Yard-sign sales and a video voters guide are among get-out-the-vote efforts some Buckhead neighborhood leaders are undertaking for the Nov. 2 municipal election.
The yard signs are the work of Sally Riker, president of the Mt. Paran-Northside Citizens Association. They read “Buckhead Counts!” and urge voting on Nov. 2. The signs don’t state that it’s a municipal election or anything else about the races, but Riker and other neighborhood associations are distributing digital, printable flyers with QR codes linking to more information.
“I took this on as a challenge because voter turnout is typically low,” Riker told the Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods at its Sept. 9 meeting. She also called it a way to “reengage folks with a positive impact” in a time when “public trust is at an all-time low.”
As of the meeting, Riker said, about 175 signs had been sold. They available singly or in bundles of 9, 5 and 15.
The signs are $11 each or 10 for $99 if ordered in bulk. To order, contact Riker at sally.riker@gmail.com.
Meanwhile, the BCN has compiled a list of all the candidates who will be on local ballots in Buckhead and also posted short videos from some of the contenders. BCN vice chair Debra Wathen said the videos allow responding candidates to “talk directly to Buckhead and tell us why they should get our vote.” The guide is available on the BCN website.
BCN chair Mary Norwood, who lost the 2017 mayoral race to incumbent Keisha Lance Bottoms, is now running unopposed for the local District 8 Atlanta City Council seat. (Bottoms is not running for reelection.) Norwood has said she intends to serve out her BCN term through year’s end before taking the council office in January. Since she has no competition, she is focusing on get-out-the-vote work.
Offices that will be on the ballot in all or some parts of Buckhead include:
- Mayor
- City Council president
- City Council at-large Posts 1, 2 and 3
- City Council Districts 6, 7, 8 and 9
- Board of Education at-large Seats 7, 8 and 9
- Board of Education District 4
Buckhead itself has become a major issue in all of the races, especially the citywide ones, due to the local cityhood movement. That “Buckhead City” effort seeks to place the cityhood on the ballot in November 2022, not this year.
For this year’s election, early voting is scheduled for Oct. 12-29. Absentee ballots are available through Oct. 22. For more information, see the Fulton County elections website.
Oct. 4 is the last day to register to vote. For registration details, see the Georgia “My Voter” page.
