Cherokee voters renewed the school sales tax with 69.8% and capped yearly school tax growth on homes at 4% with 76.8%. A Democrat leads in House District 44.
Cherokee County voters renewed the 1% sales tax for schools Tuesday. They also approved a cap on how fast school taxes on a home can grow. Both questions passed easily, and both passed in the precincts in and around Woodstock.
The figures are unofficial results from the Georgia Secretary of State’s results site, with all 42 Cherokee County precincts reporting as of Wednesday morning. They stay unofficial until the county certifies them.
| Question | Yes | No | Yes share |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESPLOST renewal, Cherokee County | 85,324 | 36,861 | 69.8% |
| School homestead exemption, Cherokee County | 92,708 | 28,001 | 76.8% |
The homestead cap: what it does
The second question came from Senate Bill 407, a local act for the Cherokee County School District. The ballot asked whether to grant a homestead exemption equal to the amount by which a home’s assessed value rises above its “base year” value. That base year value can be adjusted by no more than 4% a year.
In plain terms, under the bill:
- the value the school district taxes on your home can rise by no more than 4% a year
- it applies to the school district’s operations tax only, not to the school bond tax, the county, the city or the state
- the base year is the year before the exemption is first granted to the home’s most recent owner, so a sale resets it
- improvements and added land are valued from the year they are made
- a surviving spouse keeps the exemption while living in the home
- it runs from Jan. 1, 2027, through tax year 2031
The bill says a homeowner must apply to the Cherokee County Tax Commissioner to get it. After that, it renews automatically each year.
The school operations levy is the biggest single piece of a Woodstock tax bill: 16.45 of the 29.576 mills a city home pays in 2026, according to the Cherokee County Tax Commissioner’s millage table. Our property taxes page breaks down the rest.
ESPLOST: what the renewal pays for
The Ed-SPLOST is a “renewal of the current penny for schools,” the district says on its Ed-SPLOST page. The ballot question also lets the district issue bonds against the tax. It does not raise the sales tax rate.
The district’s 2027-2032 project sheets list work at every school. In the three high school zones that serve Woodstock, they include:
- Etowah High School: a phased demolition and rebuild on its current site, plus a marching band tower, new turf on the football, baseball and softball fields and a new career academy
- Woodstock High School: a renovated auditorium, a marching band tower, new turf on the football, baseball and softball fields, roofing, intercom upgrades and a new career academy
- River Ridge High School: a renovated auditorium, a marching band tower, new turf, new flooring, access control upgrades and a new career academy
- Woodstock, Bascomb, Arnold Mill and Carmel elementary schools: HVAC, roofing, flooring, plumbing and generator replacement, among other items
- Every school: instructional materials, technology upgrades and districtwide safety spending on replacement police vehicles, access control, school buses, cameras and radios
The district says 99% of the proposed projects are student serving and school based. It has not put a total dollar figure on its Ed-SPLOST page.
How Woodstock-area precincts voted
Voting precincts do not follow city limits, so these four precincts are the closest match to Woodstock, not an exact one. Each voted yes on both questions.
| Precinct | ESPLOST yes | Homestead cap yes |
|---|---|---|
| Woodstock | 73.6% | 76.1% |
| Air Acres | 72.3% | 75.8% |
| Arnold Mill | 68.7% | 76.7% |
| Bascomb | 70.1% | 75.6% |
| All four | 71.4% | 76.1% |
| Cherokee County | 69.8% | 76.8% |
A Democrat leads in the state House seat covering Woodstock
In state House District 44, Danielle Bell, a Democrat, led the incumbent, Republican Don L. Parsons, by 1,128 votes. The district takes in the Woodstock and Lickskillet precincts in Cherokee County and 11 precincts in Cobb County.
| House District 44 | Parsons (R) | Bell (D) |
|---|---|---|
| Cherokee County precincts | 5,303 | 4,229 |
| Cobb County precincts | 8,102 | 10,304 |
| Whole district | 13,405 (48.0%) | 14,533 (52.0%) |
Two other races that reach the Woodstock area were close across their districts:
- State House, District 22: Jordan Ridley, Republican, the incumbent, 50.5%, against James Shade, Democrat, 49.5%. A margin of 273 votes.
- State Senate, District 32: Kay Kirkpatrick, Republican, the incumbent, 51.0%, against Michael Hettig, Democrat, 49.0%.
In the district races that include the Woodstock precinct:
- U.S. House, District 11: John Cowan, Republican, 55.4%, against Chris Harden, Democrat, 44.6%.
- State Senate, District 56: John Albers, Republican, the incumbent, 54.0%, against Patrick Thompson, Democrat, 46.0%.
- County Commission, District 4: Corey Ragsdale, Republican, the incumbent, 55.5%, against Steven Rogers, Democrat, 44.5%. The Woodstock precinct voted 59.0% for Ragsdale.
- Board of Education, District 5: Erin Ragsdale, Republican, the incumbent, was unopposed.
Commission Chairman Harry B. Johnston was also unopposed.
The top races: Cherokee against Georgia
Cherokee County voted Republican in the statewide races. Georgia as a whole went the other way in the unofficial count.
| Race | Cherokee County | Statewide |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Senate | Mike Collins (R) 60.3%, Jon Ossoff (D) 39.7% | Ossoff 59.0%, Collins 41.0% |
| Governor | Rick Jackson (R) 66.4%, Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) 33.6% | Bottoms 54.3%, Jackson 45.7% |
| Lieutenant governor | Greg Dolezal (R) 64.3%, Josh McLaurin (D) 35.7% | McLaurin 55.9%, Dolezal 44.1% |
The Woodstock precinct was closer than the county. It voted 53.6% for Collins and 60.3% for Jackson.
All three statewide constitutional amendments passed. Cherokee voted yes on each.
| Amendment | Cherokee yes | Statewide yes |
|---|---|---|
| 1: larger farms can qualify for conservation-use assessment | 62.8% | 53.9% |
| 2: nonpartisan elections for probate judges | 72.3% | 68.4% |
| 3: a fund for 911 systems | 81.6% | 77.7% |
What it means for you
- Your sales tax does not change. The ESPLOST vote renews a tax already in place.
- Your school tax value is capped from 2027. Once the exemption is granted, the value the school district taxes on your home can rise no more than 4% a year through 2031. Your county and city taxes are not covered.
- You may need to apply. The bill requires an application to the Tax Commissioner. Homestead applications in Cherokee County are due by April 1 each year. Watch for the county’s instructions, and see our property taxes page for the offices and deadlines.
- Results are not final yet. The county board of elections began its count and canvass of returns at 8 a.m. Wednesday, according to its notice for the Nov. 3 election. A risk-limiting audit is set for 9 a.m. Friday, Nov. 13, at the elections office, 193 Lamar Haley Parkway in Canton, and is open to the public.
More on how elections work here is on our voting page.
Frequently asked questions
Did the Cherokee County ESPLOST pass in 2026?
Yes. The renewal of the 1% school sales tax passed with 85,324 votes for and 36,861 against, or 69.8%, in unofficial results from the Georgia Secretary of State with all 42 Cherokee County precincts reporting.
Did the Cherokee County school homestead exemption pass?
Yes. It passed with 92,708 votes for and 28,001 against, or 76.8%. From Jan. 1, 2027, through tax year 2031, the assessed value used for school operations taxes on a homestead can rise by no more than 4% a year.
Who won state House District 44?
Danielle Bell, a Democrat, led incumbent Republican Don L. Parsons 14,533 to 13,405, or 52.0%, across the district in unofficial results. The district takes in the Woodstock and Lickskillet precincts in Cherokee County and 11 precincts in Cobb County.
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