Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for November 3, 2021

John Willis Menard became the first black man elected to Congress on November 3, 1868 from the Second District of Louisiana. Menard’s election opponent challenged the results and prevented Menard from taking his seat, though in defense of his election Menard became the first black man to address Congress.

On November 3, 1913, details of the federal income tax were finalized and published after the ratification earlier in the year of the Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Bacon, Barrow, Candler, and Evans Counties were created on November 3, 1914 when voters approved Constitutional Amendments – prior to these Amendments, Georgia was limited to 145 counties. On the same day, Carl Vinson was sworn in to Congress from Georgia, becoming the youngest member of Congress at the time. Vinson would eventually become the first Member of Congress to serve more than fifty years. Vinson’s grandson, Sam Nunn would serve in the United States Senate.

The Chicago Tribune published the infamous “Dewey Defeats Truman” headline on November 3, 1948. Ultimately, Democrat Truman won 303 electoral votes to 189 for Republican Dewey.

Laika, a female Siberian Husky mix who was found stray on the streets of Moscow, was launched into space aboard Sputnik 2 on November 3, 1957.

On November 3, 1964, Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson was elected President over Republican Barry Goldwater.

On November 3, 1970, Jimmy Carter was elected Governor of Georgia.

Democrat Cynthia McKinney became the first African-Amercian female elected to Congress from Georgia on November 3, 1992.

On November 3, 1998, Democrat Thurbert Baker was elected Attorney General and Michael Thurmond was elected Commissioner of Labor, becoming the first African-Americans elected to statewide executive office in Georgia.

One World Trade Center opened on November 3, 2014, more than thirteen years after the 9/11 attacks.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

The Georgia General Assembly convened in Special Session this morning. Click here for live video of the State Senate. Click here for live video of the State House.

Former Savannah Mayor Edna Jackson (D) will join the State House after she won the Special Election for State House District 165. From the Savannah Morning News.

[F]ormer Savannah Mayor Edna Jackson will succeed longtime Rep. Mickey Stephens, according to unofficial results.

A total of 5,145 voters cast their ballot in this five-candidate race. Jackson won with 53.26% of the vote, with former Board of Elections Member Antwan Lang finishing second with 18.68%.

Jackson will serve for the rest of Stephens’ term, which ends in Jan. 2023. In October, Jackson said she would not be pursuing reelection when the seat is up for grabs again during the midterm elections in November 2022.

Jackson was motivated to run for the seat because she wants be involved in redistricting, the once-per-decade session where the congressional and legislative districts of the state are redrawn.

Because the race didn’t go to a runoff, she will get her chance. The redistricting session starts Wednesday, and Jackson will be sworn in as soon as the Georgia Secretary of State’s office certifies Tuesday’s vote.

Ivan Figueroa heads into a runoff election for Mayor of Brunswick, according to The Brunswick News.

The race for Brunswick mayor is headed for a Nov. 30 runoff after the votes were counted Tuesday without a single candidate earning more than 50 percent of the vote to be declared the outright winner.

That wasn’t the case in the race for the North Ward Commission seat, which was settled Tuesday. Kendra Leola Rolle took more than 50 percent of the vote in a four-candidate race to avoid a runoff.

The mayor’s race will be contested in four weeks between the top two vote getters, Cosby Johnson, who earned 621 votes, or 41 percent of the vote, and Ivan Figueroa, who received 311 votes, 20 percent of the ballots cast.

South Ward Commissioner Felicia Harris ran unopposed and will begin her new four-year term of office in January.

A total of 1,529 of the city’s 8,991 registered voters participated in Tuesday’s election, just 17 percent of the electorate.

Warner Robins voters will return to the polls for a runoff election in the Mayor’s race, according to 13WMAZ.

The total was as follows: [incumbent] Randy Toms with 3,290 votes (45.49%), LaRhonda Patrick with 3,197 (44.2%), and Stephen Baughier with 746 votes (10.31%).

Incumbent Mayor Randy Toms will be facing off against challenger LaRhonda Patrick on Nov. 30.

Tucker City Council District 2 will have a runoff election as vote-leader Cara Schroeder received 41.48% of the vote total, according to the Tucker Observer.

Albany Commission Ward III voters will return to the polls for a runoff election, according to the Albany Herald.

Ward V Albany City Commissioner Bob Langstaff, who has the second-longest tenure in local government, will return for his sixth term on the commission, while first-time candidate Jalen Johnson secured the Ward II seat after a sometimes contentious campaign.

In the Ward III race, newcomer Vilnis Gaines edged incumbent B.J. Fletcher by 38 votes but did not carry 50%-plus-one in the total vote, so he will face Fletcher in a runoff on Nov. 30.

Atlanta City Council President Felicia Moore advances to a runoff election, with her opponent not yet finalized, according to the AJC.

The drama came a few hours later, when an early Wednesday update from a handful of DeKalb County precincts pushed Councilman Andre Dickens ahead of former Mayor Kasim Reed, for a coveted second spot in the Nov. 30 election.

All results are still unofficial, but Moore took a commanding lead early in the night that she never relinquished. Reed consistently led Dickens, but the two-term councilman whittled away at that lead and apparently overcame it when the final precincts reported their tallies.

The Associated Press declared that Moore qualified for the runoff about midnight Wednesday. Dickens declared himself the winner over Reed about 1 a.m.

Reed, who was seeking a historic third term as mayor, ended his night without conceding.

Statesboro voters said “Yes” to package stores, while Register declined and Brooklet approved two alcohol referenda, according to the Statesboro Herald.

“Shall the issuance of licenses for the package sale of distilled spirits be approved?” That is the entire wording authorized in Georgia law. To this, 1,305 voters [74%] answered “yes,” while 457 checked “no.”

Register’s referendum on allowing liquor stores was identical to Statesboro’s. But 30 voters in Register checked “no” while only 22 chose “yes,” so Register’s council is not authorized to permit liquor stores.

Meanwhile, Brooklet had two different referendum questions. Brooklet residents approved allowing restaurants there to be licensed to serve distilled liquor-based drinks by 95 “yes” votes to 50 “no” votes. They also chose, by 91 “yes” votes to 64 “no” votes, to let licensed stores sell beer and wine on Sundays between 12:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.

Tifton approved a package store referendum, according to the Tifton Gazette.

Tift County residents were asked to vote on the issuance of licenses for the package sale of distilled spirits and a 1% ESPLOST to continue after the current ESPLOST ends. The tax provides funding for the Tift County school system.

The sales tax could raise up $70 million for various projects in the Tift County school district, such as constructing new facilities, repairing or renovating existing facilities, and purchasing supplies and resources for students and faculty, including technology equipment.

The ESPLOST referendum garnered 1,465 votes in favor compared to only 468 voting against it, according to information from the Tift County Board of Elections and Registration.

On the issue of the package sales, a majority of residents voted to approve the referendum, with 661 votes in favor of the issuance of licenses and 258 against, according to the election board.

Guyton voters opted for package sales, approving the measure by 201-76, according to preliminary returns from Effingham County.

Coweta County approved a liquor sales referendum, as Newnan approved package sales, Senoia approved liquor sales, and Sharpsburg declined package sales, according to the Newnan Times-Herald.

Polk County voters supported alcohol sales in four different municipal referenda, according to the Rome News Tribune.

Cedartown’s “brunch bill” question asking whether restaurants inside the city limits should be allowed to serve alcohol as early as 11 a.m. on Sunday’s instead of the current time of 12:30 p.m. was approved by the city’s voters 192-96.

Voters in the city of Rockmart passed a referendum on the package sale of distilled spirits, 246-106.

Aragon voters approved the Sunday sales of alcohol after the fourth try with a tally of 53-33. The sale of distilled spirits was also approved by Aragon voters, 56-29.

Sam Couvillon upgraded from Gainesville City Council to Mayor, winning 70% of votes, according to AccessWDUN.

Statesboro Mayor Jonathan McCollar won an overwhelming reelection victory with nearly 85 percent of ballots cast, according to WSAV.

Varnell Mayor Tom Dickson beat a challenge from former Mayor Anthony Hulsey by 77 votes to 33, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen News.

Former state senator Steve Farrow narrowly defeated incumbent Gary Crews for the Dalton City Council Ward 4 seat, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen News.

Dalton City Council Ward 2 incumbent Annalee Harlan won a decisive reelection, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen News.

Peachtree Corners City Council member Jeanne Aulbach lost her reelection for Post 4 to Joe Sawyer, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

Sawyer received 1,300 votes in the race, compared to the 886 votes that Aulbach received. The race was a rematch between Aulbach and Sawyer — and a reversal of fortunes — from four years ago, when Aulbach was the victor by a 15-vote margin in a runoff.

Lula and Cleveland both ejected incumbents, according to AccessWDUN.

[Lula]Incumbent Mayor Jim Grier was defeated in his bid for re-election by Joel Thomas, who got won by just 10 votes but with 51 percent of the total.

Longtime [Lula] Councilman Mordecai Wilson was also defeated in a re-election bid. Gene T. Bramlett beat Wilson with 58 percent of the vote for the District 3 seat on the council.

Meanwhile in Cleveland, incumbent Kevin Stanley lost a bid for re-election to Jeremy McClure for the Ward 3 seat, while C.J. McDonald won the Ward 4 seat, defeating incumbent Bradley Greene.

That story also covers election results in Cleveland, Gillsville, Flowery Branch, and Clermont.

Bloomingdale elected City Council member Dennis Baxter as the new Mayor over incumbent Ben Rozier, according to the Savannah Morning News.

Baxter’s victory ends Rozier’s tenure as mayor, one marred by racially charged social media posts he made last year. He criticized welfare recipients at a time where nationwide protests against racial injustice were occurring.

Bloomingdale’s council passed a resolution calling for Rozier’s resignation over the comments. Baxter was a member of the council at the time.

Baxter wasn’t the only challengers to win election in Bloomingdale on Tuesday. Terry Jones, Glenda Key and Rodney West claimed city council seats along with incumbents Ernest C. Grizzard, Jim Kerby and David Otakie. Bloomingdale elects its council members at-large, with the top six vote getters winning posts.

Port Wentworth supported challengers to two of three incumbent City Council members, according to the Savannah Morning News.

Newcomer Jo Smith easily defeated incumbent Linda Smith in the race for an at-large post, claiming 57% of the vote.

Challengers Rufus Bright and Janet Hester were the top two vote getters in District 3, eliminating another incumbent Lynwood Griner. The winner between Bright and Hester has not been determined.

In the other Port Wentworth council race, Gabrielle Nelson won the District 1 post, besting Alfonso Ribot with 64% of the vote. The District 1 seat is currently vacant.

Incumbent Mayor Gary Norton ran unopposed and won a second term. A would-be challenger, Julius Hall was disqualified based on his past felony conviction.

Jeffrey Lundy took a narrow victory for Mayor of Fort Valley, according to 13WMAZ.

Lundy won with 490 votes compared to his opponent, LeMario Brown, who had 471 votes.

Here a SPLOST, there a SPLOST

In Metro Atlanta, E-SPLOST measures were supported widely, according to the AJC.

With all precincts reporting, the E-SPLOST, or education special purpose local option sales tax, passed in Fulton County with just over 70% of the vote. The revenue will be shared between Atlanta and Fulton County school districts.

DeKalb County voters also extended the funding measure, which will help the DeKalb County, Decatur and Atlanta school systems pay for projects. More than 80% of DeKalb voters supported the E-SPLOST.

Cobb County voters also agreed to extend the tax for another five years, with 72% in favor.

That appears to be the first time the AJC has mentioned the DeKalb County ESPLOST in weeks if not months.

Savannah-Chatham County passed their Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for Education (ESPLOST), according to the Savannah Morning News.

Chatham County voters renewed the education penny sales tax, ESPLOST, in Tuesday’s election, extending the 1% collection for another five years.

ESPLOST IV passed with 74% approval, the widest margin in its 20-year history. The previous best was 67% for ESPLOST II in 2011.

More than 22,500 votes were cast on the referendum, which was the only countywide ballot issue. There are more than 227,000 registered voters in Chatham County.

ESPLOST IV collections will begin on Jan. 1, 2022, as ESPLOST III expires on Dec. 31, 2021.

Bryan County passed their ESPLOST with 80% of voters approving, according to the Savannah Morning News.

ESPLOST has been approved every time its been on the ballot in Bryan County going back to 1997.

Of the 1,912 to cast ballots in Bryan County, 1,531 voted in favor of the referendum. Turnout included 1,531 in-person voters who cast ballots on Election Day.

Candler County‘s ESPLOST commanded 86% of votes, according to WSAV.

Muscogee County and Columbus voters narrowly approved the SPLOST extension, according to WTVM.

The vote means sales tax will increase 1% to fund various city projects.

Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson says it was a narrow margin. 54 percent of voters today voted for the SPLOST, while 46 percent voted against it.

The biggest ticket item will be the $200 million judicial building that will replace the current Columbus government center. $44 million of the newly passed SPLOST will go to public safety.

The sales tax will go from 8% to 9% for 9 months.

After 9 months, the sales tax will go back to 8% unless citizens decide to support TSPLOST in 2022.

If the citizens vote “Yes” to TSPLOST in 2022, the sales tax will continue at 9%.

Macon-Bibb County voters approved an OLOST (Other Local Option Sales Tax?) , according to 13WMAZ.

Voters in Macon-Bibb County passed the OLOST (penny sales tax) Tuesday after a fourth try by local legislators.

The final vote was 8,668 in favor out of 10,757 votes, or 80.58%.

It will tack on a penny on the dollar for taxable items, so instead of paying 7 cents on the dollar, you’d pay 8 cents. That will start on Jan. 1, 2022.

It means Bibb County will also cut property taxes by up to 40% in 2023 – one of the largest property tax cuts in state history.
Mayor Lester Miller says the advantage to Bibb County homeowners is that most sales tax revenue is collected from people who do not live in the county. The extra sales tax money would help fund a new pay scale for Bibb deputies and other first responders.

Tift County passed an E-SLOST with 1349 votes infavor and 409 opposed, according to WALB.

Effingham County passed a SPLOST by 2571 ballots to 1287, just under a 2:1 margin, according to preliminary returns from the elections office.

Coweta County voters extended the ESPLOST, according to the Newnan Times-Herald.

The Educational Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, the only county-wide race, was renewed by a vote of 9,705 to 7,291.

Polk County schools will continue collecting an ESPLOST, according to the Rome News Tribune.

The referendum asking for the continuation of the collection of a one-cent education special purpose, local option sales tax to benefit the Polk School District passed with a margin of 68.1% with 1,252 votes for what will be called SPLOST VII.

Richmond County voters declined to support funding for the new James Brown Arena, according to the Augusta Chronicle.

Voters in Richmond County rejected the funding for a new James Brown Arena on Tuesday night as 65.5% voted ‘No’ for the proposal.

Less than 10 percent of eligible Richmond County turned out for the referendum with 7,754 against the arena and 5,080 voting in favor of the $235 million arena with all 69 precincts reporting.

Oconee County voters shot down the SPLOST, according to the Athens Banner Herald.