Two votes will decide who becomes Jefferson’s next mayor unless a recount changes the outcome.
What’s Happening: Dawn Maddox leads Jon Howell by just two votes in the November 4 election. The Jackson County Office of Election and Voter Registration will recount all ballots on Friday, November 14 at 10 a.m. Howell is the city’s current mayor.
What’s Important: Maddox received 1,279 votes while Howell got 1,277 votes out of 2,556 total votes cast. The two-vote margin equals 0.078 percent of the total. Georgia law allows candidates to request a recount when the difference is less than one-half of one percent.
Between the Lines: If just two voters had chosen differently, Howell would have won instead of Maddox. Maddox got 50.04 percent of the vote and Howell at 49.96 percent.
What Happens Next: The recount will take place at the Elections and Registration office at 441 Gordon Street in Jefferson. The public can attend. Howell requested the recount.
The Sources: Jackson County Office of Election and Voter Registration official recount notice and election results dated November 7.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
