Early voting is underway for Georgia Senate runoff between Shigley, Dickerson

Friday, September 12, 2025 at 3:16 PM

It’s the final countdown for Democrat Debra Shigley and Republican Jason Dickerson in their mission to represent a suburban Atlanta state Senate district. Early voting begins Saturday in parts of Fulton and Cherokee counties ahead of the Sept. 23 election, when residents will select a successor for former state Sen. Brandon Beach, an Alpharetta Republican […]

Democrat Debra Shigley and Republican Jason Dickerson will face off one last time in their quest to become Georgia's next state senator. Amber Roldan/Georgia Recorder

It’s the final countdown for Democrat Debra Shigley and Republican Jason Dickerson in their mission to represent a suburban Atlanta state Senate district.

Early voting begins Saturday in parts of Fulton and Cherokee counties ahead of the Sept. 23 election, when residents will select a successor for former state Sen. Brandon Beach, an Alpharetta Republican now serving as U.S. Treasurer.

Democrats are hoping to replace the MAGA stalwart with Shigley, a Milton mom, attorney and small business owner.

Shigley was the top vote-getter in last month’s special election, but the Republican vote was split six ways. Flipping the seat that Beach regularly won by wide margins will not be an easy feat, but Democrats are expressing confidence that frustration with GOP control of the state and federal government will help push Shigley over the top.

They’re pulling out all the stops, including an assist from Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is scheduled to help with Shigley’s weekend get-out-the-vote effort.

Dickerson, a Cherokee County investment manager, has been hitting the trail as well and touting endorsements from top Georgia Republicans like U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick of Suwanee.

Republicans are betting that Dickerson will consolidate the votes earned by other Republicans in last month’s race and stop Democrats from flipping the seat.

Early voting will take place Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Polling places will be open on election day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

An ID is required to vote. To make sure you live in the district and review polling places, visit the secretary of state’s My Voter Page.

SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE

More from GA News

Two Democrats advance to a runoff in contest to name new state senator for metro Atlanta district

Two candidates vying to replace former state Sen. Jason Esteves to represent a metro Atlanta Senate seat are headed to a runoff election next month after neither candidate managed to secure more than 50% of the vote in a six-way special election held Tuesday. Esteves, an Atlanta Democrat, resigned from the state Senate in September […]
‘Culture of fear’ leaves new prosecutor alone at helm of Georgia’s Trump probe

The stalled Georgia case against President Donald Trump and more than a dozen allies accused of trying to invalidate the results of the 2020 election was given new life last week. Or was it? Peter Skandalakis, who was tasked with assigning the case to a different prosecutor following Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ dismissal […]
Critics warn proposal to accelerate construction permitting in Georgia threatens water quality

Proponents of a bill designed to speed up the construction permitting process say the changes are needed to address a lack of affordable housing. But local officials and environmental groups warn the proposal would add a “shot clock” that could compromise public safety and lead to increased water pollution from construction runoff. The bill, sponsored […]
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is charting a path for a post-Trump era, GOP observers say

What’s going on with Marjorie? That’s the question President Donald Trump had reportedly been asking senior Republicans about Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene last month as she publicly disagreed with him over policies like Affordable Care Act subsidies and the genocide in Gaza, as she put it. More and more people are asking about the state […]
Lawmakers weigh seismic changes to Georgia’s voting equipment

Ahead of the momentous 2020 presidential election, Georgia’s state leaders faced a choice. The state’s voting system prior to that year consisted of 27,000 electronic voting machines that had been in use since 2002, which were reaching the end of their life and needed to be replaced. The voting machines, officially called direct-recording electronic voting […]