FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Voters in Fulton and Fayette counties will head to the polls today to fill the position of the late Georgia House Rep. Letitia "Tish" Naghise (D-Fayetteville.)
The recently elected representative passed away in March after being sworn in just two months prior. Naghise was an accomplished businesswoman elected to serve College Park, Fairburn, Fayetteville, Tyrone, Peachtree City, City of South Fulton and Union City.
Following her passing, Gov. Brian Kemp issued an executive order to fill the District 68 seat.
RELATED: Georgia House Rep. Tish Naghise dies
Where and when voting is happening
Polls are open 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
Fayette County lists the following precincts:
- Bethany United Methodist Church, 607 Rivers Rd., Fayetteville
- Tyrone Recreation Office, 945 Senoia Rd., Tyrone
- Glenloch Recreation Center, 351 Jenkins Rd., Tyrone
- Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 101 E. Walt Banks Rd, Peachtree City
- Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran Church, 101 Peachtree Pkwy., Peachtree City
- Grace Church, 164 Flat Creek Trl., Fayetteville
- Kedron Field House & Aquatic Center, 202 Fieldhouse Dr., Peachtree City
Fulton County does not list its full eligible precincts in this race, though early voting was held at the Gladys S. Dennard Library at 4055 Flat Shoals Rd. in Union City.
A House District 68 map is available here as well as here. The district covers parts of Union City and Fairburn. Visit your My Voter Page to see if you live in this district.
The candidates
Five Democrats are vying to fill the seat. A runoff would occur if none of them clear the 50% + 1 vote threshold.
They are:
- Mark Baker: A former South Fulton city councilman who touts his record as a progressive and his aim to promote "freedom to live, work and play how they choose, free of oppressive price increases, police tactics, employment practices and discrimination."
- John Culbreth: A former local government official in Fulton County (where he was director of parks and recreation), the City of Atlanta and Jacksonville, Florida. His platform includes "strengthening Georgia's investment in healthcare," improving the "low & unequal quality of education" in Georgia, and the "goal to work with community, police and civic leaders to find ways to mitigate" crime issues.
- Taiwo Idowu: A data security professional whose priorities include the belief that "access to quality healthcare is a fundamental human right," "providing the right education and training is crucial to ensure that our community remains competitive in the face of the rapid evolving field of AI and robotics," and, "providing the right infrastructure, from roads to broadband, is essential to support the green future that we are aiming for."
- Derrick Jackson: A 22-year-old Navy veteran and officer, professor, entrepreneur, and corporate executive, his platform includes emphases on women's, children's and rural healthcare; mental health; STEAM and early education; environmental and criminal justice and civil liberties, military health and retirement programs; and infrastructure focused on water distribution, electrical substations and energy mix resources.
- Jane Williams: A paralegal and community advocate whose legislative priorities would include statewide Medicaid expansion, mental health improvements, fair elections, women's reproductive rights and protections for LGBTQ+ people. She says she is "asking voters to send a woman back to finish the job that Rep. Tish Naghise started." Williams earned about 40% of the vote in last year's Democratic primary against Naghise.
Results
Results will begin updating some time after polls close at 7 p.m.