District 50 recount confirms Hatchett win, Hall concedes

News
recount Hatchett

HIAWASSEE, Ga – The recount of the August 11 runoff confirmed the original results with Bo Hatchett winning the majority of the vote. He even picked up a few in some counties.

Stacy Hall, who requested a recanvassing, announced that he had conceded the race just before 8 p.m. on social media.

“With nearly 25,000 votes cast and only 38 votes separating us, today’s recount confirmed it was a very competitive race but it’s time to put the campaign to rest.  I’m incredibly grateful for the dozens of committed volunteers who worked so hard throughout my campaign and for the thousands of voters who put their trust and confidence in me.  A special thank you to my wife, Ivy Copeland Hall and my family who stood beside me through it all. I am proud to have run a campaign of integrity anchored by issues and facts.”

All eight counties in District 50 began recounting ballots on Monday, August 31 at 9 a.m.

Hatchett declared victory on August 18, week after the runoff election, but Hall held firm to his right for a recount given the narrow margin separating the two candidates.

The recount revealed that Hatchett picked up a few votes in Towns (2) and Franklin (2). The only county Hatchett carried was his home county of Habersham. Hall also lives in Habersham and serves as Commission Chair. However, Hatchett’s landslide win in Habersham was enough to propel him over the top.

Hall also lost a vote in Banks County.

Now, Hatchett will move forward to the General Election in November. He will face Democrat Dee Daley for State Senator John Wilkinson’s seat. Wilkinson opted to run for Georgia House District Nine and lost in the primary. Andrew Clyde won the runoff in that race and will face Democrat Devin Pandy.

State senate recount on Monday, Hall claims ballot mishandling

Business
hall vote recount recount ballot mishandling

HIAWASSEE, Ga – Georgia State Senate District 50 recount will occur on Monday, August 31, across all eight counties.

The recount will include all ballots from the August 11 runoff with counties beginning at 9 a.m. District 50 includes Franklin, Habersham, Towns, Rabun, Stephens, and Banks counties and parts of Hall and Jackson counties.
Secretary of State certified the runoff election on August 26 with Habersham attorney Bo Hatchett winning 12,492 (50.07%) votes to Stacy Hall’s 12,455 (49.93%). The 37-vote (.16 percent) difference fell within the less than one half of one percent of the total votes cast margin needed to Hall to request a recount.

“Under O.C.G.A. § 21-2-495, a recount can be requested by the second-place candidate if the difference in votes between the winning candidate and second-place candidate is not more than 0.5% of the total votes cast in the race.” – Secretary of State release. 

In Hall’s official request issued on August 26 to the Secretary of State, he cited the Georgia code and asserted absentee ballots’ mishandling in Stephens County.

“I can confirm that many voters who requested absentee ballots never received them while others received absentee ballots as late as Monday prior to the election, making it impossible to meet the deadline. Many of these voters were elderly or had medical conditions and were either advised not to vote in-person due to COVID or were not physically able to,” Hall’s request read.

Copy of recount question

Hall asks the Secretary of State to take immediate action into the matter of “disenfranchised voters” who couldn’t practice their right to vote due to extenuating circumstances.

 

Hall intends to ask for a recount in District 50

News, Politics
hall vote recount

HIAWASSEE, Ga – On Monday, August 17, State Senate District 50 candidate Stacy Hall announced his intentions to ask for a recount in the runoff election held last week.

The runoff election results put lawyer and District 50 candidate Bo Hatchett ahead by 34 votes. Since then, the Hall campaign has been canvassing local election offices for any uncounted ballots. On Wednesday, August 12, Hall told supporters that “absentee, provisional, and overseas ballots still to be counted.”

Fast forward to August 17, when Hall takes the official step to request a recount. In the state of Georgia, if less than one-half percent separates two candidates, a candidate has the right to ask for a recount of votes cast. The request must be made in writing to the Secretary of State’s Office within two business days following election certification.

In a letter to the public, Hall said:

“First, I want to thank the 12,448 Northeast Georgians who cast their vote for me in the State Senate District 50 runoff.  I remain grateful and humbled.  With nearly 25,000 total votes cast and only 0.16% difference between the two candidates, it’s reasonable and prudent to request a recount so that all parties involved can be confident in the final count.”

Per O.C.G.A. § 21-2-495 if the difference between two candidates in a runoff is not more than one-half of 1 percent of the total votes cast, a candidate shall have the right to a recount of the votes cast.  Such a request must be made in writing to the Secretary of State’s Office within two business days following the State’s Certification of the election.

Now that the counties have certified their results, my intent is to request a recount as soon as the state certifies the election.”

This has been a very long election for everyone and I have no desire to drag it out, but with only 40 votes separating us out of nearly 25,000, I think a recount is wise so we can move forward confidently. I appreciate the patience of everyone in the district as we work to ensure confidence in the final results.”

It’s very rare for a recount to reverse an election decision, but it has happened in Georgia. Since the Stacy Hall vs. Bo Hatchett was a multi-county race, first each county must certify the results, and then the Secretary of State’s Office.

All eight counties will be asked to recount ballots from the August 11 runoff election at the expense of taxpayers.

Hall believes a District 50 recount is “wise and prudent” to instill confidence in the election process. As stated in the letter, he doesn’t want to drag out the election, rather he wants the district to be patient for a little longer.

Watch Georgia Senate District 50 Republican Debate

Feature News, Featured, Featured Stories

Watch Georgia State Senate District 50 Republican Debate Watch on FYNTv YouTube Channel

Georgia’s State Senate District 50 Runoff will be August 11th. Early voting begins July 20th. Watch Republican Bo Hatchett and Republican Stacy Hall in a LIVE debate tonight at 6:30pm as they join Moderator Brian K. Pritchard in a debate sponsored by the Jackson County GOP.

Tune in to see where your candidate stands on the issues. Just click FYNTv.com on July 17th at 6:30 pm or download our app

L-R Bo Hatchett & Stacy Hall

Back to Top