Richmond County Board of Elections calls May 19 special elections for SPLOST continuation and half‑cent FLOST

The Richmond County Board of Elections on Feb. 9 adopted resolutions formally calling two special elections to appear on the May 19, 2026 ballot: a 1% continuation SPLOST (SPLOST 9) and a half‑cent floating local option sales tax (FLOST) described as for property tax relief. The board voted to add a 5 p.m. certification meeting on May 22 to the resolution and then approved both resolutions and signed the paperwork to place the questions on the ballot.

Attorney Mister Plunkett, presenting the referendum language, told the board the local option measure would be a “half cent as opposed to a traditional 1¢” and that it is intended “for property tax relief.” The chair noted the resolution requires advertising the election at least 90 days before the date and running a weekly ad for five consecutive weeks immediately preceding the election; the chair calculated the 90‑day publication deadline as Feb. 18 and confirmed the board was within that timeframe.

Board members moved and seconded the amendment to insert the 5 p.m. May 22 certification time and then moved to adopt the FLOST and SPLOST resolutions as edited. After signatures were collected the chair said the adopted resolutions constitute the formal call for the special elections.

The resolutions and signed copies will be used to initiate the required advertising and publication that precede the election call. Staff also reminded the board that runoff and “if necessary” dates (including April 7 and potential runoff dates in June and December) are shown on the published calendar and will be handled per the usual statutory and administrative procedures.

Next steps: staff will publish required legal notices and follow the timetable in the adopted resolutions leading to the May 19 special elections. The board will meet for certification at 5 p.m. on May 22, with a potential continuation date if necessary.