A recent question that has been on the mouths of many citizens is “where is the money going?” With a question like this, it would be fair to infer that those who are currently sitting in public office, in offices such as the sheriff, the commissioners, the members of the board of education, judges, and the tax assessor, it is important that we know not only WHEN our elections are being held, but who the candidates are for those elections.

A recent Open Records Request through the Elections and Registration office produced a list of local offices up for elections and the candidates who are running for those seats as of the primary election on May 19, 2026. I wanted to share them with each of you, so that you are informed and you can do your homework and ask about these candidates.

It’s important to note that some of these candidates are running as a democratic candidate and are only available on a democratic ballot. In like form, some of those candidates are running as a republican candidate and are only available on a republican ballot for this upcoming election. Also, there are some candidates that I am awaiting via open records requests through the Elections and Registration office.

Local Candidates

• County Commissioner District 2 – Shane Grier (R)
• County Commissioner District 2 – Bryan Fryer (unsure at this time; not on either ballot at this time)
• County Commissioner District 3 – Jerry Anthony (R)
• Board of Elections at Large – Larry Franklin, Jr (unsure at this time)
• Board of Elections at Large – Vance McCorkle (unsure at this time)
• Board of Elections – District 1 – April Brown (D)
• Board of Elections – District 1 – Deborah Porter Graham (D)
• Board of Elections – District 1 – Shaun Ralston (unsure at this time)

Where is the Representation?

Why are there no other candidates for Districts 2 and 3 Commissioner from the Democratic Party?

My answer after my previous and on-going research is because there is no adequate notice given to voters about elections. Yes, we can see that there are elections posted in our local newspaper, The Journal, but on average, Richard Harris said that he only sells approximately 1200 copies of his newspaper per month, which breaks down to an average of 300 copies per week, which is also an average of 42 copies per day. I did not include his online subscriptions (which he indicated were approximately 238 per month, because many customers are subscribed to both online access and in-print access).

We have 7600 citizens in Marion County, Georgia, and from the last number I was told, we have a little over half of those that are registered as a voter. So, 42 copies a day and 300 copies per week, covers 42 citizens a day, 300 citizens per week, 1200 citizens per month. So on any given day, when a notice is given, we may only have 42 citizens seeing that notice.

How are the other 6400 citizens being notified of their elections and candidates, as well as when they can qualify to run as a candidate and what seats are available? This question is answered in my previous article on April 9, 2026, called, “Are Marion County, Georgia Citizens Actually in the Know?” Basically, we are not getting the information we need. There is no information on our county website about our elections either. So we have to rely on Facebook groups or word of mouth, but again, I have given the cons to those as well in that same article listed above.

Many citizens have expressed to me that they feel that the lack of notice or availability of elections information is intentional, so that the good ol’ boys network stays alive and well. I am starting to see some of that right now, which is why I am digging into the elections office procedures, campaign documents, and notice, right now and I want to share some of my other findings that will assist in our education of how our elections are run.

What is a Nonpartisan Election?

Nonpartisan indicates that there is no bias of party; which means that our election should also be unbiased as it pertains to party. I have submitted several open records requests as of April 20, 2026 to the Elections and Registration office for documentation that I expect can answer some of the questions I have, which are as follows:

1. If the primary election in May is Nonpartisan, why are Republicans only able to vote for Republicans and why are Democrats only able to vote for Democrats?
2. Why does it appear our state offices and judges are on both the Democratic and Republican ballots, but some of our local offices are NOT? (Is this truly Nonpartisan?)
3. Why are the candidates for the Board of Education At Large on both the Republican and Democratic ballots and not on their respective Republican or Democratic ballots as the County Commissioners for District 2 and 3 are?
4. Why is Jerry Anthony listed as a Republican candidate for the Commissioner District 3, when he has sworn no oath to uphold either party, according to his campaign documents, which were produced to me by Tiffany Harris, Elections Supervisor?
5. Why is Shane Grier not on both Republican and Democratic ballots for Commissioner District 2?
6. Why is Jerry Anthony not on both Democratic and Republican ballots for Commissioner District 3?
7. Why is Bryan Fryer, candidate for Commissioner District 2, not on either the Republican or Democratic ballot, if he is a candidate?
8. Why is a voter who pulls a Republican ballot not allowed to have a say in who runs as a democratic candidate, especially if they don’t want their republican candidate to gain as many votes and vice versa for Democratic ballots and voters who want to vote for a republican candidate? (This is crucial to run-off races, because one republican might not get as many votes, so that the other candidate does.)
9. Why are the questions up for vote not the same across Republican and Democratic ballots (are there some questions that are passing through without giving a fair vote to all voters?)
10. Why does it seem that we are not being able to see who every candidate that we can select is on ONE ballot if it is supposed to be a Nonpartisan election?

Who is on the ballot for the May Primary Election (State and Local)?

I have taken the liberty to provide these ballots for you to review and have added my notes. You will see that our local candidates are highlighted in blue. You will notice that the questions from the Republican ballot are not the same as the questions on the Democratic ballot. You will notice Bryan Fryer is not on the ballot. You will notice that it appears all the state seats and judges are on both ballots (which I believe should be the case for all candidates). You will see that Shane Grier and Jerry Anthony are not on the Democratic Ballots like every other local and state candidate in this election.

Republican Ballot – District 1

Republican Ballot – District 2

Republican Ballot – District 3

Republican Ballot – District 4

Democratic Ballot – District 1

Democratic Ballot – Districts 2, 3, & 4

What is the Solution to a Fair Election?

Having an Elections Supervisor and Board that are knowledgeable, professional, ethical, and accessible is the first part of that solution.

Proper notice and education about the elections, candidates, qualification, election timelines, and what seats are up for election is next.

Making sure that we have candidates running against those already in office if we want a change is another solution and it is an important one, in my opinion. Those people who are currently sitting are called incumbents, and at present there are no term limits for any of them. They can stay in office for life, if no one challenges them, which is and has been the case in Marion County for as long as I have lived here and voted.

We have a Probate Judge, Heather Stuart, that has gone unopposed; a magistrate judge, Janice Daniels, who never appears on the ballot for any election since she was appointed way back when; and commissioners that haven’t had any opposition as is the case right now with Jerry Anthony who is running for Commissioner for District 3. We also have not had other same-party challengers to many offices as has been the case with the sheriff, Derrell Neal.

And another important solution is for us to make sure that our elections are being carried out fairly at the polls, at end of the night counts, in recounts, in the documentation from our candidates, and in the fairness being given to candidates who want to run for election. We don’t need preferential treatment, big money backers, or family ties guaranteeing who our officers become.

How do We Make Sure We Have More Candidates for November General Election?

Right now, it appears that we have the opportunity to exercise our ability to write in a candidate? I think that is the best option at this point too. According to answers from Tiffany Harris, Elections Supervisor, and the Secretary of State’s website, we can write-in a candidate to oppose Jerry Anthony for District 3 Commissioner, and Shane Grier and Bryan Fryer for District 2. We also can write in a candidate for Board of Education (At Large and District 1).

How Do We Do That?

Whoever would like to enter their name in as a write-in candidate, we would have to come to an agreement on a person we would all write in as a whole. So, for instance, if Joe Bloe and Jan Blue wanted to run as our Board of Elections at Large Candidate for Write-In, we would have to select which one we wanted as the ONLY one we would put collectively. If those of us in District 2, for Commissioner wanted to add a write-in, and there is someone else who wants to challenge Shane and Bryan, we can choose that candidate as our write-in. The same goes for District 3 Commissioner to challenge Jerry Anthony. If no one wants to serve as a write-in for the good of District 2, feel free to write me in – Julia Pierce, though I can say, I don’t have a problem with Commissioner Grier.

That person who wants to qualify as a write-in can submit their Notice of Intent of Candidacy and Affidavit of Publication between now and September of 2026. There is no fee to qualify as a write-in candidate, so we get the benefit of not having to pay qualification fees. Keep in mind, we cannot write anyone in until the general election which will be held in November 2026, so we need to make sure that whoever intends to be written in, must be qualified as a write-in candidate ahead of that November election. Whoever certifies as a write-in candidate must be qualified pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 21-2-133.

I want to make a special statement to those who live in District 1, 2, and 3. If you are not registered to vote, we need to register you, because we have a lot of seats in those districts that need representation. I will be more than happy to show you how to do that, help you do that, or point you where you can go to do that FOR FREE. We need registered voters. It is free to register and free to vote.

And as a special statement for EVERY CITIZEN in Marion County, for us to only have about 4600 voters in a county of 7600 citizens we need more voters on the rolls and we need voters to show up and vote. Early voting begins April 27, 2026 and voter registration closes on April 20, 2026. If you’re not registered to vote for the primary, we need you registered before the general election in November.

If you want the change, you have to choose to be the change. It’s not always easy, but WE CAN DO IT.

For elections questions you can contact our election supervisor at 229-649-9838, or email her at marioncountyelect@gmail.com. You can also visit the Georgia Secretary of State Website at https://sos.ga.gov/elections-division-georgia-secretary-states-office. You can register to vote, check your registration status (which I recommend), update your voting record, see your elections results, and more.

If you have a story, feedback, or questions, please feel free to contact me at Plumblyne Productions at 229-329-2179 or plumblyneproductions@gmail.com.