There is one day left for residents of most Cherokee County cities to decide of they are going to throw their hat into the political ring this year.

Elections will be conducted this year in Canton, Woodstock, Ball Ground, Waleska and Nelson.

Five people have already qualified in Canton. Bill Bryan has qualified for his seat, which he took over at the beginning of the year when Wally Fowler stepped down.

In Ward 1, Bob Rush and Dr. Austin Flint will face each other this November. Incumbent JoEllen Wilson has said she will not qualify for another term. For Ward 3, John Beresford and Amy Turcotte will square off to succeed Lester Cantrell, who does not plan to qualify.

"We very likely will have a race in all three," Mayor Gene Hobgood said about the interest in the city elections this year. "There have been some inquiries."

Hobgood said he is pleased to see this amount of interest from people looking to serve the city.

"It makes me think that people are realizing there are a lot of things to be done," he said.

In Ball Ground, Mayor Rick Roberts and Councilman John Byrd have both qualified.

There is going to be one new face on the council starting next year. Ashley Holcomb, who has served on the council for 14 years, has decided not to seek another term. He said he has seen several projects, such as the installation of the city's sewer system, various road improvements, a new city hall and a new elementary school, come to completion.

"It is a good intersection between accomplishments made and personal responsibilities outside of politics," he said about his decision not to qualify. "I decided to step down and give it to someone else."

Nelson will have some new faces on its council. Councilman James Queen has qualified for Mayor. Mayor Bill Walker and Councilman Willie Pye have both said they do not intend to seek another term.

Incumbents only have qualified so far in Woodstock. Councilmen Randy Brewer, Bud Leonard and Bob Mueller have qualified.

Councilman Floyd Puckett has qualified in Waleska. Council members Stanley Ice and Dennis "Hill" Cochran also are up for reelection.

Qualifying ends today at 4:30 p.m. except in Nelson, which will end at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.