by Robin Kemp

The polls are open in Board of Commissioners District 1 for the special election runoff between Dr. Alieka Anderson and Alaina Reaves.

Tonight’s winner will finish the unexpired term of the late Commissioner Sonna Singleton Gregory.

Map of Clayton County Board of Commissioners District 1

District 1 includes most of the northeastern part of Clayton County east of Jonesboro Road and north of I-75, as well as Lake City and Morrow. It includes Conley, Ellenwood, Rex, part of unincorporated Jonesboro, the eastern side of Forest Park, and Fort Gillem. You can see and enlarge a PDF map of the district on the county’s website.

According to the Clayton County Elections and Registration office, District 1 has 43,992 registered voters–but only 2,362 voters cast ballots in the primary, which included ten candidates. Anderson got 924 votes and Reaves got 530. If today’s turnout is similar to the primary’s, that leaves about 908 votes up for grabs. (It is possible that more voters could turn out.)

Issues in the district include the number of warehouses versus the lack of mixed-use and retail development, as well as homeowners’ concerns about impacts on their property value and environmental concerns at several sites on and around the decommissioned Fort Gillem.

Anderson, who was endorsed by former Democratic Party of Georgia political director and pundit Dr. Rashad Richey, resigned from Clayton County School Board District 8 to run for the BOC seat. While on the school board, Anderson served as chair, vice-chair, and legislative liaison. She is the CEO of a startup charter school, Colin Powell Military Academy, and works in the Dekalb County Public School system as an instructional support specialist. She is a member of the Clayton County Community Services Board and has served on the Development Authority of Clayton County and the Housing Authority of Clayton County.

Reaves, who picked up endorsements from former gubernatorial candidate and Fair Fight founder Stacy Abrams, Forest Park Mayor Angelyne Butler, and District 1 School Board member Jasmine Bowles, is a Georgia Democratic National Committee delegate who cut her political teeth in Washington, where she interned for the late Rep. John Lewis and First Lady Michelle Obama. In Georgia, she served as Georgia House Minority Whip Carolyn Hughley’s chief of staff and and deputy political director for Teresa Tomlinson’s U.S. Senate campaign. Reaves also was an alternate delegate for Georgia’s certification of the 2020 Presidential election results.

District 1 voters can cast ballot until 7 p.m. tonight (Tuesday, October 19). You must vote in your precinct, according to SB202, the new state election law. However, between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., you are allowed to vote in a different precinct if you can’t get to your home precinct in time. The four locations where you can vote in the BOC District 1 race include:

You can check your voter registration status online at mvp.sps.ga.gov. If you have any issues voting, contact Clayton County Elections and Registration at (770) 477-3372 or elections@claytoncountyga.gov. If you witness “questionable election-related activity,” contact the Georgia Secretary of State’s Elections Office at (877) 725-9797 or submit an official complaint online.

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