by Robin Kemp
12:15 a.m.: With 268 of 269 precinct reporting, it appears that Kwanza Hall has won the U.S. House District 5 seat formerly held by the late Rep. John Lewis. Results are unofficial and may not include all absentee or provisional ballots:
12:08 am Wed. 12/2: Fulton County has completed reporting. Hall took 54.81% (8,104 votes) to Franklin’s 45.19% (6,682 votes) of 14,786 ballots cast.
11:09 p.m.: With 253 of 269 counties reporting and 20,454 votes counted, Hall has an 8.78% lead over Franklin across House District 5.
10:52 p.m.: 222 of 269 precincts in House District 5 have returned results.
10:47 p.m.: With 179 of 194 precincts reporting, Fulton County shows 54.79%(8,043 votes) for Hall and 45.21% (6,638 votes) for Franklin.
10:34 p.m.: Dekalb County reports 52.51% (1,886 votes) for Franklin and 47.49% (1,706 votes) for Hall. They’re finishing up the Gresham Road precinct. Fulton has 148 of 194 precincts finished.
10:18 p.m.: Overall, the House District 5 totals are 52.88% (8,131 votes) for Hall, 47.12% (7,245 votes) for Franklin. Hall has consistently edged Franklin by better than a five-point margin. Hall had more than a 26% lead over Franklin in Clayton County, where he picked up several key endorsements. Franklin locked in Dekalb County, home to Emory University, where he holds an endowed chair in moral leadership and serves as advisor to the university’s president.
UPDATE 9:57 p.m.: Dekalb County reports 52.8% (1,859 votes) for Franklin and 47.2% (1,662 votes) for Hall, with 46 of 49 precincts reporting.
Fulton County reports 52.65% (5,093 votes) for Hall and 47.35% (4,581) for Franklin with 80 of 194 precincts reporting.
Overall, it’s 52.9% (7,764) for Hall and 47.1% (6,912) for Franklin.
UPDATE 9:37 p.m.: Dekalb County is reporting 54.09% (1,526 votes) for Franklin and 45.91% (1,295 votes) for Hall. So far, 14,676 votes have been reported across the three counties in House District 5, with 106 of 269 precincts reporting.
Clayton has turned in complete results from all 26 precincts in House District 5. Fulton and Dekalb are still in progress.
UPDATE 9:25 p.m.: The race is much closer in Fulton County, where Hall has 52.21% (3,998 votes) to Franklin’s 47.79% (3,659 votes). In Clayton County, Hall has 63.09% (2,181 votes) to Franklin’s 36.91% (805 votes). No results yet for Dekalb County.
Overall, Hall remains out front with 54.62% (5,374 votes) and Franklin holds in second place at 45.38% (4,464 votes), for a total of 9,838 votes counted thus far
Of those, 2,181 voters (3.18% of the 68,919 registered voters in Clayton’s part of House District 5) turned out in Clayton County. In Fulton County, 7,657 turned out.
UPDATE 8:55 p.m.: No updates have come through for Clayton, Fulton, or Dekalb Counties in the past hour.
With 2.4% of votes counted, former Atlanta City Councilman Kwanza Hall leads 62.24% (1,027 votes) to Emory religious ethicist Robert M. Franklin’s 37.76% (623 votes) in the Clayton County runoff for the final month of the late Rep. John Lewis’ term in Congress.
Fulton and Dekalb Counties had not yet posted any returns as of 7:55 p.m.
Here’s how the advance/absentee ballots looked going into tonight’s race:
