By Joe Johnson
Clarke County Sheriff Ira Edwards Jr. Wednesday morning could be on the cusp of being ousted from the position he has held for two decades.
With all precincts reporting Tuesday’s Democratic primary results, Edwards was losing to challenger John Q. Williams by a slim margin of 98 votes.
However, absentee ballots had not been fully recorded as of Wednesday morning, and the Athens-Clarke County Board of Elections and Voter Registration Office said they should have the final vote count sometime after noon.
Edwards was elected sheriff in 2000. Williams is an Athens-Clarke County police Sgt. who investigates domestic violence and missing person cases.
The winner of the primary will face off in November’s general election against Republican candidate Robert Hare, a sergeant in the Clarke County Sheriff's Office.