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The '''2021 Birmingham municipal election''' is a [[:Category:Birmingham municipal elections|municipal election]] that will be held on [[August 24]], [[2021]] to fill the positions of [[Mayor of Birmingham]] and all nine seats on the [[Birmingham City Council]] and [[Birmingham Board of Education]].
[[File:2021 Bham mayoral debate.png|right|thumb|375px|Screenshot from the August 17 on-line mayoral debate]]
The '''2021 Birmingham municipal election''' was a [[:Category:Birmingham municipal elections|municipal election]] held on [[August 24]], [[2021]] to fill the positions of [[Mayor of Birmingham]] and all nine seats on the [[Birmingham City Council]] and [[Birmingham Board of Education]].


It will be the third concurrent ballot for Mayor and City Council after the election cycle for Mayor was changed by state law in [[2010]]. The official qualification period for candidates is between [[June 25]], [[2020]] and [[July 10]], [[2021]]. Runoff elections, if necessary, will be held on [[October 5]], [[2021]]. The certification / canvassing of election results will occur on [[August 31]], [[2021]].
It was the third concurrent ballot for Mayor and City Council after the election cycle for Mayor was changed by state law in [[2010]]. The election was held prior to redistricting from the [[2020]] U.S. census.


Candidates were allowed to begin fundraising one year prior to election day on [[August 24]], [[2020]].
Candidates were allowed to begin fundraising one year prior to election day on [[August 24]], [[2020]]. The official qualification period for candidates was between [[June 25]], [[2020]] and [[July 10]], [[2021]]. The certification of the election results is scheduled to take place on [[August 31]], [[2021]].


The  '''2021 Birmingham municipal election''' will be held before the [[2020]] census-directed redistricting.
36,791 of Birmingham's 145,564 registered voters appeared at the polls, for a turnout of 25.3%. Votes were collected at 68 [[Jefferson County voting precincts|precincts]]. In the mayoral race, incumbent Randall Woodfin earned a commanding 64% of votes cast in an 8-way race to win a second term outright. He garnered at least 50% of the vote in every precinct, but saw his strongest support in the southern and eastern parts of the city, topped by two [[Avondale]] precincts where he won 87% of the vote.


==Candidates==
All of the incumbents running for city council finished at the top of the ballot, but sitting Council President and District 4 representative [[William Parker]] was forced into a run-off with [[J. T. Moore]], while District 9 representative [[John Hilliard]] goes to the run-off against [[LaTonya Tate]].
===Mayor===
* [[Randall Woodfin]] (incumbent)
* [[William Bell]]
* [[Steven Hoyt]]
* [[Lashunda Scales]]
* [[Darryl Williams]]
* [[Chris Woods]]
* [[Cerissa Brown]]


===City Council===
Two incumbents in the [[Birmingham Board of Education]], [[Terri Michal]] (District 2) and board president [[Daagye Hendricks]] (District 4) were defeated by challengers [[Neonta Williams]] and [[Derrick Billups]] respectively. In District 1, [[Sherman Collins]] slightly outpolled incumbent [[Douglas Ragland]], without enough votes to avoid a runoff matchup. Another runoff was scheduled between newcomers [[Le'Darius Hilliard]] and [[Jason Meadows]] in the District 9 seat left vacant by [[Sandra Brown]]'s decision not to run. Meadows won that contest.
 
Runoff elections in District 1, District 4 and District 9 were held on [[October 5]], [[2021]]. On a day marked by heavy showers, only 3,919 ballots were cast, representing about 8% of the 46,734 registered voters living in districts facing runoff elections. In the run-offs, J. T. Moore (City Council, District 4), LaTonya Tate (City Council, District 9), Sherman Collins (Board of Education, District 1), and Jason Meadows (Board of Education, District 9), won respectively.
 
==Unofficial results==
===[[Mayor of Birmingham]]===
* '''[[Randall Woodfin]]''' (incumbent), 23,616 votes (64.3%), winner
* [[Lashunda Scales]], 7,625 votes (20.8%)
* [[William Bell]], 3,354 votes (9.1.%)
* [[Chris Woods]], 1,562 votes (4.3%)
* [[Cerissa Brown|Cerissa A. Brown]], 236 votes (0.6%)
* [[E. Philemon Hill]], 149 votes (0.4%)
* [[Darryl Williams]], 120 votes (0.3%)
* [[Napoleon Gonzalez]], 47 votes (0.1%)
 
===[[Birmingham City Council]]===
{|-
{|-
| valign="top" |
| valign="top" |
* [[Birmingham City Council District 1|District 1]]:
* [[Birmingham City Council District 1|District 1]]:
** [[Clinton Woods]] (incumbent)
** '''[[Clinton Woods]]''' (incumbent), unopposed
* [[Birmingham City Council District 2|District 2]]:
* [[Birmingham City Council District 2|District 2]]:
** [[Hunter Williams]] (incumbent)
** '''[[Hunter Williams]]''' (incumbent), 2,658 votes (69.5%), winner
** [[Kimberly Jeanty]]
** [[Kimberly Jeanty]], 634 votes (16.6%)
** [[Lawrence Conaway]], 417 votes (10.9%)
** [[Don D. Scott]], 117 votes (3.1%)
* [[Birmingham City Council District 3|District 3]]:
* [[Birmingham City Council District 3|District 3]]:
** [[Joseph Casper Baker III]]
** '''[[Valerie Abbott]]''' (incumbent), 2,099 votes (52.8%), winner
** [[Blake Guinn]]
** [[Alice Speake]], 1,142 votes (28.7%)
** [[Valerie Abbott]]
** [[Joseph Baker|Joseph Baker III]], 498 votes (12.5%)
** [[Wil Jones]], 239 votes (6.0%)
* [[Birmingham City Council District 4|District 4]]:
* [[Birmingham City Council District 4|District 4]]:
** [[Scottie McClaney]]
** '''[[J. T. Moore]]''', 830 votes (23.2%); 710 votes in runoff (58.4%), winner
** [[Cory Pettway]]
** [[William Parker]] (incumbent), 1,501 votes (41.9%); 505 votes in runoff (42.6%)
** [[Gwen Webb]]
** [[Cory Pettway]], 430 votes (12.0%)
** [[J.T. Moore]]
** [[Scottie McClaney]], 424 votes (11.8%)
** [[Gwendolyn Webb|Gwendolyn Cook Webb]], 402 votes (11.2%)
* [[Birmingham City Council District 5|District 5]]:
* [[Birmingham City Council District 5|District 5]]:
** [[Darrell O'Quinn]] (incumbent)
** '''[[Darrell O'Quinn]]''' (incumbent), 2,156 votes (57.6%), winner
** [[Richard Franklin]], 781 votes (20.9%)
** [[Erica Robbins|Erica "Star" Robbins]], 490 votes (13.1%)
** [[Roshanique Taylor|Roshanique Yvette Taylor]], 258 votes (6.9%)
** [[Hiram Rahim|Hiram G. Rahim]], 56 votes (1.5%)
| valign="top" |
| valign="top" |
* [[Birmingham City Council District 6|District 6]]:
* [[Birmingham City Council District 6|District 6]]:
** [[Keith Williams|Keith O. Williams]]
** '''[[Crystal Smitherman]]''' (incumbent), 2,374 votes (66.6%), winner
** [[Crystal Smitherman]] (incumbent)
** [[Keith Aaron]], 1021 votes (28.6%)
** [[Keith Williams|Keith O. Williams]], 172 votes (4.8%)
* [[Birmingham City Council District 7|District 7]]:
* [[Birmingham City Council District 7|District 7]]:
** [[Lonnie Malone]]
** '''[[Wardine Alexander]]''' (incumbent), 2,278 votes (53.0%), winner
** [[Lonnie Malone]], 1,213 votes (28.2%)
** [[La'Toya Lee]], 616 votes (14.3%)
** [[Donald Stone|Don "Donnie" Stone]], 194 votes (4.5%)
* [[Birmingham City Council District 8|District 8]]:
* [[Birmingham City Council District 8|District 8]]:
** [[Barbara Files]]
** '''[[Carol Clarke]]''', 2,059 votes (51.7%), winner
** [[Adlai Trone]]
** [[Celida Soto|Celida "Celi" Soto]], 610 votes (15.3%)
** [[Carol Clarke]]
** [[Adlai Trone]], 481 votes (12.1%)
** [[Barbara Files Kennedy]], 326 votes (8.2%)
** [[Harry Turner Jr|Harry "Traveling Shoes" Turner]], 165 votes (4.2%)
** [[Wanda Wright]], 145 votes (3.6%)
** [[Lynette Peters]], 101 votes (2.5%)
** [[D. Denise Webber-Jenkins]], 93 votes (2.4%)
* [[Birmingham City Council District 9|District 9]]:
* [[Birmingham City Council District 9|District 9]]:
** [[John Hilliard]] (incumbent)
** '''[[LaTonya Tate]]''', 1,320 votes (29.3%); 987 votes in runoff (51.6%), winner
** [[LaTonya Tate]]
** [[John Hilliard]] (incumbent), 2,212 votes (49.2%); 927 votes in runoff (48.4%)
** [[Eric Hall]]
** [[Eric Hall]], 677 votes (15.1%)
** [[David Russell]], 290 votes (6.5%)
|}
|}


===Board of Education===
===[[Birmingham Board of Education]]===
{|-
{|-
| valign="top" |
| valign="top" |
* [[Birmingham City Council District 1|District 1]]:
* [[Birmingham City Council District 1|District 1]]:
** [[Douglas Ragland]]
** '''[[Sherman Collins]]''', 1,827 votes (43.1%); 394 votes in runoff (50.6%), winner
** [[Douglas Ragland]] (incumbent), 1,814 votes (42.8%), 385 votes in runoff (49.4%)
** [[Jerry Tate]], 601 votes (14.2%)
* [[Birmingham City Council District 2|District 2]]:
* [[Birmingham City Council District 2|District 2]]:
** none announced
** '''[[Neonta Williams]]''', 2,064 votes (56.2%), winner
** [[Terri Michal]] (incumbent), 1,608 votes (43.8%)
* [[Birmingham City Council District 3|District 3]]:
* [[Birmingham City Council District 3|District 3]]:
** none announced
** '''[[Mary Boehm]]''' (incumbent), 3,204 votes (84.5%), winner
** [[Byron Lagrone|Byron "Anti-Charter School" Lagrone]], 566 votes (15.0%)
* [[Birmingham City Council District 4|District 4]]:
* [[Birmingham City Council District 4|District 4]]:
** none announced
** '''[[Derrick Billups]]''', 1,951 votes (55.1%), winner
** [[Daagye Hendricks]] (incumbent), 1,589 votes (44.9%)
* [[Birmingham City Council District 5|District 5]]:
* [[Birmingham City Council District 5|District 5]]:
** [[James Sullivan]]
** '''[[James Sullivan]]''', 1,886 votes (53.3%), winner
** [[David McKinney|David Tarell McKinney]], 1,637 votes (46.5%)
| valign="top" |
| valign="top" |
* [[Birmingham City Council District 6|District 6]]:
* [[Birmingham City Council District 6|District 6]]:
** [[Leticia Watkins]]
** '''[[Leticia Watkins]]''', 2,273 votes (66.5%), winner
** [[Tony Christon-Walker]]
** [[Yancey Williams Sr]], 1,007 votes (28.6%)
** [[Jamaree' Collins]], 247 votes (7.0%)
* [[Birmingham City Council District 7|District 7]]:
* [[Birmingham City Council District 7|District 7]]:
**[[Walter Wilson| Walter “Big Walt” Wilson]]
** '''[[Walter Wilson|Walter "Big Walt" Wilson]]''' (incumbent), unopposed
* [[Birmingham City Council District 8|District 8]]:
* [[Birmingham City Council District 8|District 8]]:
**[[Antwon Womack]]
** '''[[Sonja Smith]]''' (incumbent), 2,469 votes (62.3%), winner
** [[Antwon Womack]], 746 votes (18.8%)
** [[Toni King|Antoinette "Toni" King]], 490 votes (12.4%)
** [[Curtis Tyrone Robinson]], 260 votes (6.6%)
* [[Birmingham City Council District 9|District 9]]:
* [[Birmingham City Council District 9|District 9]]:
** none announced
** '''[[Jason Meadows]]''', 1,878 votes (41.9%); 1,361 votes in runoff (72.1%), winner
** [[Le'Darius Hilliard]], 1,934 votes (43.2%), 527 votes in runoff (27.9%)
** [[Susan Diane Mitchell]], 670 votes (15.0%)
|}
|}


==Campaigns==
Note: Where a candidate's nickname is present, that is how their name was shown on the ballot.
[[Randall Woodfin]] announced his re-election campaign for the Mayor's office on [[August 25]], [[2020]] and held a campaign kick-off event on [[January 30]] at [[George Ward Park]]. [[Steven Hoyt]], current [[Birmingham City Council District 8|District 8]] representative, and [[Darryl Williams]], announced their bids for the Mayor’s office during the week of [[August 24]], [[2020]]. [[Chris Woods]] announced his candidacy on [[January 13]], [[2021]], followed by [[Lashunda Scales]] on Martin Luther King Jr Day, [[January 18]]. Former mayor [[William Bell]] confirmed his intention to run on [[February 2]]. [[Cerissa Brown]] formally announced her candidacy for Mayor at [[Legion Field]] on [[February 13]].
 
===Fundraising===
On [[September 8]] the Woodfin campaign announced that they had raised $270,000 in their first week fundraising. Major contributors included [[Eric Bledsoe]], [[Charles Barkley]], [[Raymond Harbert]], and [[Shipt]].
<!--Contributors who have donated over $5,000 to Mayoral candidates are listed in the tables below.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Woodfin Campaign Contributions greater than $5,000
|-
! scope="col"| Amount ($)
! scope="col"| Contributor
! scope="col"| Source
! scope="col"| Date
|-
|25,000
|Eric Bledsoe
|Individual
|10/28/20
|-
|25,000
|Charles Barkley
|Individual
|10/29/20
|-
|15,000
|Raymond J. Harbert
|Individual
|10/06/20
|-
|12,000
|Shipt, Inc
|Business
|09/08/20
|-
|10,000
|Louis Benefield
|Individual
|08/25/20
|-
|10,000
|John J. McMahon III
|Individual
|08/26/20
|-
|10,000
|John J. McMahon Jr
|Individual
|08/26/20
|-
|10,000
|John Hand LLC
|Business
|08/28/20
|-
|10,000
|Jesse Lewis
|Individual
|09/10/20
|-
|10,000
|North Alabama PAC
|PAC
|09/30/20
|-
|10,000
|Zuma Alpha Properties
|Business
|10/25/20
|-
|10,000
|Peter Kern
|Individual
|10/27/20
|-
|9,000
|Alexander Shunnarah
|Individual
|08/31/20
|-
|8,000
|Mario Addison
|Individual
|08/27/20
|-
|7,500
|Bryson Stephens
|Individual
|08/29/20
|-
|7,500
|Southern Strategy Group PAC
|PAC
|09/03/20
|-
|7,500
|G Page
|Individual
|09/09/20
|-
|7,500
|Brooke Coleman
|Individual
|10/23/20
|-
|}-->
<!--===City Council===
===District 1===
No candidates have announced or filed for candidacy for [[Birmingham City Council District 1|District 1]]
 
===District 2===
No candidates have announced or filed for candidacy for [[Birmingham City Council District 2|District 2]]


===District 3===
===Former Candidates===
[[Joseph Casper Baker III]] announced his candidacy on Facebook and other social media platforms on [[August 24]], [[2020]].  [[Blake Guinn]] announced his candidacy on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter on [[August 30]], [[2020]].
The following is a list of candidates announced their intent to run, but either failed to qualify or withdrew their run.


===District 4===
{|-
[[Scottie McClaney]] and [[Cory Pettway]] announced their candidacy on Facebook in January 2021.
| valign="top" |
* [[Mayor of Birmingham]]
** [[Juanita Jones]]
** [[Stephen Hoyt]]
* [[Birmingham City Council]]:
** [[Blake Guinn]] (District 3)
** [[Clarence Muhammad]] (District 6)
** [[Kevin Powe]] (District 9)
* [[Birmingham Board of Education]]:
** [[Angela Scoggins-Watkins]] (District 5)
** [[Tony Christon-Walker]] (District 6)
** [[Linda Roper Richardson]] (District 7)
** [[Brandon Cleveland]] (District 9)
|}


===District 5===
==Campaigns==
No candidates have announced or filed for candidacy for [[Birmingham City Council District 5|District 5]]
[[Randall Woodfin]] announced his re-election campaign for the Mayor's office on [[August 25]], [[2020]] and held a campaign kick-off event on [[January 30]] at [[George Ward Park]]. [[Steven Hoyt]], current [[Birmingham City Council District 8|District 8]] representative, and [[Darryl Williams]], announced their bids for the Mayor's office during the week of [[August 24]], [[2020]]. [[Chris Woods]] announced his candidacy on [[January 13]], [[2021]], followed by [[Lashunda Scales]] on Martin Luther King Jr Day, [[January 18]]. Former mayor [[William Bell]] confirmed his intention to run on [[February 2]]. [[Cerissa Brown]] formally announced her candidacy for Mayor at [[Legion Field]] on [[February 13]]. [[E. Philemon Hill]] entered the race in May.
===District 6===
[[Keith O. Williams]] announced his candidacy on Facebook on [[August 25]], [[2020]].


===District 7===
===Debates===
[[Lonnie Malone]] announced his candidacy on Facebook and other social media platforms.
A "Mayoral Town Hall Debate" sponsored by the [[Jefferson County Millennial Democrats]] and moderated by [[Dana Woodruff]] was held at the [[Lit in 8th]] nightclub on [[June 24]]. Woodfin, Scales, Bell and Woods were invited to participate.


===District 8===
Those four also appeared in an [[August 13]] debate sponsored by [[WVTM]] and [[WATV]] which was moderated by [[Lisa Crane]] ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX3l8VgeNgg link]).
No candidates have announced or filed for candidacy for [[Birmingham City Council District 8|District 8]]


===District 9===
An online debate co-sponsored by [[Al.com]], ''[[The Birmingham Times]]'', [[Summit Media]], [[CBS 42]], and the [[Birmingham Association of Black Journalists]] was held on [[August 17]] with all mayoral candidates invited to participate. [[Janae Pierre]] moderated that debate, with questions from a panel which included [[Roy S. Johnson]], [[Barnett Wright]], [[Sherri Jackson]], [[Cody Short]] and [[Shelia Smoot]]. Woodfin, Scales, Bell, Brown and Hill participated. Woods was unavailable and Gonzalez was unable to participate due to technical difficulties. A number of topics were discussed during the event, but Woodfin's "[[Birmingham Promise]]" attracted the most comment from challengers who viewed the program as self-serving and a drain on public school funding.
[[John Hilliard]] has not officially announced their candidacy, but filled campaign finance reports for his District 9 election campaign for September and October of [[2020]] with [[Jefferson County]].


==Birmingham Board of Education Campaign==
===Fundraising===
===District 1===
On [[September 8]] the Woodfin campaign announced that they had raised $270,000 in their first week fundraising. Major contributors included [[Eric Bledsoe]], [[Charles Barkley]], [[Raymond Harbert]], and [[Shipt]]. He later reported large donations from the [[North Alabama PAC]], [[Sheree Acheson]], [[Marcel Dareus]], [[Margaret Hemberg]] and [[London Ash]].
No candidates have announced or filed for candidacy for [[Birmingham City Council District 1|District 1]]


===District 2===
Bell's challenge was supported by [[David Shelby]], [[Triangle Partners]], and [[United PAC]]. Scales reported major contributions from [[Marion Collins]], [[Raymond Brooks]], [[Shedrick Vance]], [[Ralph Sanders]] and [[Win Pac-2018]]. Chris Woods took large donations from the [[Alabama Development PAC]] as well as [[James Andrews]], [[Christopher Travis]], [[Robins & Morton]] and [[R. P. Wilkin]].
No candidates have announced or filed for candidacy for [[Birmingham City Council District 2|District 2]]


===District 3===
===Polls===
No candidates have announced or filed for candidacy for [[Birmingham City Council District 3|District 3]]
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center; width: 50em;"
 
!Pollster!!Dates!!No. polled!!Woodfin!!Bell!!Scales!!Woods!!Brown!!undecided
===District 4===
|-
No candidates have announced or filed for candidacy for [[Birmingham City Council District 4|District 4]]
|Chism||4/1–5||662||'''49.4%'''||13.6% ||12.2%||3.7%||n/a||21.0%
 
|-
===District 5===
|''B'ham Times''||5/11–6/4||250||'''52.0%'''||9.6% ||10.8%||2.4%||1.6%||23.2%
No candidates have announced or filed for candidacy for [[Birmingham City Council District 5|District 5]]
|-
 
|}
===District 6===
No candidates have announced or filed for candidacy for [[Birmingham City Council District 6|District 6]]
 
===District 7===
[[Walter Wilson| Walter “Big Walt” Wilson]] announced his candidacy on Facebook.
 
===District 8===
[[Wanda Bryant]] and [[A Bernard Womack]] both announced their candidacy on Facebook
 
===District 9===
No candidates have announced or filed for candidacy for [[Birmingham City Council District 9|District 9]]-->


==References==
==References==
Line 243: Line 167:
* Garrison, Greg (January 13, 2021) "Chris Woods runs for mayor, blames Woodfin for ‘riots’." {{BN}}
* Garrison, Greg (January 13, 2021) "Chris Woods runs for mayor, blames Woodfin for ‘riots’." {{BN}}
* Taylor, Drew (January 18, 2021) "Jefferson County Commissioner Lashunda Scales running for mayor of Birmingham." CBS42.com
* Taylor, Drew (January 18, 2021) "Jefferson County Commissioner Lashunda Scales running for mayor of Birmingham." CBS42.com
* Prickett, Sam (February 9, 2021) "Candidates Lining Up to Run for Birmingham City Council." ''[[BirminghamWatch]]''
* Prickett, Sam (February 16, 2021) "Field of Candidates for Birmingham Mayor Continues to Grow." ''[[BirminghamWatch]]''
* Prickett, Sam (May 18, 2021) "New Challengers Enter Birmingham City Elections." ''[[BirminghamWatch]]''
* Wright, Barnett & Carter Dewees (June 24, 2021) "[http://www.birminghamtimes.com/2021/06/poll-woodfin-has-commanding-lead-in-2021-birmingham-mayors-race/ Poll: Woodfin Has Commanding Lead in 2021 Birmingham Mayor’s Race]" {{BT}}
* Prickett, Sam (June 28, 2021) "Birmingham Elections Begin Officially as Candidates File Qualifying Papers." ''[[BirminghamWatch]]''
* Martin, Virginia (July 10, 2021) "Birmingham Elections Ballot Set." ''[[BirminghamWatch]]''
* "[https://wbhm.org/2021/2021-birmingham-mayoral-candidate-profiles/ 2021 Birmingham Mayoral Candidate Profiles]" (August 16, 2021) WBHM.org/''[[Birmingham Watch]]''
* "[https://wbhm.org/2021/whos-running-for-birmingham-city-council/ Who’s Running For Birmingham City Council?]" (August 16, 2021) WBHM.org/''[[Birmingham Watch]]''
* "Birmingham Mayoral Debate 2021: How to watch." (August 17, 2021) {{BN}}
* Michaels, Ryan (August 18, 2021) "Birmingham Mayoral Debate Turns Testy Over Woodfin’s Scholarships Program." {{BT}}
* McDonald, Virginia (August 24, 2021) "Two Incumbents, Including President, Ousted From The Birmingham School Board Of Education." ''[[BirminghamWatch]]''/WBHM.org
* Archibald, Ramsey (August 25, 2021) "Randall Woodfin waltzed to reelection on Tuesday: Here’s where he earned the most votes." {{BN}}
* Faulk, Kent & Roy S. Johnson (October 5, 2021) "Two Birmingham council incumbents lose reelection bids in Tuesday runoffs." {{BN}}


==External links==
==External links==
*[https://www.sos.alabama.gov/alabama-votes/voter/upcoming-elections Alabama Secretary of State Upcoming Elections] at sos.alabama.gov
*[https://www.sos.alabama.gov/alabama-votes/voter/upcoming-elections Alabama Secretary of State Upcoming Elections] at sos.alabama.gov
*[https://www.birminghamal.gov/about/city-directory/city-clerk/ Birmingham City Clerk Upcoming Elections] at birminghamal.gov
*[https://www.birminghamal.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Unofficial-Combined-Election-Reports-for-August-24.pdf Unofficial election results] at birminghamal.gov




[[Category:Birmingham municipal elections]]
[[Category:Birmingham municipal elections]]
[[Category:2021 events]]
[[Category:2021 events]]

Latest revision as of 09:49, 30 October 2023

Screenshot from the August 17 on-line mayoral debate

The 2021 Birmingham municipal election was a municipal election held on August 24, 2021 to fill the positions of Mayor of Birmingham and all nine seats on the Birmingham City Council and Birmingham Board of Education.

It was the third concurrent ballot for Mayor and City Council after the election cycle for Mayor was changed by state law in 2010. The election was held prior to redistricting from the 2020 U.S. census.

Candidates were allowed to begin fundraising one year prior to election day on August 24, 2020. The official qualification period for candidates was between June 25, 2020 and July 10, 2021. The certification of the election results is scheduled to take place on August 31, 2021.

36,791 of Birmingham's 145,564 registered voters appeared at the polls, for a turnout of 25.3%. Votes were collected at 68 precincts. In the mayoral race, incumbent Randall Woodfin earned a commanding 64% of votes cast in an 8-way race to win a second term outright. He garnered at least 50% of the vote in every precinct, but saw his strongest support in the southern and eastern parts of the city, topped by two Avondale precincts where he won 87% of the vote.

All of the incumbents running for city council finished at the top of the ballot, but sitting Council President and District 4 representative William Parker was forced into a run-off with J. T. Moore, while District 9 representative John Hilliard goes to the run-off against LaTonya Tate.

Two incumbents in the Birmingham Board of Education, Terri Michal (District 2) and board president Daagye Hendricks (District 4) were defeated by challengers Neonta Williams and Derrick Billups respectively. In District 1, Sherman Collins slightly outpolled incumbent Douglas Ragland, without enough votes to avoid a runoff matchup. Another runoff was scheduled between newcomers Le'Darius Hilliard and Jason Meadows in the District 9 seat left vacant by Sandra Brown's decision not to run. Meadows won that contest.

Runoff elections in District 1, District 4 and District 9 were held on October 5, 2021. On a day marked by heavy showers, only 3,919 ballots were cast, representing about 8% of the 46,734 registered voters living in districts facing runoff elections. In the run-offs, J. T. Moore (City Council, District 4), LaTonya Tate (City Council, District 9), Sherman Collins (Board of Education, District 1), and Jason Meadows (Board of Education, District 9), won respectively.

Unofficial results

Mayor of Birmingham

Birmingham City Council

Birmingham Board of Education

Note: Where a candidate's nickname is present, that is how their name was shown on the ballot.

Former Candidates

The following is a list of candidates announced their intent to run, but either failed to qualify or withdrew their run.

Campaigns

Randall Woodfin announced his re-election campaign for the Mayor's office on August 25, 2020 and held a campaign kick-off event on January 30 at George Ward Park. Steven Hoyt, current District 8 representative, and Darryl Williams, announced their bids for the Mayor's office during the week of August 24, 2020. Chris Woods announced his candidacy on January 13, 2021, followed by Lashunda Scales on Martin Luther King Jr Day, January 18. Former mayor William Bell confirmed his intention to run on February 2. Cerissa Brown formally announced her candidacy for Mayor at Legion Field on February 13. E. Philemon Hill entered the race in May.

Debates

A "Mayoral Town Hall Debate" sponsored by the Jefferson County Millennial Democrats and moderated by Dana Woodruff was held at the Lit in 8th nightclub on June 24. Woodfin, Scales, Bell and Woods were invited to participate.

Those four also appeared in an August 13 debate sponsored by WVTM and WATV which was moderated by Lisa Crane (link).

An online debate co-sponsored by Al.com, The Birmingham Times, Summit Media, CBS 42, and the Birmingham Association of Black Journalists was held on August 17 with all mayoral candidates invited to participate. Janae Pierre moderated that debate, with questions from a panel which included Roy S. Johnson, Barnett Wright, Sherri Jackson, Cody Short and Shelia Smoot. Woodfin, Scales, Bell, Brown and Hill participated. Woods was unavailable and Gonzalez was unable to participate due to technical difficulties. A number of topics were discussed during the event, but Woodfin's "Birmingham Promise" attracted the most comment from challengers who viewed the program as self-serving and a drain on public school funding.

Fundraising

On September 8 the Woodfin campaign announced that they had raised $270,000 in their first week fundraising. Major contributors included Eric Bledsoe, Charles Barkley, Raymond Harbert, and Shipt. He later reported large donations from the North Alabama PAC, Sheree Acheson, Marcel Dareus, Margaret Hemberg and London Ash.

Bell's challenge was supported by David Shelby, Triangle Partners, and United PAC. Scales reported major contributions from Marion Collins, Raymond Brooks, Shedrick Vance, Ralph Sanders and Win Pac-2018. Chris Woods took large donations from the Alabama Development PAC as well as James Andrews, Christopher Travis, Robins & Morton and R. P. Wilkin.

Polls

Pollster Dates No. polled Woodfin Bell Scales Woods Brown undecided
Chism 4/1–5 662 49.4% 13.6% 12.2% 3.7% n/a 21.0%
B'ham Times 5/11–6/4 250 52.0% 9.6% 10.8% 2.4% 1.6% 23.2%

References

External links

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