Atlanta Mayor Election Results: What Happens Next?

ATLANTA, GA — It had to feel eerily familiar for Mary Norwood. Eight years after the independent Atlanta city councilwoman lost her race to now-Mayor Kasim Reed by 714 votes, she was bested Tuesday by fellow council member Keisha Lance Bottoms, a protege' of Reed's, by an almost identical margin — 759 votes.

Now, Norwood is calling for a recount of the unofficial vote tally in the ultra-tight contest. "It's not over yet" Norwood said at a gathering of supporters shortly after midnight Wednesday morning.

So, what happens now? First, election officials must certify the race results in Fulton County and a small chunk of Atlanta precincts in DeKalb. That will take place in the next couple of days, said Fulton County spokeswoman April Majors.

Under state law, a candidate may request a recount if less than 1 percent of votes separates that candidate from the winner. With 95,886 ballots cast Tuesday, the 759-vote difference between Bottoms and Norwood falls well within that margin.

Late Tuesday, Norwood was waiting on absentee ballots from military members which had yet been counted, as well as votes from a handful of new precincts just across the DeKalb County line. Provisional ballots — mostly those cast by people who didn't have photo ID and need their identity verified — also were yet to be counted.

"I’ve done this before," Norwood said at her rally, referring to her 2009 contest with Reed, which also ended with a recount. "The next few days are going to be all-hands-on-deck, and all analysis will be done. We are two days away from knowing."

The provisional and military absentee ballots are expected to be counted by Thursday and the recount is expected to be conducted Saturday, Majors said.

If she holds onto her lead, Bottoms, 47, would become the city's second female mayor. She would also keep alive a streak of black leadership in the state capitol, which hasn't had a white mayor since 1974.

Racial undertones certainly crept into the race, despite support for Norwood by figures including former Mayor Shirley Jackson and election opponents like City Councilman Caesar Mitchell and state Sen. Vincent Fort, all of whom are black.

Despite describing herself as a progressive-minded independent who has voted for Democrats, Bottoms' campaign cast her as "Mary the Republican" and linked her to President Donald Trump. There were, in fact, multiple state Republican elected officials and campaign staffers spotted at Norwood's party Tuesday night.

In the end, Norwood tallied well in Republican-heavy areas like Buckhead, but underperformed expectations in more liberal but largely white neighborhoods like Midtown, East Atlanta and the Old Fourth Ward. Bottoms, meanwhile, piled up big numbers in mostly-black south Atlanta and, at least as of now, did well enough in those other areas to hold on to a slim lead.

At her victory rally, Bottoms told the crowd that her campaign shows "that dreams do come true. ... For those that did not support me, I look forward to working with you as well because this is still a city for all of us."
Norwood has canceled all appearances for Wednesday to wait for the recount, the AJC reports.

Photos: In a Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017 file photo, Atlanta mayoral candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms talks to the press after voting at a polling site in Atlanta. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File). Norwood photo courtesy Norwood for Mayor.