Category: 2017 Birmingham Elections
Bell, Woodfin Advance to Runoff in Birmingham Mayor’s Race
Birmingham Mayor William Bell may be in for the fight of his political life.
Bell failed to win a majority of votes cast in the Aug. 22 mayoral election — in fact, he wasn’t even the leading vote-getter — and now will go head-to-head against Birmingham Board of Education member Randall Woodfin in a runoff Oct. 3.
Woodfin took the top spot in the returns with 15,656 votes; at 40.84 percent, he was well short of the majority needed to avoid a runoff. Bell trailed Woodfin by a wide margin in early returns but closed the gap as the night wore on and finished with 14,011 votes, or 36.55 percent.
Woodfin attracted a diverse following in his campaign, and Bell ended the night vowing to focus in on his base before the next round of voting. Read more.
Birmingham City Election Results
Check here for results from Tuesday’s election. Many races, including the mayor’s race, are headed to runoffs because no candidate got more than 50 percent of the vote.
Winners in Tuesday’s Birmingham city election and candidates headed for runoffs:
Follow the Vote
The Birmingham City Clerk’s Office is posting results as they come in tonight. You can follow the results live here.
BirminghamWatch will be posting the final tallies tonight.
Voter Tools
BirminghamWatch Listening Sessions: A Community Conversation
Most of the Birmingham Board of Education members will be new after the election. What do they have to say?
BirminghamWatch has put together a package on the Board of Education that includes a Q&A of candidates on some of the top issues the board will be facing, along with stories on challenges before the board and a rundown of what the board could look like after the new group is elected and takes office. Read more.
What Could the Board of Education Look Like After the Elections?
With five of nine Birmingham City Schools board members not seeking reelection, the city school’s governing body will have a majority of new members in the next administration. Read more.
BW Listening: What were residents thinking about before Tuesday’s election?
VIDEOS: BirminghamWatch brought residents together for a series of meetings leading up to the 2017 elections.
Challenges Loom for New Board of Education Members
When seats are filled in the upcoming election, what challenges will the new board face? Charter schools, for one thing, but put communication systems on that list, too. Read more.
