Turnout was low during the three-week early voting period in the new city of Mableton, where residents are electing their first mayor and council.
In total, 2,518 people voted early in person in the March special election and 112 returned absentee ballots so far, according to unofficial results from the elections department.
In comparison, over 18,500 people voted early in person at the two advanced voting locations in Mableton during the November election; turnout in general elections is typically much higher than in special elections.
Residents will elect one council member for each of the six districts and one mayor elected citywide.
Credit: Cobb County
Credit: Cobb County
The city’s first mayor and council will be responsible for establishing the municipal government, creating a budget and determining what services the city will provide. During the roughly two-year transition period, city leaders will work together with the county to establish service provision and other governing essentials.
For more information on Mableton elections, to see a sample ballot and find polling locations, go to www.cobbcounty.org/mableton.
The Cobb County Elections Department sent 53,041 letters to active and inactive voters in Mableton to inform them that they live within the city’s boundaries and where to find their polling location. The letter did not explicitly mention that municipal elections are ongoing.
While residents consider who those first leaders will be, one group of residents has been pushing state lawmakers to remove them from the city completely, citing concerns over how the cityhood movement was conducted.
At the same time, they are supporting a slate of candidates in six of the seven elected offices, meaning those backed by the de-annexation movement could potentially form a majority on the council.
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