Norma Gaines-Heath takes School Board seat; 6.6% of voters turn out

Carlton Fletcher, The Albany Herald, Ga.
·1 min read

Jul. 14—ALBANY — And everyone thought a 9% turnout was low.

Only 648 voters — of 9,794 in the district — turned out for the runoff election for the District 2 seat on the Dougherty County School Board Tuesday, giving Norma Gaines-Heath an easy victory over Alma Noble.

Gaines-Heath garnered 416 votes to Noble's 229, a surprisingly comfortable 64.2%-35.34% margin for the former educator. The two emerged as top vote-getters from a field of six in a special election a month ago to fill the vacant School Board seat.

Noble got more votes by mail — 45-37 — than the new School Board member-elect, but Gaines-Heath controlled the other voting categories: 68-33 in advance voting and 311-151 in Election Day balloting.

Gaines-Heath will be sworn in in time to start serving on the Dougherty School Board as it prepares to start the 2021-22 school year.

The 648-voter turnout in the runoff is 6.62% of the registered voters in District 2.

Gaines-Heath will serve the remaining year-plus on long-time School Board member Milton "June Bug" Griffin's term. Griffin died in February.