THOMASVILLE- Despite a low turnout, Thomas County voters approved the FLOST (Floating Local Option Sales Tax) referendum on the March 18 General Election ballot. 

According to the election summary report, 1,332 individuals voted “Yes” for the FLOST referendum on Election Day, while 1,534 voted “Yes” during the advanced voting period. Twelve individuals voted “Yes” on an absentee by mail ballot, for a total of 2,878 voters in favor of the referendum. 

192 individuals voted “No” on Election Day, while 213 voted “No” during the advanced voting period. Four individuals voted “No” on an absentee by mail ballot for a total of 409 voters not in favor of the referendum. 

With only 3,287 votes accounted for, the referendum passed. 

Elections official Frank Scoggins said the final Friday of early voting was a mad dash, but the voting turnout was otherwise slow-moving, with some individuals claiming they knew nothing about the election. 

“I still struggle to find a better way to advertise it,” Scoggins said. “We had a 9.4% voter turnout.” 

Not only was the election advertised several times, but County Manager Mike Stephenson played a huge role in ensuring all requirements were met to get the referendum on the ballot. 

“Mike Stephenson did a fantastic job on pushing this thing through,” Scoggins said. “It won in a landslide.” 

Despite winning in a landslide, Scoggins said he would love to see more voters turn out, as he feels only 9% of the people deciding a new tax doesn’t represent the majority. 

“I try to encourage people more because I’m negative to the fact that they let 5-9% of the people decide something like this,” he said. 

Scoggins reminded those seeking more information about local elections to follow the Elections Board on Facebook or find them on their website, where they update voter totals daily.