesting my card number in order to issue me a new plastic card. This scam was averted by reporting the incident to Medicare, and thus I learned to be more vigilant. Most recently I have experienced fraud attempts on my credit card by discovering unauthorized purchases on my monthly bill. The credit card’s fraud department will investigate and resolve this issue but, once again, it pays to be vigilant. 

I have learned of a new scam, “Ready to Register,” which is designed to interfere with voting rights. If a “Ready to Register” mailer is received in the mail, do not complete or return it. The Georgia Secretary of State’s Office, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the FBI are actively investigating the scam. These mailers are a back door attempt to justify the voter suppression measures in the controversial Save Act and collect voter data that several federal judges have ruled against. Remember, it pays to be vigilant!

It is troubling to live in an era where scam and fraud are rampant. By staying informed and reporting dishonest behavior, the tide can be turned.

Jennifer Cordier

Democrats Thank Volunteers in 2025 Elections

 

Towns County Democrats recognized those who helped with Contest Every Race (CER) efforts in 2025 with a special "We Love Volunteers" cake at the Democrats' annual holiday party.  From left are a few of the group's volunteers: Ginger England, Andrea Brannen, CER Coordinator Charlotte Sleczkowski, Bob Sleczkowski, and Trish Hull.  CER is a movement to ensure that every public office -- local, state, and national -- across the United States is contested.  Its mission is to strengthen democracy by empowering individuals to run for office.

Towns Democrats and Nick Alex Deliver Constituent Letters to Rep. Clyde

 

Giving Clyde an Earful and Letters at Aug. 20 Protest

Towns County Democrats Bob and Charlotte Sleczkowski delivered constituent letters to Rep. Andrew Clyde's office Aug. 20 in Gainesville.  Clyde has refused to hold town halls, so local Democrats are taking voters' messages to him by dropping letters at his district office in person and protesting outside.  "We were delivering our letters to Andrews Clyde's office and look who we ran into," Charlotte said.  Joining the two in this photo is Democratic Candidate for the 9th District Congressional seat Nick Alex, right, who was there to join in the protest and call for Rep. Clyde to meet with his constituents.

Voter Purge

 Published in the Towns County Herald on July 23, 2025

Dear Editor,

Some 659 people who appear on the Towns County voter registration rolls may find they cannot cast a ballot come election day.  These people should receive a notice their registration may be cancelled, but since mail sometimes gets lost it is best to be proactive in checking your registration status, particularly if you haven’t voted in recent elections.

The Secretary of State announced a new round of voter list maintenance activities (commonly referred to as a voter purge) on July 10, seeking to remove almost a half-million people from Georgia’s voter rolls.  Towns Countians account for 659 of the people on that list.  The people who face removal have 40 days after the date on their notice to respond.  There is good reason to respond!

Up until the post-Civil War era the U.S. Constitution did not specifically protect the right to vote, and each State made its own eligibility rules.  Even today it is a right protected mainly through legislation and can be lost when rolls are purged.  That is concerning because the right to vote is a fundamental right even without specific protection because it gives meaning to the First Amendment’s rights of free speech, peaceable assembly, and petitioning for a redress of grievances.  Those rights exist on the air if not given substance by the right to vote.

That is why everyone should vote and keep their registration current.  Also, everyone should periodically check their registration status on the My Voter Page at https://mvp.sos.ga.gov or by calling the Towns County Board of Elections and Registration office at (706) 896-4353.  And again, if you receive a notice that your registration may be cancelled, be sure to respond within 40 days of the date on the notice.

Does your vote matter?  Kevin Entze of Washington state lost his primary in 2002 by one vote out of 11,700 cast.  Towns County has about 11,000 registered voters.  You don’t want to be the reason the wrong candidate beat your preferred choice simply because you forgot to check your registration and lost your right to vote in the current voter purge.

David W. Plunkett
Young Harris, GA

Towns County Democrats March in No Kings Demonstration

 

Towns County Democrats marched Saturday, June 14, in Hayesville, NC, at the "No Kings" demonstration to show their support for democracy and the rule of law in the United States.  An estimated 640 Georgia and North Carolina citizens joined the march. No Kings marches around the country are estimated to have attracted over 10 million people protesting the lawless actions of the Trump administration.  Pictured, from left, are Charlotte Sleczkowski, Suzanne Carter, Meredith Legg-Grady and Sven Legg-Grady, Elaine Roberts and Tammy Bates.

Towns County Democrats to Hear from Rabun Counterparts

        Towns County Democrats will welcome Nick Alex and Dee Dailey from Rabun County when they meet Thursday, May 8, at 5:30 p.m.  The Democrats’ monthly meeting will be held at the Towns County Senior Center in Hiawassee.

Nick Alex

        Nick Alex, who lives in Clayton and is a 30-year Georgia resident, was raised in the heart of Washington, D.C., where he was surrounded by public service, with both parents holding senior roles in the Federal Government.  After a distinguished career as a banking executive, leading global payments divisions at Bank of America and Truist Bank, Nick recently retired. He and his wife, Debbi, are parents of two daughters and grandparents of four grandsons.

        NIck will speak to the Towns Democrats about the demographics, concerns, and aspirations of the electorate in the 12 counties of the Ninth Congressional District, including Towns and Rabun counties.

        Together, Towns and Rabun have close to 25,000 registered voters.

        Dee Dailey is a long-time Clayton resident and past candidate for county and state office.  She is active with Rabun County Democrats and has served as a party leader on several levels.

        Towns County Democrats join with Raburn Democrats annually for the Blue Barbecue, to be held in Clayton on Oct. 11 this year.

Stealing or Destroying Campaign Yard Signs Is Against the Law

 The signs are everywhere – except when they’re not!

 With the 2024 presidential election less than a month away, campaign yard signs seem to be everywhere, but Georgia law stipulates where campaign yard signs can and cannot be posted and protects them from theft and vandalism, notes Towns County Democratic Co-Chair John Bennett of Hiawassee. 

The theft of a campaign sign falls under Georgia Code § 16-8-2, or theft by taking, and is a misdemeanor as long as the combined value of the stolen property is $1,500 or less, Bennett said. Defacing a campaign sign falls under Georgia Code § 16-7-21, criminal trespass, if the damage is $500 or less. Both are misdemeanors punishable by a maximum of a year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.

Violations should be reported to local law enforcement authorities, but Bennett urged anyone who witnesses a violation not to confront the offender.   A call to 911 is the best option, he said. Provide the 911 center with descriptions, and if safe to do so, wait for a responding officer to arrive.

 Georgia Code § 32-6-51 states campaign signs cannot be placed in the right-of-way of any public road.  Municipalities and counties may, however, adopt ordinances that allow campaign signs to be placed in the rights-of-way of municipal/county roads.

 City of Hiawassee ordinances prohibit the placement of any sign within the public right of way and any sign which interferes with a driver’s visibility, Bennett stated. The width of the right of way depends on the route, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT). If there are power poles on the right of way, the edge is usually behind the poles. 

 Bennett also noted that any person wishing to place a campaign sign on private property must have the permission of the property owner if it is not on their own property.  That includes rental property, where stipulations in the lease apply.

  GDOT has officially stated it will remove “any and all signs” from the state right-of-way.  Failure to obey this law could result in a misdemeanor, so GDOT stated that candidates should make sure their signs are placed only in authorized areas. On Election Day, signs are prohibited within 150 feet of any building where voting is taking place as well as within 25 feet of any voter standing in line to vote (Georgia Code § 21-2-414).

Towns County Democrats open Presidential Election Headquarters

 

Charlotte Sleczkowski, chair of the Towns County Democratic Committee, cuts the ribbon on the Democratic headquarters.  The headquarters will be open through the 2024 election with plans to open a permanent headquarters in Hiawassee in 2025.

Towns County Democrats register voters at YHC

 

Clockwise from left, Vickie Plunkett, Suzanne Carter, John Bennett, and Charlotte Sleczkowski register new voters at Young Harris College

Local "Just Vote!" rally set for Saturday, April 2

Towns County saw record voter turnout in the 2020 state and national elections, and local political party leaders are hoping that trend continues for the primary and general elections scheduled this year.

As a way of encouraging people to register and to vote, the Towns County Republican and Democratic parties will sponsor a “Just Vote”! rally at the Hiawassee town square on Saturday, April 2, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

“Just Vote!” is a concerted effort, without regard to political leaning, to register voters and increase voter turnout.

The event, supported by local businesses, will feature food vendors, live music, and special guests. What it will NOT feature is political party representations: no party tee shirts, hats, badges, signs, or anything with a party candidate name or reference – the same restrictions that apply on election day at the polls.

“A key responsibility of all of us citizens is voting, which is a very important part of any democracy,” said Betsy Young, Towns County Republican chair. 

She and Charlotte Sleczkowski, Towns County Democratic chair, encouraged people to attend and to invite their friends and neighbors to participate in this non-partisan event aimed at getting out the vote. 

Voter registration will be available at the event, as well as information on new election procedures mandated by the 2021 Georgia election law. “If you are not registered to vote, Saturday would be the perfect time to do so, or to confirm your voter registration,” said Sleczkowski.

Georgia’s party primaries are scheduled for May 24 and the general election is Nov. 8. Absentee ballot applications may be submitted now through May 13. The last day to register to vote in the primary is April 25. 

# 

Pictured:

County Democratic Chair Charlotte Sleczkowski, left, and County Republican Chair Betsy Young 

Applications for absentee ballots for fall municipal elections being accepted

 Charlotte Sleczkowski, chair of the Towns County Democrats, reminds voters who wish to vote by absentee ballot in the November non-partisan municipal elections in Hiawassee and Young Harris they may now submit an application.

At the Democrats’ August meeting, Sleczkowski noted that the application period for absentee ballots opened on Monday, Aug. 16, or 11 weeks prior to the Nov. 2 municipal elections. The opening date for requesting applications is later this year as provided by Georgia’s new election law. The previous opening date was 180 days prior to the election.

Applications may be obtained in person at the Towns County Board of Elections and Registration in Hiawassee or through the Georgia Secretary of State’s office website.

Sleczkowski noted the last day to request an absentee ballot application is Oct. 22, 2021, or 11 days prior to the election. This is also a newly mandated deadline, as the previous last day was one week prior to the election. The additional time gives local elections officials extra time to process absentee ballots.

After the completed application is filed with the local elections office, an absentee ballot will be mailed to the requesting voter beginning Oct. 12, which is three weeks prior to the election. Completed absentee ballots must be received in the elections office by 7 p.m. on election day.

At the Democrats’ July meeting, Dr. Janet Oliva, chair of the county elections board, said “rollover ballots” are still available to voters age 65 and over and to disabled voters who mark their absentee ballot application accordingly. The rollover allows the eligible voter to continue to receive absentee ballots throughout the voting cycle without reapplying, such as for a runoff municipal election which would take place on Nov. 30 if needed.

Sleczkowski stated that voters will need to reapply for absentee ballots for the 2022 cycle of elections for state and federal offices.

The county’s single drop box for completed absentee ballots will be available only inside the elections office in Hiawassee only during the office’s business hours, which typically are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., according to local elections officials. The drop box also will be available during early voting hours, including Saturdays (Oct. 16 and 23). In Towns County, early voting hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and start Oct. 12. Election-day voting hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. 

Elections board chair makes plea for more poll workers

Administration of elections under Georgia’s new election law will make some aspects easier but will be more challenging without additional poll workers, Dr. Janet Oliva, chair of the county elections board, told Towns and Union County Democrats at a combined monthly meeting on Thursday.

Dr. Oliva, who was joined at the meeting by county Elections Supervisor Rachel Edwards, said some aspects of the new state law — known as Senate Bill 202 — in her opinion will make upcoming municipal elections in 2021 and state and federal elections in 2022 easier for the small Towns County staff to handle, but without more poll workers some of the shorter deadlines set by the new law will be challenging.

“We have been working with a staffing shortage since before the 2020 election but have not been able to increase it,” Dr. Oliva said. The elections office staff is supplemented as needed by poll workers who are paid by the county. Although the county is budgeted to hire more poll workers, Dr. Oliva said the elections office is constantly recruiting poll workers to meet the needs of each election.

“We don’t yet have enough poll workers for the municipal elections this fall,” Dr. Oliva said. However, she added the county is in the process of recruiting poll workers to ensure the city elections are managed properly and in compliance with state law.

The county elections office provides on-site training for poll workers, who are compensated for their time by the county.

One new deadline set by the new election law that will challenge the county elections staff is a requirement to report election results as of 10 p.m. to the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office on election day. Dr. Oliva explained that every county will have to report the number of votes counted by 10 p.m., not that this would be a county’s final vote tally. Also, the county must certify election results in 5 days after the election versus previously 10 days. 

Some of the most far-reaching changes in the new election law apply to absentee ballots, which Dr. Oliva said were related directly to the “unprecedented” number of absentee ballots cast in 2020 when the COVID pandemic was raging. “We were unprepared for that volume and it was very challenging,” she said.

She assured the Towns and Union voters that “rollover ballots” are still available to voters age 65 and over and to disabled voters by marking their absentee ballot application accordingly. The rollover allows the eligible voter to continue to receive absentee ballots throughout the voting cycle without reapplying. 

The earliest an absentee ballot may be requested is now 11 weeks prior to an election. Previously, the start date was 180 days. The last day to apply for to an absentee ballot is now two Fridays before an election. The previous deadline was the Friday before the election. Dr. Oliva said the extra week’s processing time provided by the new law will “help to ensure the integrity of the election.” 

Voters will have to be proactive in requesting an absentee ballot, as under the new law state and local governments cannot send out unsolicited applications, as occurred in 2020.

Dr. Oliva said the elections office will start mailing out requested absentee ballots four weeks prior to the election. A voter who waits until two Fridays prior to the election to request an absentee ballot could have less than two weeks to return the completed ballot to the elections office, Dr. Oliva confirmed in response to a question. Absentee ballots must be received in the elections office by 7 p.m. on election day.

Dr. Oliva noted that historically, in Towns County, the U.S. Postal Service has delivered absentee ballots directly to the county elections office without requiring them to make the journey to Atlanta and back as does other mail posted locally.

The county’s single drop box will be available only inside the elections office in Hiawassee only during the office’s business hours, which typically are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., according to Ms. Edwards. The drop box also will be available during early voting hours, including two Saturdays. In Towns County, early voting hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. but may be extended by the board of elections. Election-day voting hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. 

In response to a question about the possibility of extending or changing either office hours or early voting hours to allow people who work during the day more opportunities to deposit absentee ballots, Dr. Oliva said if the local elections board decided to do that, funding for the staff needed for those hours would have to be provided by the county. 

Democrats in Towns and Union Counties urged to educate voters on new voting law

Democrats in Northeast Georgia need to mitigate the damage done by recent changes to Georgia’s voting laws by educating them on how the changes will affect their right to vote, Mike Cobb, vice chair for voter protection in the Ninth Congressional District, told a gathering of Democrats from Towns and Union counties on May 13.

Cobb’s job is to help individual counties assemble task forces to carry out mitigation and education efforts in the 20 counties of the ninth district. He also serves as second vice chair of the Fannin County Democratic Committee and said each county is encouraged to organize either a task force, as Fannin is doing, or subcommittee with responsibility for education efforts.

“We call ours a ‘task force’ for a reason. We plan to get things done and are action-oriented,” he said.

Towns County Democratic Chair Charlotte Sleczkowski said Towns County Democrats will be participating in this statewide effort led by the Democratic Party of Georgia and will establish task forces to carry out plans to help local voters navigate this new system. Towns Democrats will meet next on Thursday, June 10.

Three areas where changes will affect local voters are in absentee voting procedures, early in-person and polling-day voting, and how county boards of election will be managed and overseen by the State Election Board, he said.

“These are onerous and draconian provisions,” he said, describing the changes. “The Democratic Party of Georgia has scoured SB 202 and looked for ways to mitigate [its effect on voters] and mobilize registration and get out the vote efforts.”

Changes to absentee voting will reduce the time voters have to apply for an absentee ballot to a narrow window beginning 78 days and ending 11 days before an election, he said. Voters are used to the application period opening 180 days before an election and may not realize the earlier closing date means they can no longer apply for an absentee ballot as late as the Friday before an election.

Also, voters will have to include either a driver’s license number or a Georgia voter identification card number on the application. In the past the voter’s signature was sufficient. Voters without these forms of identification will have to submit a photocopy of one of the other authorized forms of photo identification specified in the law.

For Union and Towns counties, which in the 2020 election had only one absentee ballot dropbox, new restrictions on the availability of drop boxes will have little effect. However, the dropboxes will not be as convenient since they can no longer be located outside and thus available when convenient for the voter. Instead, the boxes must be inside a polling place or government building, be monitored, and will be available only during business hours.

“Dropbox availability will be a huge issue,” he said, since it will affect the ability of people who work during the day to turn in their absentee ballot. Additionally, a third party can no longer legally drop off an absentee voter’s ballot, Cobb said.

One offset to the restrictions imposed by SB 202 is expansion of early in-person voting, he said. Voters will have two mandatory Saturday voting hours and election boards have the option to have polls open for two Sundays.

However, voters who go to the wrong precinct will no longer be able to cast a provisional ballot unless they show up after 5 p.m. on polling day. This will affect the ability of people to vote. “Polling places change, and voters may not realize their precinct polling place is different. We have to educate voters, so they know where to vote,” Cobb said.

SB 202 hands the Republican-controlled legislature control over the State Election Board, he said. The State Election Board now has the power to suspend up to four county election officials and take over the local election.

“What are the four counties you’re going to do this to?” he asked and then answered his own question: “Fulton, Cobb, Gwinnett and DeKalb.” The four counties have large minority populations and voted overwhelmingly for President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.

John Andrews, chair of the Democratic Party of Union County, in introducing Cobb said changes to the State Election Board worried him. “It gives power to the legislature, the people whom we pay, but they don’t listen to us,” he said. “We need to learn how to work within [SB] 202 to turn people out [to vote].”

Two provisions of SB 202 that Cobb said are unlikely to survive court challenges are the change to the federal election runoff schedule and the voter fraud hotline to the attorney general. Changing the schedule for federal runoffs from nine weeks after the election to 28 days will prove unconstitutional, he said. This is because it does not provide enough time to send and allow return of absentee ballots to military overseas voters and, therefore, creates two classes of voters who are treated differently.

He also does not expect the hotline to be implemented because the Attorney General’s office does not have the manpower to screen every complaint. The State Board of Elections already has a hotline and most of the calls it receives are dismissed with only a few being substantive enough to be forwarded to the Attorney General for further investigation.

County Party Leaders Offer Suggestions for Smart Voting

    While Towns County’s two major political party leaders may not agree on the preferred outcome of the 2020 elections, they absolutely agree that every vote should count.   Consequently, Republican Party Chair Betsy Young and Democratic Committee Chair Charlotte Sleczkowski are takings steps to get the public educated about the electoral process to help ensure the Aug. 11 primary runoffs go smoothly.

    For a smoother election process, we wish for everyone to understand the procedures,” Sleczkowski said during a recent working session between the county’s two political party chairs.  Their efforts focused on lessons learned during the June 9 Republican and Democratic primaries in Georgia, with particular attention on the absentee ballot process.

    Quoting the late Louis Brandeis, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Young noted of the electoral process: “The most important office, and the one which all of us can and should fill, is that of a private citizen.”

    First off, Young and Sleczkowski noted that if a registered voter did not vote in the June primary, they may still vote in the Aug 11 runoff.  The August runoff is open to all registered voters.

    Voter registration for the Aug. 11 runoff ended July 13 in Georgia but is open through Oct. 5 for the Nov. 3 general election.  Early voting in Towns County for the Aug. 11 primary runoff began Monday, July 20, and will continue through Friday, Aug. 7, at the Towns County Board of Elections and Registration office, at 67 Lakeview Circle in Hiawassee, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.  No Saturday voting for the runoff is scheduled.  

    Voting absentee technically is considered early voting.  Both Young and Sleczkowski stressed that voting absentee is a two-step process: first, requesting an application for an absentee ballot, and second, casting the ballot.

    Voters who are disabled or elderly (65 and older) and who asked to receive an absentee ballot for the remainder of the 2020 election cycle (by indicating so on their original absentee ballot application) will be sent an absentee ballot automatically for the Aug. 11 runoff and subsequent elections in the 2020 election cycle. These voters should be receiving their runoff ballots in the mail any day now.  In other words, if you are elderly or disabled and requested an absentee ballot for the remainder of the 2020 election cycle, you do not need to reapply for an absentee ballot for the Aug. 11 runoff, the party leaders said.

    However, for all other registered voters who desire to vote by absentee ballot in the Aug. 11 runoff, you must request an absentee ballot by contacting the Towns County Board of Elections and Registration or by obtaining an absentee ballot application online via the Georgia Secretary of State's website (www.mvp.sos.ga.gov/MVP).  Absentee ballot request applications are available in the outside lobby of the county Board of Elections and Registration office. The absentee ballot application can then be returned by the voter to the local Board of Elections office either in person or by mail, facsimile (fax) or electronic transmission (email).

    Because of the time needed to process the absentee ballot application, including mail delivery, Young and Sleczkowski strongly suggested that registered voters who wish to apply for an absentee ballot for the Aug. 11 runoff do so no later than Aug. 1 – or at least 10 days before the runoff, to be safe.  The absentee ballot itself cannot be picked up in person at the county Board of Elections and Registration office, they noted; the ballot itself will be mailed to the voter.

    One important distinction should be noted, said Young and Sleczkowski:  If a voter requested an absentee ballot for the June 9 primary but did not receive one, or chose to vote in person instead, the voter will need to submit a new absentee ballot application for the Aug. 11 runoff.  Again, the status of the original application can be viewed at the My Voter Page, www.mvpsosga.gov/MVP. 

    The second step in the absentee voting process is casting the absentee ballot.  Voters can mark and cast their absentee ballot any time after receiving it, but they must be cast – that is, received at the office of the Towns County Board of Elections and Registration – no later than 7 p.m. on Aug. 11, the day of the primary runoff.   Sleczkowski and Young stressed the importance of the absentee ballot being received by that time and date, NOT postmarked. Completed absentee ballots can be mailed to or hand-delivered to the drop box outside the county Board of Elections and Registration office, which is located in the same building as the Civic Center in Hiawassee.  Sufficient postage is required if the ballot is mailed.

    In-person voting in the Aug. 11 runoff begins at 7 a.m., with the polls closing at 7 p.m.  Anyone in line at the three voting precincts – Hiawassee, Young Harris, and Macedonia – will be allowed to vote. Unlike during the June 9 primary, all three of Towns County’s voting precincts will be open on Aug. 11, according to the county Board of Elections and Registration.

    One significant lesson learned from the June 9 primary, Young and Sleczkowski said, is that the oval next to the candidate’s name on the absentee ballot must be filled in completely using a black or blue pen (not pencil) – and NOT checked or marked with an X – so that it can be successfully scanned electronically.  Ballots not marked appropriately may be considered invalid and not counted, they stressed.

    If the absentee ballot is defaced due to error or spillage or by any other means, the voter should immediately contact the county Board of Elections and Registration to receive a replacement ballot, again allowing sufficient time for processing and mailing.  However, Sleczkowski and Young noted that a replacement ballot cannot be mailed on the day prior to the runoff, which would be Aug. 10.

    Voters who successfully cast absentee ballots prior to Aug. 11 do not need to – and should not – show up for in-person voting on election day.  However, if a voter who applied to vote absentee did not receive a ballot, or if a voter cannot confirm via the My Voter Page that their absentee ballot was successfully cast, Young and Sleczkowski said they should go to their polling place on election day so that county election officials can resolve the ballot issue. 

    Because the Aug. 11 election is a party primary runoff, voters will be required to state their party preference to receive a ballot.  If the voter requested a Democratic ballot in June, they must again ask for a Democratic ballot in August, and the same applies for Republican ballots. However, if the voter requested a non-partisan ballot in June, they may ask for either a Democratic or Republican ballot for the Aug. 11 runoff.

    Republican voters on Aug. 11 will choose nominees for the Nov. 3 general election by voting for primary candidates for U.S. representative in the 117th Congress from the 9th Congressional District of Georgia, for state senator from the 50th District, and for Towns County sheriff.  Democratic voters will choose between candidates for the 9th Congressional District only.