Chatham Co. District 2 commissioner race goes to runoff election

CHATHAM COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - All 18 precincts have counted their votes in the special election for Chatham County Commission District 2 and it looks like we’re heading to a run-off.

Four candidates were in this race and there was no clear winner.

As of now, Malinda Hodge is in the lead with 43% of the votes. However since she did not receive more than 50% of the votes, she will now have to face David Tootle in a runoff.

Tuesday’s polls had a significantly low turnout rate. According to the Chatham County Board of Elections, not even 5% of the registered voters from the district cast their vote.

Malinda Hodge says she is confident but knows that hard work is the best way to find the success she is hoping for.

“You still have to earn and you still have to earn their vote, I have served in an elected position previously but this is a new position.”

Tootle ended the night with 27% of the votes and says that the next month is when he really hopes to finish strong.

“It’s about what we expected we figured we would be competitive, I thought that we might be able to win it but hey, I’m down for the challenge now.”

According to Georgia law, a runoff election will be held four weeks after the election, and early voting will begin a week after the election.

For a look at the full results, head to our Election Results page.

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