The General Election was held Tuesday, Nov. 3, in the races for mayor of Atlanta, every seat on the Atlanta City Council and Atlanta Board of Education, and notable municipal elections around the metro Atlanta region.
2021 General Election Recap
The General Election was held Tuesday, Nov. 3, in the races for mayor of Atlanta, every seat on the Atlanta City Council and Atlanta Board of Education, and notable municipal elections around the metro Atlanta region.
Overall, turnout in Atlanta was 96,158 votes, slightly less than the 2017 mayoral election when 96,777 votes were cast.
Mayor of Atlanta
Current Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms did not seek reelection, leaving the race for mayor wide open. Council President Felicia Moore leads Councilmember Andre Dickens 41.7% to 23.03%. Former Mayor Kasim Reed finished in a razor-thin third place with 22.4% of the vote. First-time candidate Sharon Gay finished in fourth place with 7% of the vote, and City Councilmember Antonio Brown finished in fifth place with 5% of the vote.
The race for Mayor of Atlanta will proceed to a Nov. 30 runoff.
City Council President
With Felicia Moore running for mayor, the race for City Council President was an open seat. First-time candidate Doug Shipman holds a slim margin over Councilmember Natalyn Archibong, 30.9% to 27.94%. Courtney English, the former Chair of the Atlanta Public School Board, finished in third place with 25.11% of the vote.
The race for City Council President will proceed to a Nov. 30 runoff.
Atlanta City Council
Six seats on the Atlanta City Council are open due to retirements and current members seeking higher office. With 15 seats total, the Atlanta City Council will see substantial turnover. In addition, seven of nine city council incumbents faced opposition this election season. Below are the results of each election.
Post 1 At-Large: Despite opposition from four candidates, incumbent Councilmember Michael Julian Bond won outright with 59% of the vote.
Post 2 At-Large: Incumbent Councilmember Matt Westmoreland defeated Sonya Russell-Ofchus with 65% of the vote.
Post 3 At-Large: With Councilmember Andre Dickens running for mayor, five candidates entered the race. Keisha Sean Waites, a former state representative, finished in first place with 30% of the vote, and Jacki Labat finished in second place with 25% of the vote. This race goes to a Nov. 30 runoff.
District 1: Due to the retirement of Councilmember Carla Smith, District 1 is an open seat. Six candidates entered the race. Jason Winston finished in first place with 29.39% of the vote, and Nathan Clubb finished in second place with 27.52% of the vote. This race goes to a Nov. 30 runoff.
District 2: Councilmember Amir Forakhi faced no opposition and was re-elected.
District 3: With Councilmember Antonio Brown running for mayor, six candidates entered the race. Byron Amos finished in first place with 33% of the vote, and Erika Estrada finished in second place with 25% of the vote. This race goes to a Nov. 30 runoff.
District 4: Incumbent Cleta Winslow received opposition from five candidates. Winslow received 31.4% of the vote, while Jason Dozier finished second with 29.33% of the vote. This race goes to a Nov. 30 runoff.
District 5: Councilmember Natalyn Archibong is running for City Council President, leaving District 5 open. Five candidates entered the race. Liliana Bakhtiari finished in first place, just shy of the majority needed to avoid a runoff, with 49.46% of the vote, while Mandy Mahoney finished in second place with 18.25%. Pending a recount, this race will likely proceed to a Nov. 30 runoff.
District 6: Due to the retirement of Councilmember Jennifer Ide, District 6 is an open seat. Four candidates entered the race. Former Councilmember Alex Wan finished in first place with 79% of the vote and won the council seat outright.
District 7: Councilmember Howard Shook faced no opposition.
District 8: Due to the retirement of Councilmember J.P. Matzigkeit, District 8 is an open seat. Former Councilmember Mary Norwood ran unopposed.
District 9: Councilmember Dustin Hillis was challenged by Devon Barrington-Ward. Hillis received 68% of the vote and was re-elected.
District 10: Councilmember Andrea Boone was challenged by Jason Hudgins. Boone received 86% of the vote and was re-elected.
District 11: Councilmember Marci Collier Overstreet was challenged by Ron Shakir. Overstreet received 79% of the vote and was re-elected.
District 12: Councilmember Joyce Sheperd was challenged by two candidates. Shepherd received 41.57% of the vote, while Antonio Lewis finished second with 40.65% of the vote. This race goes to a Nov. 30 runoff.
Atlanta Board of Education
With three open seats due to retirements, the Atlanta Board of Education will see moderate turnover. In addition, this is the final year all nine board seats will be on the ballot at the same time due to a recent law change. Therefore, in this election, winners of odd-numbered districts will only serve two years, while winners of even-numbered districts will serve a full four-year term. Below are the results of each election.
District 1: Due to the retirement of school board member Leslie Grant, District 1 is an open seat. Two candidates, Katie Howard and Wykeisha Howe entered the race. Howard finished in first place with 73% of the vote and will serve a two-year term.
District 2: Incumbent Aretta Baldon was challenged by two candidates. Baldon received 48% of the vote, while Keisha Carey finished second with 30% of the vote. This race goes to a Nov. 30 runoff.
District 3: Incumbent Michelle Olympiadis faced no opposition and was re-elected to a two-year term.
District 4: Due to the retirement of school board member Nancy Meister, District 4 is an open seat. Two candidates, Mikayla Arciaga and Jennifer McDonald, entered the race. McDonald finished in first place with 69.81% of the vote and will serve a full four-year term.
District 5: Incumbent Erika Mitchell was challenged by Raynard Johnson. Mitchell received 72.59% of the vote and was re-elected to a two-year term.
District 6: Incumbent Eshe Collins was challenged by Patreece Hutcherson. Collins received 67% of the vote and was re-elected to a four-year term.
At-Large Seat 7: Due to the retirement of school board member Kandis Wood Jackson, At-Large Seat 7 is an open seat. Five candidates entered the race. Tamara Jones finished in first place with 40% of the vote, and Kanesha Venning finished in second place with 20% of the vote. This race goes to a Nov 30 runoff.
At-Large Seat 8: Incumbent Cynthia Briscoe Brown was challenged byKeedar Whittle. Brown received 72% of the vote and was re-elected to a four-year term.
At-Large Seat 9: Incumbent and Board Chair Jason Esteves was challenged by two candidates. Esteves received 62% of the vote and was re-elected to a two-year term.
Notable Municipal Elections
Many municipalities around the metro Atlanta region held a variety of elections and referendums. For local results, check individual local government websites. Below are the results of some notable mayoral elections:
Johns Creek: John Bradberry defeated Brian Weaver with 60.37% of the vote.
Marietta: Incumbent Mayor Steve “Thunder” Tumlin defeated Councilmember Michelle Cooper Kelly with 57.16% of the vote.
McDonough: Due to the retirement of Mayor Billy Copeland, the mayor’s seat was an open race. Councilmember Sandra Vincent finished in first place with 48% of the vote and Councilmember Craig Elrod finished in second with 40% of the vote. This race goes to a Nov 30 runoff.
Roswell: Kurt Wilson defeated the incumbent Mayor Lori Henry with 58.71% of the vote.
Sandy Springs: Incumbent Mayor Rusty Paul defeated Dontaye Carter with 69.46% of the vote.
South Fulton: Incumbent Mayor William Edwards finished in first place with 44% of the vote while Khalid Kamau finished in second place with 29% of the vote. This race goes to a Nov 30 runoff.
Stone Mountain: Beverly R. Jones finished in first place with 57% of the vote and won the election outright.
Tucker: Incumbent Mayor Frank Auman defeated Robin “Rob” Biro with 55% of the vote.
MAC ENGAGEMENT
The Metro Atlanta Chamber directly engaged in the City of Atlanta general election through the work of the Committee for a Better Atlanta (CBA). CBA is a non-partisan coalition of 35 businesses and civic organizations that evaluates and scores candidates for Atlanta Mayor, City Council President, and Atlanta City Council based on their preparedness for office and their understanding of the important issues facing the City of Atlanta.
With 83% of the qualified candidates participating in the CBA process, CBA evaluated written questionnaires and conducted in-person interviews for over 55 candidates.
CBA published its 2021 Voter Guide in September, including each candidate’s overall score, their complete questionnaire response, and the in-person interview questions asked of every candidate. Click here to view CBA’s Voter Guide and prepare for the Nov. 30 runoff election.
KEY ELECTION DATES
Tuesday, November 30, 2021 – General Election Runoff
