Early voting begins Monday in runoff races

Early voting in local and state runoffs begins Monday, including races for Atlanta mayor and council seats, the Fulton County Commission chairmanship and a series of legislative races and municipal elections across the metro area.

Early voting runs daily though Friday before the races conclude with the runoffs on Tuesday, Dec. 5. There will be no voting over the weekend. Friday is also the last day to mail absentee ballots.

Voters in the runoff for Atlanta mayor will choose between Keisha Lance Bottoms and Mary Norwood — the two top vote getters in the Nov. 7 general election. The race between the two sitting City Council members has grown increasingly contentious in the past week.

Mayor Kasim Reed, who is backing Bottoms, called Norwood a “loser” last week and she fired back that the mayor should be “ashamed” for using debasing and bullying language. Norwood’s remarks over the summer accusing Reed of winning the 2009 race against her with the use of voter fraud also surfaced last week. There are also several Atlanta City Council and school board races that will be decided in the runoff elections.

Read more: http://www.ajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/early-voting-begins-monday-runoff-races/1xsKtmCTLde8IItQcUpIMM/