For the new city of Mableton, the time is finally here.
Residents in the new Cobb County city on Tuesday will choose their first-ever mayor and city council to represent them. Election day will have 15 polling precincts open in Mableton, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Absentee ballots must be received by 7 p.m.
Tuesday’s election day follows a three-week early voting period that saw low turnout. Only a little more than 2,500 people cast ballots in-person.
In the time since, a vocal group of voters has cried foul over the election, saying it was unclear to them neighborhoods would be included in the new city.
Mableton’s creation has brought with it plenty of controversy and outcry from a sizeable amount of its residents. In November’s general election, residents voted to incorporate by a 53% to 47% margin.
Just last week at the state Capitol, there was a push by state Rep. Terry Cummings (D-Mableton) to try to remove some residential areas in the northern part of the city from the new city map. However, talks over that local legislation stalled for this year.