On July 31, voters will head to the polls to choose local leaders for the next four years and anyone wishing to have their name on the ballot must qualify next week.
Beginning at 9 a.m. Wednesday, residents who plan to run for the Bryan County Commission chairman and District 1 and 3 seats; Board of Education; sheriff; probate judge; tax commissioner; coroner; clerk of superior court; state court judge; or state court solicitor can qualify at different locations in the county.
Candidates have until noon Friday to qualify.
According to Deputy Probate Clerk Marcia Wells, those who wish to qualify as a Democrat for the General Primary election should file with the Bryan County Probate Court at either the County Administrative Complex in Richmond Hill or the Bryan County Courthouse in Pembroke.
Anyone who wishes to qualify as a Republican should contact Rick Gardner, former county commissioner and chairman of the Bryan County Republican Party, at Room 217 in the County Administrative Complex in Richmond Hill.
Gardner said candidates are responsible for filling out forms, paying fees associated with various positions and ensuring their forms are notarized.
Forms for qualifying can be found on the Secretary of State’s website at www.sos.ga.gov, he said.
Fees for each seat vary. To qualify for the chairman position of  the Bryan County Commission, candidates must pay $90. To qualify as a district commissioner for the District 1 and 3 seats, a fee of $45 must be paid. Board of Education candidates must pay $54 to qualify for the vice chairman, District 2 and District 3 seats.
To qualify as a candidate for sheriff, a fee of $1,943.28 must be paid. To qualify for probate judge, clerk of superior court or tax commissioner, candidates must pay $1,591.05.
State court judge candidates must pay $3,354.51 to qualify, while state court solicitor candidates must pay $2,200.75. Candidates for coroner must pay $126.02.
Additionally, anyone qualifying for a position in the coming election should do so in accordance to the new county district lines.
According to Chief Registrar Warren Miller, the new county lines have not been approved but county officials expect them to get approval any day now.
“The elections superintendent said we’re going with the new lines,” he said. “The Board of Education has been totally finalized and the county is right on the verge and it’s exactly the same (as the Board of Education district map). There is no difference.”
For more information about new district maps, contact the County Voting Office at 653-3895.
For more information about qualifying, candidates are urged to visit the Secretary of State’s website at www.sos.ga.gov.
For more information about qualifying as a Republican, contact Gardner at 313-3914. Other candidates can contact the Bryan County Probate Court at 653-3856 or 756-8559.