Follow live as Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff looks to turn a House seat blue and avoid a runoff in the Georgia House special election.
What to look for in the results:
Rule of thumb: to be on track to hit 50% and *avoid* a runoff, Ossoff probably needs around 62% in DeKalb, 51% in Fulton, 45% in Cobb. #GA06
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) April 18, 2017
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Ossoff needs to win 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff against the second-place candidate tonight.
UPDATE: No results in yet, but here is a link to the AP’s live results page
UPDATE: 7:24 PM ET: Here is a live Google doc that will measure the results against what Ossoff needs to achieve 50% of the vote.
UPDATE: The always helpful reminder that if people were in line before the polls closed at 7 PM, they get to vote:
6th CD – As long as you are in line by 7PM, you are guaranteed your right to vote! If you're in line STAY IN LINE.#FlipThe6th #GA06 #gapol pic.twitter.com/BWpUd7mDpw
— Georgia Democrat (@GeorgiaDemocrat) April 18, 2017
UPDATE: Voting was extended at two polling places where there were computer issues and poll workers showed up late:
Hours extended to #flipthe6th #voteyourossoff #ossoff pic.twitter.com/pCyvS5lyYV
— ShePersisted72 (@ShePersisted72) April 18, 2017
UPDATE 7:59 PM ET: Ossoff leads Handel 71%-11% in early results. The results came from DeKalb.
BIG UPDATE: Ossoff is running ahead of projections in DeKalb County and expected to win 61% of the in-person vote.
UPDATE: Bad news for Republicans as turnout looks like the 2014 midterm, not the 2016 presidential election:
Keep in mind the turnout so far is very similar to 2014. Not good sign for GOP. #GA06
— Election HQ (@ElectionNewsHQ) April 19, 2017
Voter turnout is currently 4.78%.
UPDATE: 8:23 PM: Ossoff now leads Handel and Republican Judson Hill 63%-11%-9%. These results are based on partial returns from Cobb and DeKalb counties.
UPDATE: 8:35 PM ET: Ossoff now leads 62%-14% over Karen Handel.
UPDATE: Ossoff is running ahead of his needed margin for victory in all three counties in the district.
Ossoff leads Handel 61%-14%
Even better:
Breaking: #GA06-wide, Ossoff (D) has won 62% of the in-person absentee vote. Most estimated he needed 61%-64% to have a shot at 50%.
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) April 19, 2017
UPDATE: Ossoff is currently ahead of all projections and on pace to win 50% of the vote, but it is still early and things could change.
UPDATE: With 23% of the vote in Ossoff leads Handel 56%-16%. The race is tightening but Ossoff is holding:
#GA06 #GA6 Ossoff
23% of the vote is in pic.twitter.com/iV4zVp1bTq— Ann Malone (@ammboston) April 19, 2017
The Google Doc of Ossoff benchmarks to reach 50% is very interesting as the Democrat with one or two exceptions is right where he needs to be currently to win 50% or more of the vote.
UPDATE 9:35 PM ET: With 67/210 precincts completely reporting: Ossoff leads Handel 54%-18%.
UPDATE: 9:39 PM ET:
Nate Cohn of the NYT projects that Ossoff will finish around 48%, but there is a margin of error, so buckle up because Ossoff is going to probably be right around 50%:
Based exclusively on the 41 ~completed precincts:
I'd guess we're on track for 190k, Ossoff at 48. A real MoE on both.— Nate Cohn (@Nate_Cohn) April 19, 2017
UPDATE: With 85/210 precincts in, Ossoff 51%-Handle 18%.
UPDATE 9:59 PM ET: 50% of the vote in, and Ossoff is at 50.1 %.
UPDATE: 10:30 PM ET: Ossoff is still hanging at above 50%:
Nearly 2/3 of vote in #ossoff holding firm at 50% in #GA06 pic.twitter.com/FbWZr9HwHl
— Jason Morrell (@CNNJason) April 19, 2017
UPDATE:12:20 AM ET: The Georgia House special election is going to runoff as Jon Ossoff is expected to finish at between 44%-48%, but there is a delay in the counting of the remaining ballots in Fulton County due to a rare data error.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
