Local elections that take place without federal or state contests on the ballot rarely attract large numbers of voters, a political science professor at Emory University said. But next week, residents will have opportunities to hear directly from runoff candidates in races spanning Atlanta, South Fulton and Sandy Springs, as contenders participate in candidate forums ahead of the Dec. 2 election.
On Tuesday, a candidate forum will be held from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Ivy Community Center, 3850 Stone Road S.W. in Atlanta. The event is presented by Concerned Citizens Taking Pride in the Southwest Side, in partnership with Georgia Stand-Up and the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda. Broadcast journalist Monica Kaufman Pearson will moderate and share questions from the community.
The event is divided into segments featuring candidates in Atlanta Public School Board, Atlanta City Council, and South Fulton City Council and mayoral races.
The following candidates are scheduled to appear; however, South Fulton Councilman Jaceey Sebastian had not confirmed, said Thelesia Lowery-Barksdale, founder of Concerned Citizens Taking Pride in the Southwest Side.
Atlanta Board of Education – District 8 At-Large
- Kaycee Brock
- Royce Mann
Atlanta Board of Education – District 2
- Marlissa Crawford
- Tony Mitchell
Atlanta Board of Education – District 6
- Tolton R. Pace
- Patreece Hutcherson
Atlanta City Council – District 7
- Thomas Worthy
- Thad Flowers
Atlanta City Council – District 11
- Wayne Martin
- Nate Jester
City of South Fulton – City Council District 2
- Aaron Johnson
- Stephanie G. Johnson
City of South Fulton – City Council District 4
- Councilman Jaceey Sebastian
- Kenya Jordan
City of South Fulton – Mayor
- Councilwoman Carmalitha Gumbs
- Mark Baker
Sandy Springs Virtual Forum
On Thursday, Nov. 20, runoff candidates in Sandy Springs will appear in a virtual forum hosted by Rough Draft at 3 p.m.
Sandy Springs City Council – District 4 (20-minute segment)
- Michelle Sullivan
- Frank Roberts
Sandy Springs Mayor (30-minute segment)
- Mayor Rusty Paul
- Dontaye Carter
Voter Turnout
Early voting for the runoff election is Nov. 22 to Nov. 26. Turnout in this year’s general election reached 31 percent in Fulton County, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. But participation dipped in some cities such as Sandy Springs where only 27 percent of registered voters cast ballots in the mayoral race.
Zachary Peskowitz, a political science professor at Emory University, said turnout in off-year elections commonly hovers around 20 percent or lower. With relatively few voters participating, he said, small groups can significantly influence outcomes.
“These local elections, because [they have such] low turnout, pretty small groups of voters can really swing things, because most people are staying home,” Peskowitz said. “It’s hard often to draw strong conclusions about what messages are most effective… because results are very idiosyncratic and noisy depending on who turns out.”
