By — Leah Askarinam, Associated Press Leah Askarinam, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/what-to-expect-in-atlanta-on-election-day Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter What to expect in Atlanta on Election Day Politics Nov 3, 2025 3:41 PM EST WASHINGTON (AP) — Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is running for reelection Tuesday against three lesser-known candidates, arguing that Atlanta has seen major improvements during his first term in office. The race is nonpartisan, though Dickens is a Democrat. He faces former police officer Kalema Jackson, progressive Eddie Meredith and Republican Helmut “Love” Domagalski. READ MORE: What’s on the ballot in the first general election of Trump’s 2nd term Dickens’ campaign is spending $350,000 on ads, according to AdImpact, a firm that tracks advertising. He was the only candidate on air as of the week before Election Day. While Dickens was an underdog in his 2021 election, he’s in a much more favorable position this year. Atlanta has a long history of awarding mayors second terms if they seek reelection. Former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms was an exception but she didn’t seek a second term. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. Candidates for Atlanta mayor must win a majority of votes to be elected. If no one surpasses that threshold, the top two vote getters would advance to a runoff election on Dec. 2. Dickens was elected in a runoff election in 2021 after finishing second in the initial election to Felicia Moore. LIVE RESULTS: Virginia 2025 gubernatorial election Most of Atlanta’s voters are in Fulton County, with a smaller number in DeKalb County. How late are polls open? Polls close in Atlanta at 8 p.m. ET. What’s on the ballot? The AP will provide vote results and declare winners in the general election for Atlanta mayor. Who gets to vote? Registered voters in Atlanta may vote for mayor. What do turnout and advance vote look like? In 2024, about 199,000 people voted in the City Council At-Large election. About 75% of those votes were cast early in person, 5% cast by mail, and 20% cast in person on Election Day in person. As of Tuesday, nearly 23,000 ballots had been cast before Election Day. How long does vote counting usually take? A little more than 97,000 people voted in the 2021 race for Atlanta mayor. Dekalb County first reported results almost an hour after polls closed, and Fulton County first reported votes about 15 minutes later. The election night tabulation ended at 1:49 a.m., with 99% of votes counted. Find our Vote 2025 live results California’s election on Proposition 50 New York City’s mayoral election Texas’s 18th Congressional District special election Pennsylvania Supreme Court election New Jersey’s gubernatorial election Virginia’s gubernatorial election A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now By — Leah Askarinam, Associated Press Leah Askarinam, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is running for reelection Tuesday against three lesser-known candidates, arguing that Atlanta has seen major improvements during his first term in office. The race is nonpartisan, though Dickens is a Democrat. He faces former police officer Kalema Jackson, progressive Eddie Meredith and Republican Helmut “Love” Domagalski. READ MORE: What’s on the ballot in the first general election of Trump’s 2nd term Dickens’ campaign is spending $350,000 on ads, according to AdImpact, a firm that tracks advertising. He was the only candidate on air as of the week before Election Day. While Dickens was an underdog in his 2021 election, he’s in a much more favorable position this year. Atlanta has a long history of awarding mayors second terms if they seek reelection. Former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms was an exception but she didn’t seek a second term. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. Candidates for Atlanta mayor must win a majority of votes to be elected. If no one surpasses that threshold, the top two vote getters would advance to a runoff election on Dec. 2. Dickens was elected in a runoff election in 2021 after finishing second in the initial election to Felicia Moore. LIVE RESULTS: Virginia 2025 gubernatorial election Most of Atlanta’s voters are in Fulton County, with a smaller number in DeKalb County. How late are polls open? Polls close in Atlanta at 8 p.m. ET. What’s on the ballot? The AP will provide vote results and declare winners in the general election for Atlanta mayor. Who gets to vote? Registered voters in Atlanta may vote for mayor. What do turnout and advance vote look like? In 2024, about 199,000 people voted in the City Council At-Large election. About 75% of those votes were cast early in person, 5% cast by mail, and 20% cast in person on Election Day in person. As of Tuesday, nearly 23,000 ballots had been cast before Election Day. How long does vote counting usually take? A little more than 97,000 people voted in the 2021 race for Atlanta mayor. Dekalb County first reported results almost an hour after polls closed, and Fulton County first reported votes about 15 minutes later. The election night tabulation ended at 1:49 a.m., with 99% of votes counted. Find our Vote 2025 live results California’s election on Proposition 50 New York City’s mayoral election Texas’s 18th Congressional District special election Pennsylvania Supreme Court election New Jersey’s gubernatorial election Virginia’s gubernatorial election A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now