Sandy Springs residents will choose their next Fulton County commissioner on Tuesday, Nov. 3, in a special election to fill the District 4 seat that has sat empty since June.

Two Democrats qualified for the race: Karen Rene', whose listed occupation is management, and Natalie Hall, an information technology director. Both qualified on April 29, according to Fulton County's candidate list. No Republicans or independents filed.

The seat opened because former Commissioner Mo Ivory stepped down to run for Fulton County Commission chair. Georgia law required her to vacate the District 4 post before seeking the countywide position. Ivory won the May 19 Democratic primary, unseating longtime Chair Robb Pitts.

The seat has been listed as vacant on every BOC roll call since at least April 15, according to county agenda records. That means Sandy Springs has gone months without a voting representative on the seven-member commission during budget season and while development decisions along GA-400 continue.

Key dates for voters

Voter registration closes Monday, Oct. 5. Advance voting runs Oct. 13 through Oct. 30. On Election Day, polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m., according to the county's official call for election. If neither candidate wins a majority, a runoff is set for Tuesday, Dec. 1.

Sandy Springs voters have used the North Fulton Service Center at 7741 Roswell Road and the Sandy Springs Library at 395 Mount Vernon Highway for advance voting in previous 2026 elections. Fulton County has not yet published the official advance voting site list for the Nov. 3 election.

Why it was delayed

The Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections voted March 16 to schedule the special election for Nov. 3 rather than May 19, Fulton Neighbor reported. Those were the only two available dates under state law. On Aug. 5, the Board of Commissioners approved an intergovernmental agreement with the City of Sandy Springs to conduct city special elections on the same ballot, according to BOC meeting records.

The District 4 commission race will share the Nov. 3 ballot with an ESPLOST referendum and Sandy Springs city special elections.

Residents who are not yet registered can do so through Oct. 5 at the Georgia Secretary of State's voter registration portal or at the Fulton County Department of Registration and Elections.