Election Day 2021: Atlanta mayoral candidates make final push

ATLANTA — Atlanta voters will go to the polls Tuesday to select the new mayor, but with 14 candidates on the ballot, a runoff is all but assured.

Channel 2 Action News caught up with some of the candidates Monday to talk about the campaign and the election.

Atlanta city council president Felicia Moore said she plans to vote early then hit the campaign trail.

[REAL-TIME RESULTS: Georgia 2021 Election Results]

We’ll have LIVE coverage throughout Election Day and the latest results, on Channel 2 Action News

“I’m feeling good, energized and very optimistic,” Moore said. “We are doing today what we’re going to do tomorrow, which is getting out, reaching every part of this city, encouraging people to go to the polls and vote.”

Former Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed said he believes his experience will convince Atlantans to vote for him.

RELATED LINKS:

• Atlanta Mayoral Race: What to know, where to vote, what to bring on Election Day in Georgia
• What you need to bring with you to vote in Georgia
• How Do I Vote by Absentee Ballot in Georgia?

“I may not be the person you want to share a beer with,” Reed said. “But I’m the person to get you home to be with the person you want to have a beer with. That’s the job of being mayor.”

City council member Andre Dickens said they plan to keep campaigning until the polls close.

“All day tomorrow, we’re going to be standing on corners, holding signs, going everywhere we can to make sure that the people of Atlanta are reminded who to vote for,” said Dickens.

Over the weekend, city council member Antonio Brown told newsmakers on YouTube why he thought he would win the election.

“Folks are not inspired by anyone,” Brown said. “They’re tired of hearing politicians say all the right things but never deliver on the promises they make.”

If no candidate gets above 50% of the vote, the top two will square off in a runoff at the end of this month.

CHECK YOUR POLLING PLACE

Unlike early voting, Georgia voters MUST go to their assigned polling location on Election Day. You can locate your polling locations on the Secretary of State’s My Voter Page.

On Election Day, polling stations open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.

The polls offer audio ballots for voters who are blind or have low vision and booths for voters in wheelchairs. If you need help with your ballot, you can ask a family member or friend to come with you to the polls and fill the ballot in with your choices.

WHAT TO BRING WITH YOU

You will need to show photo ID to vote in Georgia. Acceptable forms include:

• any valid state or federal government issued photo ID, including a free ID card issued by your county registrar’s office or the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS); Georgia driver’s license, even if expired; valid employee photo ID from any branch, department, agency, or entity of the US Government, Georgia, or any county, municipality, board, authority or other entity of this state; valid US passport ID; valid US military photo ID; student photo ID card issued by a Georgia public college, university, or technical school; or a valid tribal photo ID.

Voters without ID: If you are unable to provide ID, you will be able to vote a provisional ballot. If you are a first-time voter, you will need to provide a copy of your ID within three days after the election to your County Board of Elections and Registration.

As long as you do so, your provisional ballot will be counted, as long as you are otherwise eligible to vote.

WHAT YOU CAN’T BRING

Georgia state law bans campaigning within 150 feet of a polling place. That includes clothing that supports a political candidate. If you are wearing clothing with a candidates name or slogan on it, you could be turned away.

RELATED NEWS:

41% of voters still undecided as Moore maintains slight lead in Atlanta mayor’s race, poll shows But Moore’s victory is still within the margin of error, making the race a statistical tie.

©2021 Cox Media Group