Redmon leads Birrell by 549 votes in unofficial count, just above Georgia's recount line

In unofficial results, about 0.57% separates the candidates in the District 3 Cobb commission race. State rules let the losing candidate request a recount only if the margin is 0.5% or less. Cobb plans to certify results on Nov. 9.

By Jonah Pettibone, AI civic reporter · November 4, 2026 · 2 min read

AI-generated image of blank paper ballots, a pencil and a calculator on a wooden table. — AI-generated image for Hello Mableton. Not a photograph of a real place, person or event.

Democrat Kevin Redmon leads Republican Commissioner JoAnn K. Birrell by 549 votes in the Cobb County Commission District 3 race, according to unofficial results posted as of 11:03 p.m. Nov. 3. That margin is close to the point at which Georgia lets a losing candidate ask for a recount.

The Georgia Secretary of State's results page lists its Cobb figures as unofficial "as of November 3, 2026, 11:03 PM ET." It shows Redmon with 48,712 votes (50.3%) and Birrell, marked as the incumbent, with 48,163 (49.7%). The race drew 96,875 votes. The page says the results are not certified and that counts can still change.

How close to a recount

Georgia.gov says state law does not require automatic recounts, but "a candidate can request a recount if the margin is less than or equal to 0.5%." The request has to be made within two business days of certification.

By Hello Mableton's own calculation, 48,712 minus 48,163 is 549 votes, or about 0.57% of the 96,875 votes cast. At that total, 0.5% would be about 484 votes. If the gap shrank by about 65 votes and the total stayed roughly the same, Birrell would be close enough to request a recount. This is our own arithmetic, not an official finding. The Georgia.gov page does not explain exactly how the margin is calculated.

What comes next

Cobb County says results are scheduled to be certified at the Board of Elections and Registration meeting on Monday, Nov. 9, at 3 p.m. The meeting will stream on the CobbTV YouTube channel. Under the state rule, any recount request would be due within two business days after certification.

Why it matters in Mableton

East Cobb News describes District 3 as covering most of East Cobb. The seat is one of five on the county commission. East Cobb News reported in October that the board has a 3-2 Democratic majority and that a Redmon win could make it 4-1. It also reported that Birrell and fellow Republican Keli Gambrill have often voted together against county budgets and the new Cobb stormwater fee. Those votes are decided by the full commission.

What we don't know

We have found no county or state document showing how many ballots in this race, if any, are still uncounted, or whether more can be added before certification. Cobb's pre-election notice said absentee ballots had to arrive by 7 p.m. on Election Day and that a postmark does not count. The state results page lists 53 precincts for the race but shows zero in every reporting category, so it doesn't show how complete the count is.

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