by Robin Kemp
With 100 percent of precincts reporting, challenger Sabrina Hill appears to have beaten incumbent Clayton County School Board member Judy Johnson in the Aug. 11 Democratic primary runoff.
Hill, who was born in Pittsburgh, PA and lives in Jonesboro, has worked as a substitute teacher and with the Solicitor General’s Office and Magistrate Court in Dekalb County. She had lost to Johnson in the 2016 District 7 race.
Johnson, a Forest Park native who lives in Lake City, served eight years on the board.
Voter turnout was a shameful 3.14 percent in a race where 16,135 voters were eligible to vote. Clayton County has 50,823 public school students. The county’s population hovers just under 300,000 as of 2020 pre-Census estimates.
Watch results as they update by precinct at the Clayton County Elections Office.
PRECINCTS REPORTING: 100%
Sabrina Hill 280 (55.45%)
Judy Johnson (I) 225 (44.55%)
RUNNING TOTAL 505 (of 507 ballots cast)
BY PRECINCT
FOREST PARK 3 (Fountain Elementary, 5212 West St.)
Hill 57 (58.16%)
Johnson 41 (41.84%)
BALLOTS CAST: 98
FOREST PARK 4 (Babb Middle, 5500 Reynolds Rd.)
Hill 33 (39.29%)
Johnson 51 (60.71%)
BALLOTS CAST: 84
FOREST PARK 5 (Victory Point Intl. Ministries, 721 Morrow Rd.)
Hill 58 (59.79%)
Johnson 39 (40.21%)
BALLOTS CAST: 97
FOREST PARK 6 (B.C. Haynie Elementary, 1169 Morrow Rd.)
Hill 25 (47.17%)
Johnson 28 (52.83%)
BALLOTS CAST: 53
JONESBORO 15 (William J. Lee Library, 865 Battlecreek Rd.)
Hill 41 (63.08%)
Johnson 24 (36.92%)
BALLOTS CAST: 65
MORROW 2 (Morrow Municipal Complex, 1500 Morrow Rd.)
Hill 7 (36.48%)
Johnson 12 (63.16%)
BALLOTS CAST: 19
RIVERDALE 6 (Tara Elementary, 937 Mt. Zion Rd.)
Hill 59 (66.29%)
Johnson 30 (33.71%)
BALLOTS CAST: 89
Unofficial early voting turnout included 234 absentee ballots received between July 20 and Aug. 7, according to Clayton County elections officials:
Overall, 115 votes were cast on Election Day, 40 were advance votes, and 125 were absentee by mail votes.
School Board Chair Jessie Goree (School Board Dist. 3) and Vice-Chair Dr. Aleika Anderson (School Board Dist. 8) campaigned for Johnson, with Goree offering a strong endorsement. Johnson’s campaign contribution report filed on Feb. 4 indicated no contributions.
Hill’s campaign disclosure reports do not show up on the state Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission website. A note on the site indicates Hill’s disclosure should be filed with the local filing office. (That rule went into effect in 2014.)
Hill holds an associate degree in liberal arts, a bachelor of arts in human resources, and a master of business administration with a concentration in criminal justice, all from St. Leo University.
