Mary Norwood questions election outcome based on improper annexations

Former mayoral candidate Mary Norwood watches as workers recount the votes cast in the Atlanta mayoral election runoff at the Fulton County Elections Preparation Center on Thursday. HYOSUB SHIN / HSHIN@AJC.COM

Former mayoral candidate Mary Norwood watches as workers recount the votes cast in the Atlanta mayoral election runoff at the Fulton County Elections Preparation Center on Thursday. HYOSUB SHIN / HSHIN@AJC.COM

An attorney for Atlanta mayoral candidate Mary Norwood said on Thursday that the campaign had identified hundreds of votes that should not have been counted in the Dec.-5 mayoral runoff.

A few days prior to the election, a Georgia Supreme Court order cast doubt on the legitimacy of the annexations of Loch Lomond and the other unincorporated areas in Southwest Fulton County.

Norwood’s attorney, Vincent R. Russo, pointed to a map showing that the election board included the area in the city on election day.

Four other neighborhoods were part of the same annexation. Russo said that the campaign is investigating how many people in those areas voted in the mayor’s race and whether those votes should have been counted. Norwood lost the mayor’s race to fellow City Councilwoman Keisha Lance Bottoms by 832 votes.

A recount was being held Thursday morning.

Richard Barron, the executive director of the Fulton County Board of Elections and registration, said that the last time he checked, that the board had included Loch Lomond within the city’s boundaries, but he could not be certain.

He said he didn’t want to comment further until he learned more.