Turnout so far has been steady, said Susan K. Williams, director of the Polk Board of Elections and Registration.
"We've had good turnout so far," Williams said. "We had 104 to vote in person on Tuesday, 129 Wednesday and 130 on Thursday."
In addition, Williams said she had mailed out 264 paper ballots through Thursday.
Friday's poll numbers were not available at press time.
Early voting continues this week at the Polk County Administration Building, 144 West Ave., Cedartown. However, the office will be closed Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving.
There is one local race on some Polk County ballots, for Polk County Board of Education, District 9. Only those voters who reside within this Rockmart area district will see this race on their ballot when voting.
Incumbent Dist. 9 board of education member Jerry Elrod Baldwin (D) is in a runoff with Charles "Chuck" Thaxton, who qualified as an independent.
There was a three-way race for the post in the Nov. 4 election. Baldwin was the biggest vote getter, but only by a margin of 11 votes. The results on Nov. 4 were: Baldwin, 622; Frank Plant (R), 611; and Thaxton, 606.
Plant withdrew his name from consideration, giving Thaxton a second chance at the seat in the runoff.
Also on the ballot -- and drawing some national attention -- is a runoff between incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, and his Democratic challenger, Jim Martin.
Chambliss had the most votes in the Nov. 4 election, but fell short of the 50 percent plus one vote needed to clinch the election.
According to official election results posted online by Georgia Secretary of State Karen C. Handel, statewide results in the General Election were: Chambliss, 1,867,090 votes (48.8 percent); Martin, 1,757,419 votes (46.8 percent); and Allen Buckley, Libertarian, 128,002 votes (3.4 percent).
The national Democratic and Republican parties have invested time and money into the race. Democrats are close to having a 60-member "filibuster-proof" majority in the Senate. That goal -- which would potentially allow the Democratic party to pass legislation with minimum interference from the opposing Republicans -- would be possible if Democrats pull together both a Martin win, and the election of Democrat Al Franken in Minnesota.
In Minnesota, incumbent Republican Sen. Norm Coleman led Franken by a scant 237 votes, kicking off a recount drive. That process was still going on Friday.
According to newspaper accounts, at the end of Thursday, some 46 percent of the 2.9 million ballots had been counted. The recount had narrowed the gap between Coleman and Franken. Coleman was leading by only 136 votes, a drop from his unofficial lead of 215 that was confirmed last Tuesday by the Minnesota state Canvassing Board.
Political flyers mailed out on behalf of the Republican party in Georgia urged Republican voters to go to the polls to re-elect Chambliss and to stop "liberal Democrats" from gaining a filibuster proof majority.
Meanwhile, former Democratic President Bill Clinton and former Democratic candidate Al Gore have both been in Georgia to campaign for Martin.
Republican candidate for president John McCain has campaigned for Chambliss, as have Republicans Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney.
Two other statewide races on the runoff ballot have not received as much media attention.
There is a race for Public Service Commissioner, to succeed Angela Elizabeth Speir, who did not run for re-election. On the ballot are Lauren W. McDonald Jr. (R) and Jim Powell (D).
There also is a nonpartisan runoff for Judge, Court of Appeals of Georgia, to succeed John W. Ruffin, who retired.
On the ballot are Sara Doyle and Mike Sheffield.
The war has been an expensive mistake: thousands of Americans and many tens of thousands of Iraqis killed, plus ghastly injuries, families forced to flee the country, loss of U.S. credibility around the world, etc. The list is long. Linda J. Bilmes and Joseph E. Stiglitz estimated that the cost of the war will probably exceed $3 trillion and considered that a conservative estimate (Stiglitz is a Nobel laureate in economics). That is about $10,000 for every American now living. The financial drain has prevented us from using the funds for schools, hospitals, and diplomatic efforts.
It’s hard to imagine a more important decision for a legislator than sending our soldiers into war. Now someone is needed with better judgment, Jim Martin. (For Internet links about Martin go to http://rationalpoliticstoday.blogspot.com/)
You have to play to win. Labels don't matter. South Carolina made the smart move by getting a Democrat Senator. They will win in the Washington sweepstakes! Georgians have a chance to win big also! Win for Georgia! Send a Democrat to get money from a Democrat. Even Mit Romney knows that is the right move at this time! Tough times takes tough people to survive!