DeKalb County was nearing completion of its recount efforts Tuesday afternoon.
A spokesman said workers were essentially done with tabulations for the recount, which was requested two weekends ago by the campaign of outgoing President Donald Trump. A review panel, however, was still working through about 1,600 write-in ballots.
“It’s taking some unexpected time for these reviews but we will meet the state’s deadline and still finish ahead of schedule,” spokesman Erik Burton said.
About 373,000 DeKalb County voters cast ballots in the Nov. 3 election. The Georgia Secretary of State’s Office has set a deadline of 11:59 p.m. Wednesday for counties to complete their recounts, which come on the heels of an earlier manual audit of the presidential race.
The latest effort was not expected to impact the outcome of the presidential race in Georgia, which Democrat Joe Biden won by about 12,000 votes.
While the recount was being wrapped up Tuesday, DeKalb was also conducting an election. Voters in parts of DeKalb, Fulton and Clayton counties were headed to the polls to decide the runoff in a special election to fill the final few weeks of late U.S. Rep. John Lewis’ final term in Congress.
The winner between former Atlanta city councilman Kwanza Hall and former Morehouse president Robert Franklin will serve only until the next full-term representative from Congressional District 5 — state Sen. Nikema Williams — is sworn in next month.
Voters in the city of Doraville were also weighing in on a runoff for a city council seat.
DeKalb spokesman Erik Burton said the county had “an issue-free opening” to the election Tuesday morning.
