Voters in some southern parts of Brookhaven and Buckhead return to the polls Tuesday, Dec. 1 to choose a new state senator and decide who will briefly hold a U.S. Congressional seat.
5th Congressional District
The 5th Congressional District, which includes parts of Brookhaven and Buckhead, came open in July with the death of incumbent U.S. Rep. John Lewis. Nikema Williams is the long-term representative-elect for that seat after winning the Nov. 3 general election. She will take office in January.
But voters also must choose a temporary representative to serve for the remainder of Lewis’s current term — which will only be about six weeks. In the Dec. 1 runoff, voters will decide whether that short-term representative will be former Morehouse College President Robert Franklin or former Atlanta City Councilmember Kwanza Hall.
Senate District 39
Williams previously held the District 39 state Senate seat, which also includes part of southern Buckhead. Williams left that seat to make her run for Congress, triggering a special Democratic primary to replace her.
Sonya Halpern and Linda Pritchett were the top finishers in a four-way race for the seat Nov. 3. In the Dec. 1 runoff, voters will choose one of them to be the next state senator.
The state Senate race is a separate election from the 5th Congressional District election. Voters will have to specifically request the ballots for each race and vote in them separately, but that can be done the same day at the same polling place.
For polling places and other information, see the Georgia Secretary of State’s “My Voter” webpage.