On Tuesday, after a closely contested primary race, voters will decide who will represent them in Fulton County Board of Commissioners, District 4.

In a neck-and-neck result, incumbent Natalie Hall received 41.58 % of votes and challenger Moraima “Mo” Ivory received 40.60 % of votes. (Challenger Sonya D. Ofchus received 17.82 % of votes.) Since no candidate secured 50 % or more, the primary for District 4 commissioner will be decided by a runoff between Hall and Ivory Tuesday. District 4 covers Downtown Atlanta, Midtown, Old Fourth Ward, College Park and Hapeville.

Jordan Brown, Georgia’s state advisor for the Movement Voter Project, talked about the importance of local elections like this one in a recent interview with Canopy Atlanta. 

“Local elections have some of the most material impact on your day-to-day life,” Brown says. “It’s important for citizens because these people [local officials] advocate for positions not on the ballot.”

Fulton county commissioners are charged with approving the primary legislative and policy-making decisions for the county. Fulton County has seven commissioners who are elected to four-year terms. Six commissioners are elected by district, while one commissioner is elected at large as the commission chair.

This is a partisan primary runoff, so Fulton citizens may vote if they selected a Democratic party ballot or a nonpartisan party ballot on May 21—or if they did not vote that day. Voters may see the full list of ballot measures at the Fulton County government’s website. 

Hall is a well-known figure in Fulton County politics. She served six years as Chief of Staff to the late commissioner Joan P. Garner and assumed Garner’s seat in 2017. She’s served in that role since then. Hall is a member of several policy committees for the Association County Commissioners of Georgia, including Revenue and Finance, Economic Development and Transportation, and Federal. 

As commissioner, Hall has focused on providing services and protections for vulnerable populations, including helping to establish the Behavioral Health Crisis Center at the Oak Hill Child, Family, and Adolescent Health Center. Commissioner Hall has signed several pieces of legislation for District 4 constituents, including approval of more than $900,000 for the post-COVID American Rescue Plan Act and a reaffirment of the Board of Commissioners’ commitment to addressing the mental health challenges Fulton County inmates face. Hall has been endorsed by Atlanta officials, including Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and former Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed. 

In January, Hall’s former chief of staff, Calvin Brock, filed a Federal Equal Opportunity complaint against Hall, alleging that Hall sexually harassed and discriminated against him. Hall reportedly fired him after Brock terminated their relationship. A judge ordered Fulton county to award the former chief of staff a compensation package totaling more than $920,000. Hall’s fellow Fulton county commissioners voted to censure her, and slash the District 4 commissioner’s budget by $200,000 following the judgment. 

Challenger Ivory, who ran unsuccessfully for Atlanta City Council in 2017, is currently a professor and Director of the Entertainment, Sports, and Media Law Initiative at Georgia State University’s College of Law. Ivory is known for her legal and political analysis, appearing on CNN, MSNBC, and other major radio and television platforms. 

Former Georgia State Representative Stacey Abrams endorsed Ivory, who has won awards for community impact, service, and business influence. 

“I care about my community, and I get it,” Ivory says. “Making a home for my family and raising 6 kids in Atlanta for over 30 years, I know the needs of our community and how we work together toward priorities, action, and results.”

Hall did not respond to Canopy Atlanta’s request for comment.