Journalism As Applied Social Science And The Third-Person Effect

Response To Critics

I am writing this post because my daughter told me to.

I won’t blame her if it fails, but I do want to credit her if it succeeds.

Georgia Democratic Representative Advises Oconee County Democrats To Be Cautious In Responding To Trump Victory

From Cobb County

Stacey Evans, Democratic Representative from Smyrna to the Georgia House, told Oconee County Democrats not to criticize the voters for the defeat of Hillary Clinton and election of Donald Trump on Nov. 8 in Georgia.

The Democrats didn’t get out enough of their voters to win the election in Georgia and across the country, she said.

Oconee County Turnout Highest In State In An Election In Which Trump Underperformed Locally Compared With Recent Elections

422 Write-In Votes

Donald Trump underperformed in Oconee County on Nov. 8, compared with how Republican presidential candidates fared in 2012 and 2008, an analysis of the official results for the last three presidential elections shows.

Trump got 67.4 percent of the vote in Oconee County on Nov. 8, compared with Mitt Romney’s 73.6 percent in 2012 and John McCain’s 70.8 percent in 2008.

Oconee County Planning Commission Gives Negative Review To Solar Energy Farm Proposal

Next Vote Dec. 6

The Oconee County Planning Commission voted overwhelmingly last (Monday) night against a request to rezone 238 acres on McNutt Creek Road and Dials Mill Road in the far northwest of the county for a solar energy farm.

The vote was before a full room of citizens, most of whom were opposed to the proposed 38 megawatt solar energy farm on two separate parcels of land separated by Dials Mill Road.

Early Voting Available Only Five Days In Runoff For Oconee County Commission Post II

Turnout Will Be Key

Early voting starts on Nov. 28, the Monday after Thanksgiving, for the Dec. 6 runoff election for Post II on the Oconee County Board of Commissioners.

Early voting will run only Monday through Friday of that week and will be held at the Board of Elections and Registration Office, 10 Court Street, across from the Oconee County Courthouse in Watkinsville.

Oconee County Utility Department Director Promises Sewer Service To Calls Creek Residents; Costs Of Delivery Not Known

Affects Comparisons

At the Town Hall meeting late last month, Oconee County Utility Department Director Wayne Haynie said the county would put in not one but two sewer lines down Calls Creek if the Board of Commissioners approved his plans for the upgrade of the county’s sewage treatment plant.

Haynie was making the case for the gravity sewer line to a skeptical audience, arguing that young home owners would be attracted to the Calls Creek corridor by the availability of sewage service over the existing private septic systems that serve the subdivisions along the creek.

Horton And Wiedower Will Meet In December For Runoff In Oconee County Board Of Commission Race

The 905 mailed in absentee ballots, counted after this story was posted, did not affect any of the elections except for Watkinsville Post 5. Dan Matthews ended up leading Mark Melvin by 1 vote, but neither got a majority because five persons wrote in the name of a candidate.

Tie In Watkinsville

Oconee County voters will be back at the polls on Dec. 6 to decide the outcome of the special election to fill Post 2 on the Board of Commissioners, as none of the three candidates got more than 50 percent of the vote.

With all but about 900 absentee ballots counted, Chuck Horton had 45.1 percent of the vote, Marcus Wiedower had 30.5 percent, and Ben Bridges had 23.7 percent.