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Politics & Government

Vote For the One Who Comes to See You

House District 113 is mostly Oconee County, so what should a handful of Clarke County voters consider?

With the in town earlier this week, now's a good time to talk about this special election coming up in House District 113. 

First, a little bit of Special Election 101. You've got four candidates – , , , and – and they have five weeks to campaign. It's called a “non-partisan special election,” but don't let that fool you. The candidates will still have an “R”, or in Matthews' case a “D,” next to their name. 

So, what's a voter to do? If you're a Democrat, you can take the easy way out and push the button for Matthews. If you're an Athens Republican or independent who may not know any of these three candidates personally, your choice is more complicated. 

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You probably won't see a lot of differences on the issues between Alexander, Bell, and Williams. They'll tell you how nice they are, and how strong their conservative values are. They'll all be in favor of keeping your taxes low, and cutting whatever government spending is left that you don't like. 

So, if you're one of those Clarke County voters that make up less than a quarter of this district, here's an idea. Forget about personalities; they're all nice folks. Forget about issues; campaign season has never exactly been a time for nuanced policy arguments. 

Find out what's happening in Athenswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Instead, vote for the one that comes to see you.

Maybe you heard about the on Monday night. People from the 113th have problems with being represented by someone who doesn't live in Athens. The word “disenfranchisement” got thrown around. 

All four of the candidates live in the O.C. But that doesn't mean they can't prove they're invested in representing the entire district, not just the 60% or so that covers Oconee. 

In the end, whoever wins will vote with their party more often than not. Independence in the General Assembly is seen as only slightly less obnoxious than passing gas in church. So vote for whichever one actually bothers to ask you, in person, for your vote. 

At least that way, they might remember your name when you call them up to yell at them.

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