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Votes to be certified Monday, BOE says
ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) – The Dougherty County Board of Elections (BOE) released updated special election results that say Willie Weaver is expected to be the next Albany City Ward 2 Commissioner.
The updated report showed that Weaver got 322 of 640 votes, putting him at 50.31%. The other candidates, Henry Mathis and Maurlean Edwards got 38.91% and 10.78% of the vote, respectively.
Based on the original results report from the DOCO Board of Elections, WALB reported on June 17 that the Albany Ward 2 election would go to a runoff election set for July 15. In the updated report, the BOE said that they do not believe the election will go to a runoff. They added that these results are not yet official. DOCO Elections Supervisor Ginger Nickerson confirmed that the results will be certified Monday, June 23 at 4 p.m.
Currently, it appears there will not be a runoff for the Ward 2 race. The election results will be made official upon certification by the Board of Elections.Kameika Johnson, Dougherty County Board of Elections Assistant Supervisor
Elections officials said that the updated percentages account for nine ballots that were deemed invalid — either because they were blank or votes for unapproved write-in candidates. Nickerson said that this is a testament that every vote counts.
Before running for Albany City Commissioner, Willie Weaver worked as an attorney for over 30 years. He also spent more than 20 years as a municipal court judge.
Weaver said that his first priority as commissioner would be to deal with the weatherization of houses and affordable housing around the city. He also said he wants to lower the cost of utilities and bring more technology to local law enforcement.
Before Election Day on June 17, former Ward 2 Commissioner Jalen Johnson voiced his support for Weaver, saying, “the choice in this election couldn’t be clearer.”
Of the total ballots, Willie Weaver received 322 votes while Henry Mathis received 249, and Muarlean “Hat Lady” Edwards received 69.
