Unofficial Results: Spears leads field in DeKalb Commission District 2 Race
Michelle Long Spears (FOX 5)
DECATUR, Ga. - After days of a hand recount in the District 2 County Commission race, DeKalb County elections officials announced Wednesday night that the candidate whose complaints sparked the recount received the most votes.
According to the preliminary and unofficial vote totals announced by the DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections office, Michelle Long Spears received 6,651 votes.
Following her is Lauren Alexander with 4,737 votes, Marshall Orson with 3,928 votes, and Donald Broussard with 133 votes.
Broussard officially withdrew from the race prior to the May 24th Democratic primary.
Spears complained about the initial results the morning after last week’s primary after the poll tape posted outside of one precinct showed she didn’t receive a single vote.
A look at the sample ballot in DeKalb County Commissioner District 2 primary held on May 24, 2022. (DeKalb County Elections)
Spears said she then went to multiple precincts around the district and discovered the same thing--while the poll tapes showed votes for Alexander, Orson, and Broussard, they all listed zeros next to her name.
"All I have to say is my husband and I voted at the precinct for myself and when I showed up and it showed zero votes from myself, that was rather alarming," Spears told FOX 5’s Claire Simms earlier in the week.
Spears notified DeKalb County officials who believe Broussard’s withdrawal from the race triggered some sort of electronic tabulation issue.
Keisha Smith, DeKalb's elections director, decided Saturday to count the ballots by hand after discovery of the issue.
The initials primary results released May 25 showed Alexander with 34.67% of the vote, Orson with 41.35% and Spears with 23.98%.
Since none of the candidates met the 50% threshold, the race will likely head to a runoff between the two candidates who received the most votes.
Workers count ballots by hand in DeKalb County Commissioner District 2 primary race. (FOX 5)
According to a news release, DeKalb County elections officials have e-mailed the preliminary tabulations from the hand count to the candidates and will upload the numbers to the State’s election system.
Finals results are being tabulated, and will be announced when the process is completed.
DeKalb’s DeKalb Board of Registration and Election will hold a specially called meeting on Friday at 5 p.m. to consider certifying the May 24th election results.
"The goal of the hand count was to obtain accurate results of the County Commission District 2 race, and I am confident we have achieved that objective thanks in part to the diligence of our staff who worked extended hours across the holiday weekend," Smith said in a news release. "We are committed to getting these tabulations right, but wanted to ensure that preliminary and unofficial results were posted as soon as practicable."
More complete election results will be posted on DeKalbVotes.com page under the "Election Results" tab.