Voters in Clayton and DeKalb counties and residents of three Georgia congressional districts will have an extra election day in June to settle runoffs from Tuesday’s primary.
The race for Clayton sheriff and the choice of DeKalb’s chief executive officer to replace outgoing CEO Michael Thurmond are among the races expected to appear on June 18 runoff ballots. Clayton also has a runoff for County Commission chair.
To see sample ballots and confirm if you are in a district with runoff elections, visit the Georgia My Voter site from the Secretary of State. The voter registration deadline has already passed. Early voting ended Friday.
Runoffs are not used in many states, but Georgia law requires runoff elections for most primaries and general elections if no candidate receives a majority of the vote.
Here are some metro Atlanta races and other races on on the ballot:
Congressional races: Three U.S. House primaries will require runoffs: the 2nd District, Republicans Chuck Hand and A. Wayne Johnson; the 3rd District, Republicans Brian Jack and former state Senate Majority Leader Mike Dugan; the 14th District, Democrats Clarence Blalock and Shawn Harris.
Georgia Legislature: Among the runoffs for the Georgia Legislature are: Senate District 38, which is based in Fulton County, spans from Sandy Springs to Palmetto; Senate District 34, which spans Fulton and Fayette counties; and a DeKalb County seat held by retiring Senate Minority Leader Gloria Butler. Read more about these runoff elections for Legislature.
Clayton County: Incumbent Sheriff Levon Allen is likely to face Clayton County Commission Chairman Jeff Turner, the second-place finisher.. Commissioner Alieka Anderson will face former Tax Commissioner Terry Baskin for Clayton County Commission chair. Runoffs are also needed in commission races for Districts 1 and 3.
Cobb Commission: Jaha Howard and Taniesha Whorton were the top finishers in District 2 in a field of five candidates. The Cobb election may still be affected by an ongoing legal challenge to the county’s new political district map.
DeKalb County: Former Commissioners Lorraine Cochran-Johnson and Larry Johnson will meet again in a runoff for chief executive officer. Runoffs are also scheduled in the District 4 commission race, school board District 5 and one State Court Judge seat
Douglas County: Runoffs are scheduled for County Commission District 3 and School Board District 1. A Superior Court judgeship is also on the ballot.
Fulton County: District 4 Commissioner Natalie Hall will face Moraima “Mo” Ivory in a runoff.
Gwinnett County: Runoffs involve two school board seats. In District 1, incumbent Karen Watkins and Rachel Stone were the top finishers. In District 3, Steve Gasper and Shana V. White finished first and second. There is also a runoff for Superior Court judge.
Rockdale County: Oz Nesbitt Sr. and JaNice Van Ness are in a runoff for County Commission Chair. Runoffs are also needed in County Commission District 1 and School Board Post 1.
Georgia Legislature: The retirement of three Democratic state senators triggered a deluge of candidates interested in taking over their Atlanta-area seats. All three primaries are heading to runoffs in Districts 34, 38 and 55. Those seats are currently held by Senate Minority Leader Gloria Butler, D-Stone Mountain, and state Sens. Valencia Seay of Riverdale and Horacena Tate of Atlanta.
Other local contests may be included on runoff ballots. To check for runoff elections on your ballot, visit the Georgia My Voter page from the Secretary of State.
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