Election 2014: How Did DeKalb County Vote in the Primary?

DeKalb County voters will head to the polls again in two months for runoff elections after several close races in Tuesday’s primary election.

Here’s a look at results from some of the area’s contested races. All vote totals and percentages are from the DeKalb County Election office website.

Sheriff’s race

A July 22 runoff election will have voters choose between incumbent Sheriff Jeff Mann and former DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones since neither candidate received the required majority plus one vote needed for a clear win.

With all 189 precincts reporting, Mann led with 28,833 votes for 39 percent of the total vote, while second-place Jones received 16,096 votes for 22 percent, according to the DeKalb County election office website.

Mann replaced former Sheriff Thomas Brown after he resigned to run for Congress.

County Board of Education

In District 1, which includes Dunwoody and Brookhaven, Stan Jester ran unopposed and won the seat with 6,225 votes, for 99 percent of all votes cast. 

In District 2, which includes Brookhaven, challenger Don McChesney finished well behind incumbent Marshall Orson. McChesney garnered 2,704 votes for 39 percent, behind Orson’s 4,253 votes for 61 percent.

In District 3, which includes Avondale Estates, incumbent Michael Erwin was the top vote-getter at 3,603 votes for 37 percent, topping four challengers. Jerrie D. Bason received 8 percent of the votes, Jarrod Jordan had 17 percent, Atticus Leblanc had 2,024 votes for 21 percent and Willie Mosley Jr. netted 17 percent.

Erwin and Leblanc will go against each other in the July 22 runoff. 

In District 4, which includes the Stone Mountain area, at-large incumbent Karen Carter had the most votes with 3,389 for 35 percent. She was followed by incumbent Jim McMahan with 2,824 votes for 29 percent, and challengers John Oselette with 1,744 votes for 18 percent and Ella Smith with 1,618 votes for 17 percent.

Carter and McMahan will be on the ballot again in the July runoff.

In District 5, encompassing the southeast part of the county, incumbent Thad Mayfield finished first with 4,404 votes for 36 percent, not enough to avoid a runoff against second-place finisher Vickie B. Turner netted 3,434 votes for 28 percent. Challenger Jesse Cunningham, who tallied 3,368 votes for 27.5 percent, finished just out of the runoff.

Other challengers were Pia Bhatti with 460 votes for 4 percent and R. A. Fitzhugh with 547 votes for 4 percent 

In District 6, which runs from Stone Mountain to Lithonia, incumbent Melvin Johnson earned 6,994 votes for 78 percent to handily defeat Bridgeman Bolger, who tallied 1,941 votes for 22 percent.

In District 7, which includes Clarkston, incumbent Joyce Morley easily won re-election with 4,691 votes for 61 percent. Challengers were Kim Ault with 1,588 votes for 21 percent and Lee V. Dukes with 1,340 votes for 18 percent.

Find vote totals for all DeKalb County ballot issues on the election office website.