A Nov. 3 special election has been set for Fulton County Commissioner Mo Ivory’s District 4 seat, because Ivory had to resign to run for commission chair against incumbent Robb Pitts in the Democratic primary. Meanwhile, Fulton Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr. is also running for commission chair, but there is no special election for his District 5 seat.
That’s because Ivory’s District 4 term, which runs through 2027, overlaps with the term for commission chair, which starts in January 2027. However, Arrington’s District 5 term only runs through the end of this year, so he wouldn’t have to vacate his commission seat if elected chair.
Click here to see who is running for the District 5 seat, as well as the other Fulton County Commission races on the May primary ballot.
The Fulton County Board of Registration & Elections decided it was more cost-effective to place Ivory’s District 4 seat on the ballot for the Nov. 3 General Election, instead of holding a primary.. That means candidates from all parties will be listed on the ballot. A runoff is scheduled for Dec. 1, if needed.
It looks like Rohit Malhotra, the founder of the Center for Civic Innovation, will throw his hat in the ring for Ivory’s District 4 seat on the Fulton Commission, after losing a hotly contested race for Atlanta City Council last year to Marci Collier Overstreet. The Working Families Party started a petition earlier in March to draft Malhotra for the race — and he took to Instagram on March 13 to say he was “seriously” considering running.
The candidate qualifying period for the special election has yet to be decided, but that will be discussed at the April 1 meeting of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners.