Qualifying for two vacant commissioner seats begins in April

The qualifying period is quickly approaching for two county commissioner seats that will be decided in the upcoming Nov. 5 General Election.

At their March 18 meeting, the Board of Registration and Elections (BRE) unanimously voted to fill County Commission District 3 and Super Commission District 7 seats through a special election. Qualifying for the special election will be held April 1 – 5, stated officials.

The BRE’s vote comes after Commissioners Steve Bradshaw, Lorraine Cochran-Johnson, and Larry Johnson each qualified to become the next CEO of DeKalb County. Whoever wins will take the helm from Michael Thurmond, who has served as CEO since 2016. Each candidate has experience in local government – Bradshaw has served as a commissioner since 2016; Cochran-Johnson has served as a commissioner since 2019; and Larry Johnson has served as a commissioner since 2002.

While Bradshaw’s seat was up during this year’s election cycle, Cochran-Johnson and Johnson’s seats were not, triggering the need for a special election, said BRE officials.

According to a document presented at the BRE’s March 18 meeting, the preparation for the special election will be a challenge.

In a section of the document titled Commissioner Vacancies Separate and Apart, BRE officials included a section of a Georgia code about special elections, which reads, in part, “Special primaries and special elections which are to be held in conjunction with the presidential preference primary, a state-wide general primary, or state-wide general election shall be called at least 90 days prior to the date of such presidential preference primary, state-wide general primary, or state-wide general election; provided, however, that this requirement shall not apply to special primaries and special elections held on the same date as such presidential preference primary, statewide general primary, or state-wide general election but conducted completely separate and apart from such state-wide general primary or state-wide general election using different ballots or voting equipment, facilities, poll workers, and paperwork.”

Some attendees at the March 18 meeting expressed frustration that the County Commission District 3 and Super Commission District 7 seats will be vacant until the election in November.

“We don’t deserve to wait until November, tell the DeKalb County Board of Registration and Elections to put these races on the May 21 ballot,” said Kimberly Scott. “It is not in conflict with Georgia State law.”

But, at the meeting, BRE Executive Director Keisha Smith said holding an earlier, separate special election to fill those now two vacant commissioner seats would be too challenging and costly. More than $1.5 million would be needed for the special election, as well as 390 new poll workers and educational materials printed and distributed in multiple languages, said Smith.

For more information on qualifying, voting and elections, visit https://www.dekalbcountyga.gov/voter-registration-elections/general-election-information.