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VERIFY: No, most Georgia city elections are not partisan

After talk on social media said the state was flipped blue, we set out to verify

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — After last week's Georgia city runoffs, some people on social media and political activists claimed victory for the state's Democrats. One example is Larhonda Patrick's victory in the Warner Robins' mayoral race over Randy Toms.

Georgia Democrats claimed the victories keep coming for the party.

After last week's runoff election, the total number of seats flipped by Democrats across Georgia rose to 48, including the first woman and Black person elected as mayor of Warner Robins, but if you voted in that race, you didn't see any D or R next to the candidates’ names.

"For the most part, across Georgia, mayoral elections are nonpartisan. I think there are a few cities across the state that may have partisan elections, but the vast majority mayor elections are not partisan," Andy Holland with the Houston County Board of Elections said. 

Holland says the party affiliations for city candidates aren’t even placed on the ballot.

"You do not declare a party when you are qualifying to run for office and there is not a party listed by your name on the ballot, not for mayor elections," he said. 

In fact, voters in Georgia, unlike most states, don't have to declare as a Democrat, Republican, or some other party when they register. Jeanetta Watson with the Bibb County Board of Elections says some local elections can be partisan.

"There are counties where the mayors do still run by partisan. They’re still Democrat or Republican, and -- get this, too -- even though Bibb County is nonpartisan for that particular race, it still doesn’t mean that they can’t campaign that way -- they can,” Watson said.

So, no, mayoral elections in Warner Robins, Macon-Bibb, and most other Georgia cities are not partisan.

 

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