Polls closed Tuesday night across Georgia as voters decided dozens of municipal runoff races that will set the direction for several metro cities heading into 2026.
Turnout was focused in Fulton County, where Atlanta, Sandy Springs, Roswell, East Point and South Fulton all held runoff contests for mayor, city council and school board seats. Several smaller cities across the state also held runoff elections and special contests.
Early returns began posting shortly after 7 p.m., with most races showing zero precincts reporting as votes started to be counted.
Here are the latest results:
Several metro Atlanta races advanced to Tuesday’s runoff after no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote in the November election. Several of the Atlanta City Council contests drew multiple candidates and split the vote, including District 7 where Thomas Worthy and Thad Flowers finished as the top two but neither secured a majority. District 11 voters saw a similar outcome when Wayne Martin and Nate Jester advanced after a crowded field prevented either from winning outright.
SEE RESULTS FROM NOVEMBER’S ELECTION
Runoffs were also triggered in several Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education races. FOX 5 Atlanta previously reported that Districts 2 and 6, along with the District 8 at-large seat, all moved forward because no candidate cleared the majority threshold. In District 6, incumbent Tolton Pace and challenger Patreece Hutcherson finished close enough to force an additional round of voting, while the District 2 and at-large races each left two finalists to compete in the runoff.
The race for mayor of South Fulton was one of the most watched contests heading into the runoff. The nine-candidate field made it mathematically unlikely for anyone to reach a majority in November. Carmalitha Gumbs finished first and former mayor Mark Baker placed second, sending both into the runoff after incumbent Khalid Kamau fell behind.
In East Point, FOX 5 previously reported that voters narrowed the four-candidate mayoral race to Joshua B. Butler IV and Keisha Chapman after neither secured enough support to win outright. Roswell voters also returned to the polls after no candidate reached a majority in the initial three-way race, leaving Mary Robichaux and the incumbent to compete in the runoff. Sandy Springs voters saw a similar scenario when longtime mayor Rusty Paul and challenger Dontaye Carter advanced after a split field prevented either from earning more than half of the vote.
Additional city council races in South Fulton and Sandy Springs are also headed to runoffs, with each of those contests including more than two candidates on the November ballot. With so many local offices left undecided, Tuesday’s runoff marked the final opportunity for voters to cement new leadership before the 2026 election cycle begins.
