Bond Wins In Atlanta City Council Race Recount
A recount has solidified incumbent Michael Julian Bond’s win in the Atlanta City Council Post 1 race.
Fulton and DeKalb counties’ election officials started a recount Friday afternoon, several hours after they had originally planned.
Earlier in the week, Courtney English, who chairs the Atlanta Board of Education, called for a recount in the race. He lost to Bond by 375 votes, which is in the margin to request a recount, during the Nov. 7 election.
But English tried to withdraw that request Thursday. Since there were 422 write-in votes, it kept either candidate on the ballot from getting 50 percent of the vote. By state law, a runoff is required if no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote.
Robert Highsmith, who is Bond’s attorney, said the write-in votes didn’t count because there was no third, certified candidate.
The write-ins weren’t included in the recount.