Bartow County’s local elections held some surprises including overwhelming support for homestead exemption referendums that prevent residential taxes from rising beyond the rate of inflation for five years.
“This is a massive landslide like I’ve never seen before in this county,” said Dr. David McKalip, who organized the YesForTaxCuts.com grassroots movement supporting the referendums for the City of Cartersville and Bartow County.
The local referendums were to close a loophole both the city and county school systems used to increase property taxes. The original ballot measure passed overwhelmingly across Georgia in 2024 but contained an “opt out” provision which both school systems used. These on the 2025 ballot doesn’t have an opt-out so both school systems can only raise taxes in line with the federal inflation rate, as the original measure dictated.
The Cartersville homestead exemption passed with 88.36 percent or 3,287 votes, according to the unofficial and uncertified Bartow County Election office results. There were 433 voting no in the City of Cartersville. The county measure got 89.37 percent of the vote, totaling 11,883 ballots cast for it compared to 1,413 cast in opposition.
“I was surprised at an 89 percent vote, but I shouldn’t have been,” McKalip said. “The citizens here are smart and know what’s going on.”
He said the referendums likely helped to increase voter turnout. McKalip estimates 16,000 people voted which is more than typical for an off-year election. He also said advanced voting numbers showed the turnout to be 8.4 percent, which is far more than average for a local election in a non-presidential year.
McKalip also suspects some Democrats voted for the tax relief because the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) races had a 70 percent Republican turnout and a 30 percent Democratic turnout.
He said the victory is spurring people to get involved in local politics because now they know they can win. McKalip said he has gotten many messages asking how people can become more involved.
“This is the sort of hope people are looking for that they are not alone,” he said.
Another referendum that occupied social media chatter was the educational special purpose local option sales tax (ESPLOST). This is an additional penny sales tax that will be used for certain Bartow County school projects. BOE member Darla Williams supported it.
That measure passed but with less popularity than the homestead exemption resolutions. The final numbers are 55.65 percent or 9,638 votes for ESPLOST to 43.35 percent or 7,374 votes against it.
Williams said she wasn’t surprised the penny tax didn’t get overwhelming support as the tax exemptions received.
“People feel like they were taxed to death and were begging for relief,” Williams said.
Williams said she understands the feeling but she supported the ESPLOST because it was a fairer tax than property taxes.
“I’m glad it passed because I would prefer to have a tax where everyone pays, not just property owners,” she said.
Not only will those living here pay the extra penny per dollar in purchases, but tourists and visitors will pay it too since it will be added to all purchases.
The City of White had two referendums. One was to allow distilled spirits package sales and the other was to approve distilled spirits by the drink. Both passed with almost the same votes. The package sales question passed with a 54.76% vote (69 votes) and the by the drink ballot question passed with a 54.44% (69 votes). Fifty-seven opposed the package sales measure and 58 opposed the by the drink proposal
Here is a round-up of all Tuesday night’s local contested election results.
| PSC District 2 | Percentage of Vote | Ballots Cast |
| Tim Echols (I) (Rep) | 70.68% | 11,948 |
| Alicia . Johnson (D) | 29.32% | 4,957 |
| PSC – District 3 | ||
| Fitz Johnson (I) (Rep) | 70.35% | 11,890 |
| Peter Hubbard (Dem) | 29.65% | 29.65% |
| Adairsville City Council – Post 3 | ||
| Lee Castro (I) | 42.56% | 306 |
| James H. Pullium | 57.44% | 413 |
| Cartersville Mayor | ||
| Barbara Jackson | 20.34% | 728 |
| Matthew J. Santini (I) | 79.66% | 2,851 |
| Cartersville City Council – Ward 5 | ||
| Gary L. Fox (I) | 80.30% | 644 |
| Thomas Paul Jolliff | 19.70% | 158 |
| Emerson City Council – VF2 | ||
| Daniel C. Hitchcock | 10.51% | 58 |
| Brandon D. Hughes | 20.11% | 111 |
| Dennis Mauldin (I) | 34.96% | 193 |
| Michael Snyder | 21.56% | 119 |
| Vincent Wiley | 12.86% | 71 |
| Kingston Mayor | ||
| Michael McFarland | 65.16% | 144 |
| Elbert “Chuck” Wise, Jr. (I) | 34.84% | 77 |
| Kingston City Council – Post 1 | ||
| Reginald D. Applin | 63.47% | 139 |
| Allen Cochran (I) | 36.53% | 80 |
| Kingston City Council – Post 4 | ||
| Patresha Northgraves | 56.62% | 124 |
| Louise Young-Harris (I) | 43.38% | 95 |
| White City Council – VF2 | ||
| David “DJ” Bennett | 21.89% | 51 |
| Eddie Billue | 15.02% | 35 |
| Charles Buttrum | 7.73% | 18 |
| Gary Crisp (I) | 18.88% | 44 |
| Jerry L. Jude | 12.02% | 28 |
| Stephanie Nichelson (I) | 24.46% | 57 |
Melody Dareing is a freelance writer for publications in the U.S, Canada, the UK and Germany. She is a former news director of Adelphia Channel 4 and WBHF Radio. She is on Facebook, X, YouTube, content on Substack, and has a podcast on Rumble.