Democrats officially win control of Georgia state House with slim majority

Democrats have clinched at least a one-seat majority in the state House, with 91 seats in the 180-seat chamber as of Sunday evening, according to the Associated Press. 

But unexpected developments, including an initially overlooked memory card that changed the outcome of a southwest Georgia House race, have drawn national attention and prompted an investigation into the county’s election reporting procedures.

Only three seats in Georgia’s House of Representatives remain up for grabs Monday — which was also Georgia’s county certification deadline — as election workers finalize the tallies from the midterm elections. Democrats netted a total of 10 seats, even as they lost an Athens-area district held by Rep. Eric Gisler of Watkinsville and a middle Georgia district represented by outgoing Rep. Mack Jackson of Sandersville.

Two House races have yet to be called for either party, and one additional contest is headed to a December runoff. The remaining races won’t sway control of the state House, but could determine whether Democrats’ margin in the chamber widens or remains razor-thin.

But House Democrats, who have been the minority party for more than 20 years, are already raring to go.

“Georgians have made their voices heard,” House Minority Leader Carolyn Hugley said in a statement. “After more than two decades of Republicans in control of all of state government, they’ve given Democrats the opportunity to lead and we intend to deliver.”

House Speaker Jon Burns, a Newington Republican, reiterated that House Republicans will remain committed to promoting conservative values.

“We will continue showing up for the job we were elected to do each and every day — defending our future, uplifting our neighbors, strengthening opportunity and keeping Georgia the great state we all know and love,” Burns said.

The state Senate will still be under GOP control come January when lawmakers return to the Gold Dome and will consist of 29 Republicans and 27 Democrats, according to race calls from The Associated Press. Democratic lieutenant governor-elect Josh McLaurin will preside over that chamber, allowing Democrats to exercise control over what bills the GOP-majority chamber will get a chance to vote in.

Now that county level certification has been completed, state election officials will begin performing their own audits and statewide certification procedures.

Travis Doss, the Richmond County elections director and former president of the Georgia Association of Voter Registration and Election Officials, said that certification is largely a perfunctory duty, but plays a necessary role in election administration, especially for candidates who want to dispute the results. 

“There are stipulations in the law that . . . allows for a losing candidate to file a lawsuit if they feel that there was something done improper or incorrect,” he said. “However, that process cannot start until the election is certified.” 

Doss also cautioned voters against relying on unofficial results in races with particularly tight margins.

“If you have a very close race with only a few vote difference, provisionals and absentee [ballots] can make a difference,” he said. “So until the race is actually certified, the thing to remember is that things can happen, things can change.”

Here’s where things stand with the remaining House races.

Memory card issues

In House District 154, which spans nine southwest Georgia counties, Republican state Rep. Gerald Greene of Cuthbert was initially trailing Democratic contractor Harry James by less than 100 votes.

That is, until a review from the secretary of state’s office found a discrepancy between the number of voters who checked in and the number of ballots cast in Seminole County due to a memory card that had not been properly uploaded.

In the updated totals, which included 388 additional votes, Greene took the lead by 260 votes out of more than 20,000, an outcome that came as a surprise to both candidates, who each said they found out about the vote counting irregularities through the media.

In a statement Friday, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced an investigation into Seminole County, emphasizing that further inquiry was needed to uncover the root of the error.

“This oversight didn’t just affect the numbers — it changed who was leading an election,” said Raffensperger, who is a Republican. “That is unacceptable, and we intend to find out exactly how it happened.”

Over the weekend, Seminole County Elections Supervisor Ron Foskey issued a statement clarifying that the memory card itself had not gone missing and said the issue stemmed from the results not being properly uploaded within the computer system.

“All precinct card chain of custody protocols were followed, and all memory cards were accounted for by the Seminole County Board of Elections on election night,” he said.

James, the Democratic candidate, said Monday that he had no plans to concede the race and was waiting for more answers to emerge about what went wrong before deciding on his next steps.

“I thank the voters for their support, and I thank them for their participation,” James said. “Sooner or later we will get some answers to the issue, so just be patient, let the process work.”

Greene, the Republican incumbent, said that he was also waiting for the results to be certified before officially declaring victory, but he credited his constituents on both sides of the aisle for pushing him across the finish line.

“I’ve always looked at individuals, not Republicans, not Democrats, not independents, but as my constituents that I owe my whole political life back to,” he said. “They have taken care of me, and I have tried to take care of them, and they certainly did this time.”

Metro Atlanta House race falls within recount margin

In House District 103, incumbent Republican Rep. Soo Hong of Lawrenceville is trailing Democrat Chris Luchey, a sports agent, by 35 votes out of about 24,000 in a district that spans parts of Gwinnett and Hall counties.

The race, which is the closest of Georgia’s legislative contests this year, is also the only one that qualifies for a recount.

Neither candidate in the race responded to requests for comment Monday.

A candidate can request a recount in Georgia if the margin is less than or equal to 0.5% or if there is a suspected error or discrepancy. That request has to be made within two business days of the results being certified by the secretary of state’s office, which is required to be completed within 17 days of the election. 

Robert Sinners, a spokesperson for the secretary of state’s office, said that he expects statewide certification to be completed next week.

A spokesperson for House Republicans said that they will keep their legal avenues open in contests that are within the margin for a recount. 

Southwest Georgia House candidates headed to runoff

Republican state Rep. Mike Cheokas of Americus is headed to a runoff with Democrat Ethan Wolfe, a retired military officer, after neither candidate managed to secure a majority of the vote in a three-way contest with independent candidate Travis Lockhart. Cheokas led the pack with about 47.9% of ballots to approximately 40.9% for Wolfe and 11.3% for Lockhart. 

The runoff is set for Dec. 1.

Georgia Recorder deputy editor Ross Williams contributed to this report.