East Cobb Politics & Elections

Cobb Elections director announces retirement after 12 years

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Janine Eveler, Cobb Elections director announces retirement
Janine Eveler

Janine Eveler, the director of the Cobb Board of Elections and Registration, announced Friday that she is retiring after 12 years in the position.

The announcement was issued by Cobb government, which said a search will be launched immediately to hire her successor. Eveler will leave her post after Cobb municipal elections in March.

Eveler was with the Cobb Elections for 18 years after a career in telecommunications.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my 18 years with Cobb County government,” Eveler said in a statement to the elections board that was included in a release issued by county. “I am very proud of the accomplishments that I and the Elections department have achieved and appreciate the opportunity to serve the citizens of the best county in Georgia.”

She was named the 2021 recipient of Ann Hicks Award, honoring excellence in elections administration, by the Georgia Association of Voter Registration and Elections Officials.

But the 2022 elections in Cobb were marked by controversies and glitches involving the elections office that led to court consent decrees extending the deadline for returning absentee ballots in the general election and the U.S. Senate runoff.

They included the failure to mail more than 1,000 absentee ballots for the Nov. 8 general election due to what Eveler said was a “human error” by an elections worker.

“I am sorry that this office let these voters down,” Eveler said at the time. “Many of the absentee staff have been averaging 80 or more hours per week, and they are exhausted. Still, that is no excuse for such a critical error.”

She told the elections board and Cobb commissioners on several occasions that high turnover among elections workers and volunteers were significant challenges during an election year that included new boundaries due to reapportionment.

In the Post 4 Cobb Board of Education general election race in East Cobb, 1,112 voters registered in the Sandy Plains 1 precinct were incorrectly given ballots to vote in the Cobb Board of Education Post 4 race.

They live in Post 5, also in East Cobb, following redistricting earlier in 2022.

The error was corrected, but 111 votes that had already been cast could not be changed. Republican incumbent David Chastain defeated Democrat Catherine Pozniak by 3,686 votes to win re-election.

A city council race in Kennesaw in November was reversed after data from a memory card was not uploaded promptly after the general election.

The appointed elections board also added one Sunday of early voting for the general election, a change that Eveler opposed in favor of a longer Saturday.

She also attributed some of the errors to a new state law limiting the window for absentee ballots and dropbox locations for them.

“The Board of Elections appreciates Janine’s service and commitment to Cobb County and the opportunity we’ve had to work with her to address concerns and challenges related to the changing elections landscape in this state,” elections board chairwoman Tori Silas in the Cobb release.

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East Cobb resident files ethics complaint against Richardson

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East Cobb resident files ethics complaint
“I like Jerica . . . but this has been taken too far,” East Cobb resident Debbie Fisher said.

An East Cobb resident opposed to Cobb County’s attempt to use home rule powers to conduct reapportionment has filed an ethics complaint against Commissioner Jerica Richardson, whose bid to stay in office is at the heart of the controversy.

Debbie Fisher alleges in her complaint to the Cobb Board of Ethics that Richardson is engaged in a conflict of interest due to a political action committee she formed to fight her redistricting by the Georgia legislature.

In her complaint filed on Monday (you can read it here), Fisher said Richardson should have recused herself from discussion and two votes in October in which the commission’s Democratic majority approved redistricting maps that would have kept her District 2 relatively unchanged.

In addition to seeking a reprimand and/or censure of Richardson, Fisher wants to void Richardson’s votes on the maps, which would result in a 2-2 deadlock.

Last year, the Georgia legislature passed HB 1154, which contains maps that placed Richardson’s home in East Cobb into District 3, where Republican JoAnn Birrell was re-elected in November.

In addition to vowing that she wouldn’t step down, Richardson set up a 501(c)(4) non-profit last March, For Which It Stance, Inc., to fight what she said was an “unprecedented” move to draw a sitting elected official out of office.

In what she and her supporters have called “Jerica-mandering,” Richardson has insisted that home rule is legal and necessary to invoke for redistricting so that her 200,000 constituents have representation.

The For Which It Stance website said it was dedicated to “protecting local control, empowering local voices,” and seeks financial donations, sells merchandise and offers memberships ranging from $25 to $100 a month.

Unlike 501(c)(3) non-profits, a 501(c)(4) organization can “push for specific legislative outcomes that align with our values and core mission,” according to the For Which It Stance site.

Fisher further alleges in her complaint Richardson “also violated the code of ethics by failing to disclose, in writing or verbally, the conflict and the collection of money through the 501(c)(4) Corporation’s website which clearly creates a Fiduciary conflict of interest that disqualifies Commissioner Richardson from participating in discussion in whole or part and from voting on this issue.”

Commissioner Jerica Richardson

The ethics board is a seven-member body appointed by the Cobb Board of Commissioners, the Cobb Tax Commissioner, the Cobb Sheriff, the Cobb Solicitor General, the chief judges of the Cobb probate and magistrate courts and the clerk of the Cobb State Court.

Under a local ordinance, the ethics board has 60 days to conduct an initial review to determine if there’s enough evidence in the complaint to warrant a further investigation. The complaint could be dismissed or the board could set a hearing date to formally consider whether an ethics violation occurred.

Fisher is a local Republican activist who told East Cobb News that “I like Jerica and I don’t necessarily agree with how the maps were redrawn but this has been taken too far.”

East Cobb News has contacted Richardson and East Cobb resident Mindy Seger, the executive director of For Which is Stance, seeking comment.

Seger would say only that For Which It Stance “will not be commenting on the complaint at this time.”

East Cobb News also contacted Lynn Rainey, the attorney for the ethics board, who said Richardson has 30 days to respond to the complaint.

Richardson, a Democrat, was elected to a four-year term in 2020, succeeding longtime Republican Bob Ott, in a District 2 that included some of East Cobb and the Cumberland-Vinings area.

In 2021, she moved into a home off Post Oak Tritt Road, which at the time was located in her District 2.

The Cobb delegation, which had a one-Democrat majority, approved maps that would have kept Richardson in District 2. But that map was never voted on, as Cobb GOP legislators did an end-run around that longstanding courtesy.

Under Georgia law, Richardson would have had to move into the new District 2 by Dec. 31 of last year to run for re-election in 2024.

After the commission Democrats voted in October to file the county delegation maps with the state, Birrell and fellow Republican commissioner Keli Gambrill objected, saying those maps are unconstitutional.

Gambrill suggested then that Richardson recuse herself, citing a conflict of interest.

Richardson didn’t respond to those concerns, and said before the second vote that “this is beyond partisanship. This is about the balance of power among all 159 counties and the state General Assembly. This ensures that future state and federal politics won’t play a role in our local government’s daily operations.”

Earlier this month, Birrell and Gambrill tried to abstain from voting at the commission’s first meeting when they were told the county maps would be in force. They left the dais after an executive session and as Chairwoman Lisa Cupid threatened to have them escorted away by security, saying board policies didn’t allow them to abstain without a “valid” conflict.

On Tuesday, the two Republican commissioners cast votes but issued statements of protest and disputed the Jan. 10 meeting minutes saying they voted to go into executive session when they insisted they had not.

East Cobb resident Larry Savage is expected to refile a lawsuit soon in Cobb Superior Court challenging the county’s home rule stance.

In perhaps its best-known case in recent years, the Cobb ethics board dismissed a complaint against then-commission chairman Tim Lee in 2014 for his handling of the Atlanta Braves stadium deal.

The same year, Savage filed ethics complaints against the four Cobb commissioners who voted for the stadium deal, but those were also dismissed.

The only commissioner not subject to that complaint was Cupid, then a district commissioner for South Cobb.

In defending the vote to approve Cobb delegation maps instead of the state-approved maps in October, Cupid said “this is not something that we can just move past . . . this is not something that we can just take lying down.’

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Activist groups organize over Cobb electoral map dispute

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Cobb electoral map dispute
Democrats conducted the Jan. 10 Cobb Board of Commissioners meeting by themselves after their Republican colleagues were ordered from the dais by Chairwoman Lisa Cupid (center).

A political advocacy committee started by Cobb commissioner Jerica Richardson to fight against legislative maps that would draw her out of her seat is encouraging those who support her to speak out when commissioners meet on Tuesday.

The For Which It Stance group wants to “fill the room” and speak during public comment sessions as a home rule dispute continues to roil the five-woman board.

The notification was amplified on the Facebook page of the Cobb County Democratic Committee.Cobb electoral map dispute

The Cobb County Republican Party has posted a similar notice on social media, urging its supporters to “show up and support our state constitution.”

On Jan. 10, Republican commissioners JoAnn Birrell and Keli Gambrill tried to abstain from voting, saying maps approved by the three Democrats on the board are unconstitutional under Georgia law.

They were told by Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid that they could not abstain without a valid conflict and eventually were removed from the dais, watching the rest of the meeting from the back of the room.

Whether that scenario may repeat itself Tuesday is uncertain. When asked by East Cobb News what she plans to do at the meeting, Birrell said only that “I will be making a statement next week.”

Birrell began her fourth term in January after being re-elected under new boundaries in District 3, which includes most of East Cobb.

Those maps were approved by the Georgia legislature after Cobb GOP lawmakers skirted the common courtesy of honoring local delegation maps.

The Cobb delegation had a one-member majority, and commission maps drawn by former chairman Erick Allen would contain most of Birrell’s former district, including some of Northeast Cobb, the Town Center area and city of Marietta.

That map, which Birrell opposed, was never voted on by the legislature, but it’s what the county has submitted to the state, and it’s the one the county attorney’s office is saying is currently valid.

Cobb electoral map disputeRichardson was elected in 2020 in District 2, which has included some of East Cobb and the Cumberland-Vinings area.

She moved to a home off Post Oak Tritt Road last year, and under state law, would have had to move into the new District 2 to seek re-election next year.

That’s because the legislative maps drew District 2 to include Cumberland-Vinings, Marietta and most of the Kennesaw-Town Center area and took out East Cobb.

But Richardson isn’t budging, as the county is claiming home rule provisions that Republicans said do not apply when it comes to reapportionment.

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr this week agreed, saying the county maps are “not legally binding.”

But there’s not an active lawsuit to contest the county maps. East Cobb resident Larry Savage withdrew a suit in Cobb Superior Court and is planning refile it soon.

In the meantime, said Mindy Seger, the executive director of For Which It Stance, the option that would cause the least harm and disruption to is to honor the county maps and keep Richardson in office until the courts decide the matter.

She said Richardson’s fight is about the “representation of 200,000 people,” her District 2 constituency, who were the subject of an unprecedented action by the legislature—drawing out an incumbent elected official.

Savage’s initial lawsuit sought a preliminary injunction to uphold the state maps. That would trigger Richardson’s removal from office and a special election.

If that were to happen, and the county then won its home rule claim, Seger said, that would create even more chaos than what the Republicans are saying is happening now.

Seger, who was a leader of the anti-cityhood East Cobb Alliance, also encouraged Birrell and Gambrill to show up and vote—not abstain—and represent their constituents.

The commission meeting begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta), and the full agenda can be found by clicking here.

There are two public comment periods, one at the beginning and the other near the end, with a maximum of six speakers each who are limited to speak for five minutes.

You also can watch on the county’s website and YouTube channels and on Cobb TV 23 on Comcast Cable.

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Top East Cobb 2022 stories: Cityhood referendum defeated

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East Cobb anti-Cityhood sign removed

In May a portion of the East Cobb community was asked about incorporating into a city, more than three years after the issue first came up.

The result of a May 24 referendum was a resounding no, with 73 percent voting against cityhood.

The East Cobb Cityhood referendum was one of three that went down to defeat, along with Lost Mountain and Vinings. In November, voters in Mableton barely approved a cityhood referendum, making it the first new city in Cobb County in more than a century.

But the East Cobb campaign was different from the rest, especially the increasingly contentious tone of the debate.

It started in late 2021, when the East Cobb cityhood group sprung a surprise on the public, adding expensive police and fire services that the other cityhood movements did not include.

Instead of a city of more than 100,000 floated in 2019, the 2022 proposed map showed a population of around 60,000 for a city of East Cobb, roughly along the Johnson Ferry Road corridor.

During the 2022 Georgia legislative session, former Rep. Matt Dollar made several changes to legislation calling for the East Cobb referendum, including moving it up from November.

After committee hearings, more changes were made to how the East Cobb city council members and mayor would be selected. Cobb government officials expressed concern that they wouldn’t have time to assess the possible financial impact to the county if cityhood referendums passed.

But the East Cobb bill eased through the legislature, and Dollar promptly resigned his seat to take state government job.

For the next two months, public events got even more heated.

Supporters of cityhood said a new city would curb an incursion of high-density development in East Cobb that was trending elsewhere in the county.

Opponents said a new layer of government wasn’t needed, and that taxes and other local government costs would go up.

In addition to the anti-cityhood East Cobb Alliance, cityhood proponents had to go up against Cobb government officials who said they were providing objective information at town hall meetings.

The cityhood group balked, accusing the county of campaigning against the referendums.

As the referendum date neared, lawsuits were filed to stop the East Cobb, Lost Mountain and Vinings votes, citing unconstitutional provisions.

But a Cobb judge ordered the referendums to go ahead as scheduled.

The East Cobb Alliance turned up the heat further, alleging that the cityhood group added police and fire because it needed the Cobb fire fund millage to avoid imposing additional property tax rates for a new city.

The cityhood group denied that charge and another by the Alliance for not filing a campaign finance report, saying it wasn’t required.

When the final votes were counted, the pro-East Cobb vote won only one precinct, around the Atlanta Country Club where many of the cityhood group’s leaders live.

The cityhood group scrubbed much of its online presence and said little after the vote, telling East Cobb News in a prepared statement that “make no mistake; the facts have not changed. East Cobb will be under increasing growth and tax pressure from Cobb County to urbanize our community. Our polling told a different story from the results last night. Cobb’s policy direction explains why the county worked so hard to stop the cityhood effort(s).”

Mindy Seger of the East Cobb Alliance said after the referendum that there’s an interest in trying to “raise the bar for Georgia’s Cityhood process. The community has the mic, we hope those in authority are listening.”

In October, the Committee for East Cobb Cityhood was fined $5,000 by the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission and submitted a campaign financial disclosure report showing that it had raised $112,525 and spent $64,338.

The East Cobb Alliance reported total contributions nearing $30,000 and disbanded its operations.

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Cobb home rule hearing prompts Birrell to cancel swearing-in

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Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell said Friday she won’t be holding a scheduled swearing-in ceremony in public next week because of a court hearing about county redistricting.Cobb adopts $1.4B fiscal 2023 budget

Birrell said in a statement in her weekly e-mail newsletter that “due to a conflict in scheduling with the hearing regarding home rule I will be sworn in at a private ceremony. Thanks for understanding.”

She was to have taken the oath on Wednesday afternoon at the Cobb Board of Commissioners meeting room for her fourth term in office, representing District 3 in East Cobb, followed by a reception.

But a hearing has been called for the same time in Cobb Superior Court for a lawsuit filed by an East Cobb resident to stop the county’s efforts to invoke home rule over commissioner redistricting.

Larry Savage, a Republican candidate for Cobb commission chairman in 2012, 2016 and 2020, is the plaintiff in the suit, filed in Cobb Superior Court.

The suit claims that a vote by the Commission’s Democratic majority in October to file maps to keep District 2 commissioner Jerica Richardson in office is illegal, and that only the Georgia legislature can conduct reapportionment activities.

The Republican-dominated General Assembly approved a map this year (see bottom) to draw Richardson, a first-term Democrat, out of her home in East Cobb, which would mostly be in District 3.

Savage’s claims echo those of Birrell and other state and local Republican officials.

But Richardson, local Democratic leaders and her other supporters have said that while the county’s action may be unprecedented, so is the legislature’s action in drawing a sitting incumbent official out of her seat.

Larry Savage, Cobb Commission Chairman candidate
Larry Savage

Cobb officials filed a contested map—proposed by Democratic Cobb legislative delegation chairman Rep. Erick Allen but which were never voted on by the legislature—with the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, anticipating a legal challenge.

Under state law, Richardson would have to change her legal residence to the new District 2 by Saturday in order to run for re-election in 2024, but she said she’s not moving.

Should the county’s legal challenge fail, Richardson would likely be removed from office and a special election would be called to fill the remainder of her term.

Birrell has said publicly that what happened to Richardson is unfair but that the home rule challenge is “politically motivated.”

During the legislative session, Cobb commissioners attended delegation meetings as the maps were being drafted.

Birrell opposed Allen’s map, which included much of the city of Marietta, concerned it wasn’t majority-Republican. She won with only 51 percent of the vote in 2018, but got 59 percent in winning re-election in a mostly-East Cobb district in November.

In recent months, both commissioners representing the East Cobb area have attended a number of public events in what would be the new District 3, including a town hall Richardson held regarding the delayed Lower Roswell Road traffic project.

Birrell also has included news and information about developments in what would be her new district that are currently in District 2.

The court hearing on Wednesday will be heard by Judge Ann Harris.

Cobb commissioners redistricting resolution
A Cobb commission district map at left was submitted by the county to challenge the legislative-approved map at the right. District 2 is in pink, District 3 in yellow.

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Top East Cobb stories for 2022: Elections and redistricting controversies

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Top East Cobb 2022 stories elections redistricting controversies
Cobb commissioner Jerica Richardson

Most incumbents on ballots for Cobb County voters were re-elected in 2022 at all levels, including veteran East Cobb elected officials.

But behind the scenes, problems with issuing absentee ballots and disagreements over how to draw local political boundaries created controversy and intrigue.

Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell and Cobb school board chairman David Chastain were re-elected in November, as were East Cobb-area state lawmakers Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick and Reps. Sharon Cooper, John Carson and Don Parsons.

They will be joined by Sen. John Albers, also a Republican, and Democratic newcomers Jason Esteves (Senate) and Solomon Adesanya (House) in representing East Cobb when the 2023 session convenes in January.

East Cobb will also have two Republican members of Congress, incumbent Rep. Barry Loudermilk of the 11th District and newcomer Rich McCormick of the 6th District.

In both the general election and the U.S. Senate runoff, Cobb Elections was sued by voting-rights advocacy groups over issues with timely mailing of absentee ballots.

Both times, the county entered into a consent decree to give affected voters extra time to return their mail-in ballots.

Right before the general election, the three Democrats on the Cobb Board of Commissioners voted to contest commission redistricting maps under the state’s home rule provisions.

It’s a novel challenge, since legislatures are empowered to conduct reapportionment. But Commissioner Jerica Richardson of District 2 in East Cobb said that she’s the first sitting elected official to be redrawn out a seat.

Elected in 2020, Richardson said in March “I will not step down.” Under Georgia law she has until Dec. 31 to move into the new District 2, which includes much of the city of Marietta as well as the Cumberland and Kennesaw areas.

The new District 3 includes the area around Post Oak Tritt Road and Johnson Ferry Road where Richardson bought a home in 2021. But she said she’s not moving.

The resolution passed in October was opposed by Republican commissioners Keli Gambrill and Birrell, who said the county’s challenge of redistricting is outside the rule of law and was politically motivated.

The county has submitted maps keeping Richardson in similar District 2 lines to the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office, and it’s expected to be challenged by the state Attorney General’s office.

The first Cobb Board of Commissioners meeting of 2023 is Jan. 10.

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McBath votes for same-sex marriage bill that passes Congress

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The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved the Respect for Marriage Act, which ensures certain marriage rights for same-sex couples at the federal level.McBath supports same-sex marriage bill

Voting in favor of the bill, H.R. 8404, was U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, a Marietta Democrat who represents the 6th Congressional District.

She was part of a 258-169-1 majority that included 39 Republicans. The bill was passed by the U.S. Senate on Nov. 29, with Georgia Democrat Jon Ossoff also voting in favor in a 61-36-3 vote.

One of the three not voting was U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, who was elected to a full six-year term on Tuesday.

Voting against the bill Thursday was Republican U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, whose 11th Congressional District will include part of East Cobb in January.

Thursday’s roll call vote will be posted at this link, which includes the full text and previous vote breakdowns.

The bill, which awaits the signature of President Joe Biden, repeals the Defense of Marriage Act passed in the 1990s, upholds the rights of same-sex couples for federal Social Security, tax and veterans’ benefits and prohibits states from denying an out-of-state marriage license on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity or national origin.

The measure that passed Congress was amended to include some religious liberty provisions.

“The Respect for Marriage Act is a historic step forward as we protect those we are tasked with representing,” McBath said in a statement. “No American should ever face discrimination because of who they are or who they love.”

The bill was introduced by Democratic Congressional leaders after U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas hinted at revisiting a 2015 court ruling that enshrined same-sex marriages across the country.

Georgia was one of the states that banned same-sex marriage via statute and a constitutional amendment.

The bill passed by Congress would not prevent states from banning same-sex marriage if that court ruling, Obergefell v. Hodges, were to be overturned, as federal abortion rights were this summer.

McBath, who is completing her third term, will be representing the 7th Congressional District, based in Gwinnett County, starting in January.

The new 6th District member of Congress will be Rich McCormick, a Republican who was elected in November.

The 6th will include some of East Cobb, Cherokee, North Fulton and Forsyth counties as well as Dawson County.

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Warnock wins Georgia U.S. Senate runoff; cruises in Cobb

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East Cobb results 2022 U.S. Senate general election

Updated, 10:35 pm:

Several news organizations have declared Warnock the winner with metro Atlanta counties still counting votes.

With 92 percent of counties reporting, he leads Walker by roughly 36,000 votes.

More than 3.4 million votes were cast, for a turnout of 48 percent.

In Cobb, Warnock has had a 60-40 percent lead most of the night.

He has been competitive in some East Cobb precincts but Walker has won a number of them.

More than 260,000 votes were cast by Cobb voters, for 51 percent turnout.

Warnock’s win would give Democrats a 51-49 Senate majority, after a 50-50 split since he and fellow Democrat Jon Ossoff unseated Republican incumbents Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, respectively, in January 2021 runoffs.

More updates coming Wednesday.

UPDATED, 9:37 P.M.:

With 79 percent of the counties in Georgia fully reporting, Warnock leads by roughly 16,000 votes, with 50.27 percent.

You can follow updated statewide results by clicking the Georgia Secretary of State’s website.

Cobb and other metro Atlanta counties are still tabulating votes.

You can track the Cobb vote, and by precinct, by clicking here.

ORIGINAL POST, 9:11 P.M.:

We’ll be updating this post Tuesday night and into Wednesday in the U.S. Senate runoff between Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker.

A total of 91 of Georgia’s 159 counties have fully reported results thus far, and as 9 p.m. approached the vote-counting is tightening.

Warnock built up a big early lead due largely to early and absentee voting.

Walker briefly went ahead by about 41,000 votes.

But with 49 percent of the vote in, Warnock has received 1,230,639 votes, or 50.83 percent, to 1,190,273 votes for Walker, or 49.17 percent.

Most of the counties that have fully reported are in rural and southern Georgia; metro Atlanta counties are not yet fully counted.

That includes Cobb County, where Warnock has a big lead. He has 100,539 votes, or 65.41 percent, to 53,170 votes for Walker, or 34.59 percent. But only 30 percent of the votes have been counted.

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Georgia elections board to investigate Cobb absentee ballot issues

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The Georgia Elections Board says it is looking into the delayed mailing of absentee ballots to some Cobb voters for the U.S. Senate runoff.State Elections Board Cobb absentee ballots

The board held an emergency meeting Saturday to say it would be conducting a probe into 3,442 absentee ballots that were mailed last Monday due to the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Three Cobb voters filed a lawsuit to get extended time to return their ballots, and a consent decree was ordered Friday by a Cobb Superior Court judge.

Those voters who received ballots on or before Nov. 26 will have until Friday, Dec. 9, to return their ballots, but they must be postmarked by Tuesday, election day in the runoff between Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker.

But at a court hearing Friday, Cobb Elections protested the extension of time, and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger also objected.

They said that the proper processes were followed for mailing absentee ballots for the runoff, which has an 11-day window. The Cobb Elections office was closed on Friday following Thanksgiving as it’s a county holiday.

On Sunday, Cobb County government sent a message saying Cobb Elections would cooperate with the state elections board investigation.

“Voting by absentee ballot has become increasingly popular, with Cobb County issuing more absentee ballots than any county in the state during the runoff,” the Cobb statement said. “Our office and other elections offices across the state face challenges created by this increased demand and the reduced timelines for absentee ballot processing and distribution mandated under SB202.

“The Cobb Board of Elections and Registration is committed to reviewing and updating our processes and procedures following the December 6 runoff and will incorporate any findings from state officials into our review and updates.”

Final voting in the U.S. Senate runoff is Tuesday, with the polls open at regular voting precincts from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Absentee voters not affected by Friday’s consent order have until 7 p.m. Tuesday to return their ballots to the Cobb Elections Office at 995 Roswell Street.

They can also take their absentee ballot to their regular polling station and cancel it and vote in-person.

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Early voting surges in Cobb as U.S. Senate runoff finish nears

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cobb advance voting, Cobb voter registration deadline, Walton and Dickerson PTSA candidates forum

As early voting in the U.S. Senate runoff has concluded, more than 150,000 votes have been cast in Cobb in person and via absentee ballot.

Tuesday’s conclusion to the race between Democratic U.S. Sen Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker will take place at regular voting precincts throughout Cobb and the state. Voters who are returning absentee ballots face a Tuesday 7 p.m. deadline to return them.

As we reported Friday, a Cobb judge has extended the time for some absentee voters to return their ballots to Dec. 9, as long as they are postmarked by Tuesday.

Cobb Elections agreed to the extension after being sued over delays in mailing some absentee ballots due to the Thanksgiving holiday last week.

Voters who received their absentee ballots on or before Nov. 26 will have the same deadline as military and overseas voters, next Friday, Dec. 9.

Through Friday, a total of 146,705 people voted in person in Cobb, according to Cobb Elections. That’s roughly a third of the county’s registered voters and included 29,798 votes on Friday, a single-day record for early voting.

At the East Cobb Government Service Center, 15,996 voted early, and 17,495 voted early at the Tim D. Lee Senior Center.

More than 20,000 people have voted each day of early voting since Monday.

A total of 24,053 absentee ballots have been requested by Cobb voters, with 9,709 returned and 6,237 accepted.

In a social media posting Saturday morning, Gabriel Sterling, the chief operating officer for the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, said more than 1.8 million votes were cast across the state in early voting and absentee voting.

He said that represents 26.4 active voters in Georgia, and that 60 percent of absentee ballots have been returned and accepted.

The Secretary of State’s office has a Ballot Trax service voters can use to follow the status of their absentee ballots.

Absentee ballots can be returned in Cobb in-person Monday and Tuesday at the Cobb Elections office (995 Roswell Street, Marietta.).

On Monday the hours are from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Tuesday the hours are voting hours—7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

There will be no other absentee ballot drop boxes at any of the regular voting precincts.

All absentee ballots not subject to Friday’s court order must be received by the Cobb Elections office by 7 p.m. Tuesday.

For more information visit the Cobb Elections page.

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Cobb Elections sued over absentee ballots in U.S. Senate runoff

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Just as in the general election, the Cobb Board of Elections and Registration is being sued over delays in sending out absentee ballots for the U.S. Senate runoff.Cobb absentee ballots

The Southern Poverty Law Center, the ACLU of Georgia and the law firm Dechert LLP have filed an emergency lawsuit in Cobb Superior Court on behalf of three voters who either have not received absentee ballots before Tuesday’s runoff election concludes or are just now getting them.

Cobb Elections Director Janine Eveler said this week that 3,442 absentee ballots did not go out until Monday instead of last Wednesday, the day before the two-day county Thanksgiving holiday, when they were listed as having been mailed out.

The runoff between Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker has an 11-day window for absentee ballots to be requested, returned and received, and on four of those days no ballots were mailed.

UPDATED:

Cobb Elections has agreed to extend the deadline for those who did not receive an absentee ballot by Nov. 26. Those voters will have until next next Friday, Dec. 9, to have their absentee ballots postmarked and mailed.

A hearing took place Friday before Cobb Superior Court Judge Kellie Hill, who signed a consent decree as she did last month.

Cobb Elections contended during the hearing that all absentee ballots requested for the runoff met the legal deadlines for being mailed, and that they weren’t picked up in the mail until Monday, Nov. 28, due to the holiday.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Absentee ballots from voters not subject to Friday’s agreement must be received by the Cobb Elections office by 7 p.m. Tuesday. Absentee ballot drop boxes are available at some early voting locations, including the East Cobb Government Service Center, by 7 p.m. Friday, the last day of early voting.

Another plaintiff in the lawsuit is the Cobb County Democracy Center, which bills itself as a voter advocacy organization.

The suit sought to extend the deadline for those who haven’t received their ballots to Dec. 9, when military and overseas ballots are due.

The suit also wants to allow those voters who haven’t received the absentee ballots by 2 p.m. Friday to use a federal absentee write-in ballot.

A similar suit in the general election resulted in a consent decree allowing absentee voters extra time to return their ballots. That was after Cobb Elections admitted to a “human error” in delaying the mailing of around 1,000 absentee ballots.

In a release Friday morning, the SPLC, ACLU and Dechert also want Cobb Elections to deliver absentee ballots to homebound voters and for the county to notify voters of the changes.

They say the problems are due to a new state voting law, SB 202, which reduced the time for absentee ballots to be requested and returned from the 2020 elections.

One of the plaintiffs is working out of state is not available to vote in person, according to the lawsuit (you can read it here).

She said she inquired on Tuesday about the status of her ballot, but was told she would have to wait for it to be mailed, vote early or vote in person.

County elections offices have three business days to mail an absentee ballot upon receipt of an application.

Another plaintiff said he requested his ballot on Nov. 16 but received it on Thursday, with the mailing date showing Nov. 26, last Saturday.

That plaintiff, David Medof of East Cobb, said in an affidavit attached to the lawsuit that he’s a student attending college outside the county. He said he does not have a car and is studying for final exams.

Medof said he completed and returned his ballot immediately on Thursday, “but I am still concerned that my ballot will not arrive by 7:00pm on election day in time to be counted.”

The lawsuit also claims that Cobb is slower to process returned absentee ballots, with around 20 percent of those turned in by Nov. 21, compared to nearly 30 percent in Fulton and 27 percent in DeKalb.

After today, the only location to drop off an absentee ballot in person is Tuesday, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., at the Cobb Elections office (995 Roswell St., Marietta).

Those voters casting ballots in person will go their usual precincts, which do not have absentee ballot dropoff availability.

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Early voting lines shrink in East Cobb after as U.S. Senate runoff continues

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Cobb U.S. Senate runoff early voting lines
Nearly 2,500 voted in-person Saturday and Sunday at the East Cobb Government Service Center.

After hours-long waits in weekend early voting in the Georgia U.S. Senate runoff, lines shrank considerably Monday in Cobb County.

Estimated wait-times of two hours and longer were reported at the East Cobb Government Service Center (above) on Saturday and Sunday.

Early voting is continuing there (4400 Lower Roswell Road) and at the Tim D. Lee Senior Center (3332 Sandy Plains Road) from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Friday this week.

Cobb Elections said Monday that turnout countywide was 13,686, with 2,469 turning out at the East Cobb government center.

When we drove by on Saturday afternoon, there also was a bit of a line to find a place to park.

But as the weekday early voting continued Monday afternoon, the East Cobb center was reporting waits of only 15 minutes, and 25 minutes at the Tim D. Lee Center.

(You can view the estimated wait-time map by clicking here; it will be updated periodically each day by poll managers at those locations.)

Other early voting spots had longer times, including two hours at the Ron Anderson Rec Center in Powder Springs and an hour at the Ward Recreation Center in West Cobb.

Turnout is high across the state in the battle between Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker, even though control of the U.S. Senate is no longer being contested.

Democrats will retain a majority with at least 50 votes and the tie-breaking powers of Vice President Kamala Harris.

But more than 180,000 voters around the state cast their ballots over the weekend.

A Fulton County judge last week allowed for Saturday voting, overruling Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

Cobb, which had already called for Sunday voting, added five hours of Saturday voting, one of 13 counties in Georgia to do so. They are all in metro Atlanta.

Voters in Cobb can go to any early voting location in the county to cast their ballots in person. Absentee ballots can be dropped off at the East Cobb center during early voting hours only.

There is no early voting this weekend. On Tuesday, Dec. 6, voters will go to the assigned precincts to vote. Absentee ballots may be dropped off that day only at the main Cobb Elections office (995 Roswell St.) between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

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East Cobb 2022 precinct votes in U.S. Senate, Governor’s races

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East Cobb results 2022 U.S. Senate general election

With early voting starting this weekend and continuing into next week for the Georgia U.S. Senate runoff, we took a deeper look at the general election results in that race as well as the governor’s race in East Cobb precincts.

While some parts of East Cobb have been trending Democratic in some areas over the last three election cycles, the area remains, along with north Cobb, a stronghold for Republican candidates.

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams led a Democratic ticket of statewide candidates who prevailed in Cobb County.

East Cobb votes 2022 U.S. Senate general election
Precincts for Walker in blue, and for Warnock in green. The beige precinct (Fullers Park) ended in a tie. Click here for more precinct details for the U.S. Senate general election results.

But only Warnock is left standing statewide after GOP candidates, including incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp, were victorious in the Nov. 8 general election.

Kemp, who defeated Abrams in a rematch of their bitter 2018 race, finished strong in East Cobb precincts, earning around 60 percent of the vote in a number of them.

But Warnock, who is completing the end of Johnny Isakson’s term in seeking a full-six year term against Republican Herschel Walker, was competitive in many of those same East Cobb precincts.

Walker’s highest percentage in any East Cobb precinct was 53 percent. Much has been made of supposed “split” voters—those voting for both Kemp and Warnock.

A total of 11 of the 48 precincts in our coverage area were won by Kemp and Warnock: Addison, Bells Ferry 2, Bells Ferry 3, Davis, Elizabeth 5, Nicholson, Powers Ferry, Sandy Plains, Sewell Mill 1, Sewell Mill 3, Simpson, Sope Creek 2 and Timber Ridge.

East Cobb votes 2022 governor's general election results
In the governor’s race, precincts for Kemp are in blue and for Abrams are in green. For more details click here.

In some typically strong GOP precincts, Warnock also finished well. He lost by 19 votes in Eastside 2, by 15 votes in Mt. Bethel 3, by 4 votes in Murdock, by 46 votes in Roswell 1, by 20 votes in Roswell 2 and by 47 votes in Sope Creek 1.

The Fullers Park precinct was dead even, with Walker and Warnock each getting 1,212 votes.

An asterisk denotes the precinct winner; the hashtag indicates the tie in Fullers Park.

Abrams Kemp Warnock Walker
Addison 730 854* 830* 709
Bells Ferry 2 786 940* 868* 819
Bells Ferry 3 605 618* 640* 543
Blackwell 830* 755 901* 657
Chattahoochee 1,899* 759 1,996* 606
Chestnut Ridge 847 1,409* 995 1,182*
Davis 627 735* 701* 621
Dickerson 807 1,201* 949 1,001*
Dodgen 608 867* 691 751*
East Piedmont 764* 611 823* 527
Eastside 1 843 1,294* 1,003 1,069*
Eastside 2 1,159 1,666* 1,355 1,374*
Elizabeth 2 611 863* 679 761*
Elizabeth 3 772 1,162* 865 1,021*
Elizabeth 4 839* 655 925* 540
Elizabeth 5 912 1,005* 994* 869
Fullers Park 956 1,343* 1,121# 1,121#
Garrison Mill 818 1,146* 922 1,006*
Gritters 992 1,380* 1,080 1,226*
Hightower 1,194 1,731* 1,352 1,449*
Kell 507 727* 574 615*
Lassiter 955 1,453* 1,097 1,252*
Mabry 409 782* 487 664*
McCleskey 471 766* 552 646*
Marietta 6A 682* 234 701* 206
Marietta 6B 981* 913 1,081* 775
Mt. Bethel 1 1,100 1,782* 1,329 1,450*
Mt. Bethel 3 887 1,305* 1,052 1,067*
Mt. Bethel 4 783 1,272* 919 1,074*
Murdock 1,167 1,639* 1,359 1,363*
Nicholson 630 793* 693* 687
Pope 861 1,212* 971 1,026*
Post Oak 874 1,486* 1,051 1,332*
Powers Ferry 946 998* 1,044* 850
Rocky Mount 887 1,335* 1,015 1,127*
Roswell 1 1,555 2,223* 1,787 1,833*
Roswell 2 1,047 1,576* 1,257 1,277*
Sandy Plains 856 999* 960* 831
Sewell Mill 1 1,014 1,254* 1,171* 1,045
Sewell Mill 3 1,300* 1,084 1,411* 901
Shallowford Falls 953 1,433* 1,116 1,183*
Simpson 510 723* 615* 574
Sope Creek 1 628 930* 732 779*
Sope Creek 2 1,561 1,615* 1,761* 1,338
Sope Creek 3 715 1,169* 832 1,011*
Terrell Mill 1,705* 867 1,796* 712
Timber Ridge 730 1,021* 862* 842
Willeo 812 1,178* 939 1,004*

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Cobb adds Saturday session for U.S. Senate runoff early voting

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Cobb tag offices reopening
The East Cobb Government Service Center will be a polling station for all seven days of early voting for the U.S. Senate runoff.

Following Fulton and DeKalb counties, the Cobb Elections office will offer early voting for the U.S. Senate runoff this coming Saturday.

A court ruling last week allowed county elections offices to hold early voting on Saturday.

A runoff was called for Dec. 6 after neither Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock nor Republican Herschel Walker could get 50 percent plus one vote in the general election.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger initially had prohibited voting on Saturday, as it falls the day after the Thursday-Friday official state holidays for Thanksgiving.

But Warnock’s campaign filed a lawsuit and a Fulton County judge ordered that counties could decide for themselves whether to have voting on Saturday.

Cobb had previously approved Sunday early voting for this coming Sunday, as well as Monday-Friday next week.

This Saturday, voters wishing to cast their ballots in person can do so between 12-5 p.m. at the following locations:

  • Cobb Elections and Registration Main Office, 995 Roswell Street, Marietta
  • North Cobb Senior Center, 3900 S Main Street, Acworth
  • East Cobb Government Center, 4400 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta
  • South Cobb Regional Library, 805 Clay Road, Mableton
  • Boots Ward Recreation Center, 4845 Dallas Highway, Powder Springs

The East Cobb Government Services Center also will have early voting on Sunday from 12-5, and next Monday-Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Absentee ballots can be dropped off at a designated drop box there as well, but only during early voting hours.

The Tim D. Lee Senior Center (3332 Sandy Plains Road) will have early voting from Monday, Nov. 28 through Friday, Dec. 2 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Those voting early in-person can plan ahead by tracking the Cobb GIS estimated wait-time map.

There will be no early voting Dec. 3-5. On Dec. 6, voters who cast ballots in person must go to their regular precincts.

For those requesting absentee ballots, they’re urged to apply immediately. Absentee ballots must be received at the Cobb Elections office (995 Roswell Street) by 7 p.m. on Dec. 6.

For more information on the runoff election, visit the Cobb Elections website.

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Recertified Cobb election results change outcome in Kennesaw race

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The Cobb Board of Elections and Registration recertified general election results on Friday to include data from a memory card that was not uploaded earlier in the week.Cobb election results recertified

In a 2-1 vote (with two members absent), the board included accepting 789 additional votes from the memory card.

The board voted Tuesday to certify elections results from Nov. 8. But the latest error involving Cobb Elections during the general election cycle changed the outcome of a Kennesaw City Council election.

Madelyn Orochena, who had been initially been certified as the winner of that race, instead finished 31 votes behind Lynette Burnett in a special election.

At the start of Friday’s special-called meeting, Orochena said that “due to gross incompetence, lack of transparency and communication, I am left with no choice but to doubt this election.”

Later, she said, “apologies, however sincere, are not good enough.”

A special recount has been called for Sunday in that race since the final vote margin is within the 0.5 percent threshold allowed under Georgia law.

The Georgia Secretary of State’s office is expected to certify all county election results on Monday.

No other races were affected by the additional votes from the previously uncounted memory card, Cobb Elections director Janine Eveler said.

Elections board chairwoman Tori Silas said the board was told on Wednesday about the issue with the uncounted memory card. The error was detected when elections officials were preparing an audit.

Cobb Elections failed to mail out around 1,000 requested absentee ballots days before the Nov. 8 general election, and a Cobb Superior Court judge issued a consent decree to extend the deadline for returning them to this past Monday.

Eveler called that a “human error,” and it’s unclear how many of those voters weren’t able to get their ballots returned in time.

During early voting, some voters in East Cobb were mistakenly assigned to Post 4 in a Cobb Board of Education election when they in fact live in Post 5.

A total of 112 incorrect votes were cast, but Post 4 incumbent David Chastain comfortably won re-election.

Eveler has cited high turnover on her senior staff for some of the errors, as well as expanded early voting dates and locations.

Six days of early voting in the U.S. Senate runoff begin on Sunday, Nov. 27, at 12 locations in the county.

Cobb Elections could add Saturday voting after a judge’s ruling on Friday.

The runoff will be decided on Tuesday, Dec. 6 with voters going to their normal precincts to choose between Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker.

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Cobb early voting schedule released for U.S. Senate runoff

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Cobb early voting U.S. Senate runoff
For a larger view, click here.

There will be six days of early voting in Cobb County for the U.S. Senate runoff election.

A runoff was declared for Dec. 6 after neither Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock nor Republican Herschel Walker could get 50 percent plus one vote in the general election.

There are 12 early voting locations for the runoff, including the East Cobb Government Service Center (4400 Lower Roswell Road) and the Tim D. Lee Center (3332 Sandy Plains Road).

At the East Cobb center, there will be early voting on Sunday, Nov. 27 from 12-5 p.m. and from Monday, Nov. 28 through Friday, Dec. 2 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. There also is an absentee ballot drop box inside the polling station that will be open during early voting hours.

Early voting at the Tim D. Lee center will be Monday, Nov. 28 through Friday, Dec. 2 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Those voting early in-person can plan ahead by tracking the Cobb GIS estimated wait-time map.

There will be no early voting Dec. 3-5. On Dec. 6, voters who cast ballots in-person must go to their regular precincts.

For those requesting absentee ballots, they’re urged to apply immediately. Absentee ballots must be received at the Cobb Elections office (995 Roswell Street) by 7 p.m. on Dec. 6.

Those who cast absentee ballots can monitor the progress of their ballot at the Georgia Secretary of State’s BallotTrax feature.

There will be a special-called meeting of the Cobb Board of Elections and Registration on Friday to re-certify the general election results.

The five-member board certified the election on Monday, but on Wednesday said re-certification is necessary becuase it was discovered that a memory card had not been uploaded.

The meeting takes place at 2 p.m. at the Cobb Elections office.

For more information on the runoff election, visit the Cobb Elections website.

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Cobb schools to have ‘virtual learning’ on U.S. Senate runoff day

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Cobb virtual learning day, Eastvalley ES
Eastvalley ES in East Cobb is one of 17 schools in the Cobb school district still being used as a voting precinct.

The Cobb County School District announced Friday there will be what it’s calling “a virtual learning day” on Tuesday, Dec. 6, the date of the Georgia U.S. Senate runoff.

A release by the district said that because some school facilities will be in use for the election, that day will be an “asynchronous virtual learning day for all students. Students will work independently, at home, and teachers will have reviewed expectations with students the previous school day. There will not be required, live, virtual sessions.”

The Cobb school district uses a proprietary digital learning platform called the Cobb Teaching and Learning System.

The runoff was declared after neither Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock nor his Republican opponent, former UGA football star Herschel Walker, failed to get a majority of the vote in Tuesday’s general election (results here).

Schools are traditionally closed for the primary and general elections. Warnock and fellow Democrat Jon Ossoff won U.S. Senate runoffs on Jan. 5, 2021, but that was during a school holiday break.

The Cobb school district has 112 school campuses, and 17 of them are voting precincts. They include Kell High School, Shallowford Falls Elementary School, Sope Creek Elementary School and Eastvalley Elementary School in East Cobb.

“As was the case on Election Day, this run-off election also impacts the entire county, not just a few schools,” a district spokeswoman said. “We are confident this is the safest decision for all students who have access to standards aligned content and a high quality platform, CTLS.”

In recent election cycles Cobb Elections has moved voting precincts away from schools at the request of the Cobb and Marietta districts for access, security and scheduling issues.

In 2020, 15 precincts in East Cobb that had been at schools were relocated to community and senior centers, houses of worship and other facilities.

Those schools were Lassiter and Pope high schools; Daniell, Dickerson, Dodgen, Hightower Trail, McCleskey and Simpson middle schools; and Addison, Blackwell, Davis, Kincaid, Garrison Mill and Nicholson elementary schools.

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Two Democrats elected to open East Cobb legislative seats

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Jason Esteves, State Sen.-elect
Jason Esteves

All incumbent legislators with East Cobb districts won re-election on Tuesday, including five Republicans and a Democrat.

The two open seats were won by Democrats, one in each chamber.

Current Atlanta school board member Jason Esteves defeated Republican Fred Glass to win State Senate District 6, which includes some of East Cobb and Buckhead (see map).

Esteves got 56 percent of the vote (results here) in a seat that was vacated by Jen Jordan, who lost her bid for Attorney General on Tuesday.

Glass won several East Cobb precincts, including Eastside 1 and 2, Mt. Bethel 3 and 4 and Sope Creek 1, 2 and 3.

Esteves said he is resigning his seat on the Atlanta school board on Dec. 31.

Since 1997, House District 43 has been represented by Republican Sharon Cooper, the House Health and Human Services Committee chairwoman.

Georgia Senate districts in Cobb. For a larger view, click here.

But after narrowly defeating Democrat Luisa Wakeman in 2018 and 2020, Cooper was redrawn into District 45.

She easily won another term over Democrat Dustin McCormick (results here), getting nearly 59 percent of the vote in a district formerly held by Matt Dollar.

The new District 43 was won by Democrat Solomon Adesanya, a restaurant owner, over Republican Anna Tillman (results here). He got more than 56 percent of the vote in a district that includes areas around Wheeler High School and parts of the city of Marietta.

Democratic Rep. Mary Frances Williams was re-elected in District 37, as she defeated Republican Tess Redding with 57 percent of the vote (results here).

East Cobb 2022 legislative elections, Solomon Adesanya
Solomon Adesanya

Esteves, Adesanya and Williams will be part of a Democratic majority of the Cobb legislative delegation.

But Republicans lost only a few seats statewide as they continue to control both houses of the legislature.

GOP Rep. Don Parsons in House District 44 (results here) and Republican Rep. John Carson in District 46 (results here) were easily re-elected on Tuesday.

Georgia House districts in Cobb. For a larger view click here.

So were Republican senators Kay Kirkpatrick and John Albers.

Kirkpatrick won a third full term in District 32, which now includes some of Woodstock and Cherokee. She got more than 61 percent of the vote (results here).

District 56 was redrawn to include much of the Johnson Ferry Road corridor in East Cobb. Albers, a Republican from Roswell, also won with more than 61 percent of the vote (results here).

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Mableton cityhood referendum passes after 3 others failed

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East Cobb cityhood
Mableton cityood leaders Tre’ Hutchins and Galt Porter spoke at an East Cobb cityhood town hall meeting at Walton High School in early 2019.

The last of four Cobb cityhood bills to pass the Georgia legislature this year was the only referendum approved by voters.

After cityhood bills failed in May in East Cobb, Lost Mountain and Vinings, a majority of voters in the proposed city of Mableton voted to create a new municipality on Tuesday.

It will the first new city in Cobb in more than 100 years and also the county’s largest city, with around 77,000 residents.

Voters approved the measure 53-47 percent (full results here), and by about 1,487 votes.

The reason the Mableton referendum didn’t get on the May ballot is because the bill took longer to make its way through the legislature.

The three failed Cobb cityhood referendums were pushed through in quick order by Republican lawmakers who wanted to accelerate the referendum date to May 24, the date of the Georgia primaries.

But that’s not the only different set of circumstances separating the Mableton cityhood effort from the others.

The South Cobb Alliance, created to support cityhood, began holding town hall meetings and other community events in 2015. Its leaders, unlike organizers in East Cobb, weren’t reluctant to be in the spotlight.

Mableton cityhood referendum passes
For a larger view of the Mableton city map, click here.

Also unlike East Cobb, Mableton cityhood leaders weren’t proposing expensive public safety services.

They included Galt Porter, at the time a member of the Cobb Planning Commission, and Tre’ Hutchins, who’s now a member of the Cobb Board of Education.

In early 2019, they were invited to speak at an East Cobb cityhood town hall meeting at Walton High School, and extolled the benefits of more local control.

Their message was that their area wasn’t getting proper services from Cobb County government, especially development.

The proposed services in Mableton are planning and zoning, code enforcement and sanitation.

The East Cobb and Mableton cityhood groups revived their efforts in 2021, and vocal opposition arose in those communities, as well as in Lost Mountain and Vinings.

Cobb government officials also held town halls in all four communities, insisting they were impartial, but drawing objections from pro-cityhood groups.

The Preserve South Cobb group, which opposes Mableton cityhood, says it may be pursuing a deannexation process in precincts of the new city in which 70 percent or more voted against the referendum.

A full transition to cityhood will take two years, with Gov. Brian Kemp appointing a transition committee to get the process started. Mableton will have a mayor selected at-large and six city council members elected by districts (see map).

Those elections will start next March, and they will be non-partisan.

Mableton was a city from 1912 to 1916, then became unincorporated after flood damage was too cost prohibitive in the city’s budget. No other cities in Cobb have been created since.

More on Mableton’s next steps from the Cobb County Courier.

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East Cobb Votes: Birrell, Chastain re-elected in county races

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Birrell, Chastain re-elected

UPDATED, 12 A.M.

The Cobb Board of Education will remain in Republican control after Post 4 incumbent David Chastain won a third term on Tuesday.

And Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell, seeking her fourth term, ensured that Republicans would hold two of the five seats on the board with an easy re-election victory in District 3.

Gov. Brian Kemp was re-elected in a 2018 rematch with Stacey Abrams, and the U.S. Senate race appears headed to a runoff.

In the Cobb school board race, Chastain fended off Democratic newcomer Catherine Pozniak in a heated Post 4 campaign (Kell, Lassiter, Sprayberry clusters).

With all but one of the post’s 29 precincts reporting, Chastain received 21,061 votes, or 55.29 percent, to 17,034 for Pozniak, or 44.71 percent (results here).

Chastain was the only Republican on the school board up for re-election. Democrats won contests for open seats in Post 2 and Post 6, meaning that the GOP will continue to hold a 4-3 advantage for at least another two years.

Birrell had little trouble against Democrat Christine Triebsch in a newly redrawn district that includes most of East Cobb.

With all but two of 52 precincts reporting, Birrell received 46,019 votes, or 59 percent, to 31,921 votes for Triebsch, or 42 percent (results here).

Keli Gambrill, the other Republican Cobb commissioner, won a second term Tuesday after being unopposed in Post 1 in north and west Cobb.

You can find all Cobb results, including Cobb solicitor, another contested school board race and the Mableton cityhood referendum, at this link.

You also can track all results around the state compiled by the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office by clicking here.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock is neck-and neck with Republican Herschel Walker in a bid for a full 6-year term. With 90 percent of the vote in, Warnock had 49.07 percent of the vote compared to 48.92 percent for Walker in results that went back-and-forth all night.

Libertarian Chase Oliver has received 2 percent, and a Dec. 6 runoff looms between Walker and Warnock if the top vote-getter does not get 50 percent plus one vote. (updated real-time results here).

Kemp defeated Democrat Stacey Abrams in their rematch from 2018, holding a 55-44 percent advantage. Unlike four years ago, Abrams conceded this race.

Republicans swept all statewide constitutional offices (click here for results), including incumbents in Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Attorney General Chris Carr.

In U.S. House races, Republican Rich McCormick cruised over Democrat Bob Christian in the 6th Congressional District, an open seat after U.S. Lucy McBath moved to the 7th District following reapportionment.

She won a third term in the Gwinnett-based district Tuesday, and in District 11, which includes some of East Cobb, GOP U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk won easily over Democrat Anthony Daza.

Democrats won two open seats in the Georgia legislature from the East Cobb area, one each in the House and Senate.

More updated and detailed results to come Wednesday and later in the week.

UPDATED, 10:30 P.M.

Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell leads by 17 points in her re-election bid in District 3 with 82 percent of precincts reporting;

Cobb school board member David Chastain leads with 54.7 percent of the vote and 80 percent of precincts reporting in Post 4.

UPDATED, 9:25 P.M.

Some very early election-day voting results are trickling in for the two East Cobb local elections we’re tracking.

With 33 percent of the precincts reporting, Republican incumbent JoAnn Birrell has opened a 13-point lead over Democrat Christine Triebsch for the  seat on the Cobb Board of Commissioners.

The Cobb Board of Education Post 4 race was neck-and-neck early, and with 37 percent of the precincts reporting, Republican David Chastain leads Democrat Catherine Pozniak 52.5 percent to 47.4 percent.

ORIGINAL REPORT:

The polls have closed in Georgia, and the counting has begun for the 2022 general elections.

East Cobb News will continuously update this post all evening with results, reaction and more coverage.

(Here’s our election day set-up post that breaks down key races and candidates at the local, state and federal level.

Typically early voting and absentee figures are tallied first, followed by same-day voting results and more recent absentee votes.

Earlier absentee ballots are expected to be counted rather quickly, as they have been processed to prepare for tabulation when the polls close.

While we await full results, we’ll post early voting and absentee figures as they are revealed.

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