77% of Chatham voters approved freezing homestead values for school taxes at 2025 levels. The school board District 2 race goes to a Dec. 1 runoff.
Chatham County voters approved a freeze on the taxable value of homes for school taxes Tuesday, unofficial results show. The question passed 83,033 to 24,713, with 77.1% voting yes.
The race for the District 2 seat on the Savannah-Chatham County Board of Public Education was not settled. Mary Snowden, the board’s appointee to the seat, finished 64 votes ahead of Valarie Grimes, and neither came close to a majority.
The figures come from Chatham County’s unofficial results on the Georgia Secretary of State’s results site. All 86 Chatham precincts had reported by Wednesday. Results are unofficial until the county certifies them.
What it means for you
- Homeowners: your school tax value stops climbing. The yes vote caps the assessed value used for school taxes on a homestead at its 2025 level. It covers school taxes only, not city or county taxes.
- District 2 voters may vote again Dec. 1. Georgia’s runoff date is Tuesday, Dec. 1. The last day to request an absentee ballot for it is Friday, Nov. 20.
- Check your districts for the school board, the legislature and Congress on the state’s My Voter Page.
- Our voting page has the Board of Elections and registrars’ contacts.
The school tax question
The question was on every Chatham County ballot. The county’s special election notice gives the wording in full:
“Shall the Act amending the adjusted base year assessed value homestead exemption from Chatham County and City of Savannah School District ad valorem taxes for educational purposes be approved so as to prevent any future increases in the adjusted base year assessed value of a homestead above the assessed value of such homestead in tax year 2025?”
In plain terms, the value the school system taxes on an owner-occupied home can no longer rise above its 2025 assessed value. The school board still sets the tax rate each year.
| School tax homestead freeze | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 83,033 | 77.1% |
| No | 24,713 | 22.9% |
The school district’s tax rate is set each summer. Our property taxes page explains how a Chatham County bill is worked out.
School board, District 2
Three candidates ran for the seat Dionne Hoskins-Brown held, according to the county’s call for the special election. All 15 precincts in the district have reported.
| Candidate | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mary Snowden | 4,110 | 38.9% |
| Valarie Grimes | 4,046 | 38.3% |
| Alfred Henry Jackson Jr. | 2,400 | 22.7% |
Georgia requires a majority to win. When no candidate gets one, the top two finishers advance to a runoff, held this year on Tuesday, Dec. 1, according to the Secretary of State’s 2026 election calendar. The Chatham County Board of Elections had not posted runoff details on its website when we checked.
The school board appointed Snowden to the seat on April 7. She serves until voters fill it. Snowden taught in the district from 1989 to 2018, according to her board profile.
Congress: Chatham backed Hollowell, the district elected Kingston
Republican James “Jim” Kingston won the 1st Congressional District, the statewide results show. Neither candidate was an incumbent.
- Across the district: Kingston 140,216 (51.4%), Democrat Amanda Hollowell 132,465 (48.6%).
- In Chatham County: Hollowell 72,216 (64.8%), Kingston 39,236 (35.2%).
The legislature
Two Republican incumbents in House districts that include part of Chatham County lost, the district-wide results show.
| District | Result, whole district | In Chatham |
|---|---|---|
| State House 161 | Democrat David Dillie 11,485, Rep. Bill Hitchens 10,667 | Dillie 72.8% |
| State House 164 | Democrat Stephanie O Burgess 12,459, Rep. Ron Stephens 11,239 | Burgess 55.7% |
| State House 166 | Rep. Jesse Petrea 20,994, Democrat Pat Daley 11,551 | Petrea 64.2% |
| State Senate 1 | Sen. Ben Watson 38,692, Democrat Corey Foreman 35,364 | Watson 57.0% |
Five candidates had no opponent on the ballot:
- Sen. Derek J. Mallow, a Democrat, in Senate District 2
- Sen. Billy Hickman, a Republican, in Senate District 4
- Democrat Orlando Scott in House District 162
- Rep. Anne Allen Westbrook, a Democrat, in House District 163
- Democrat MiQuan Green in House District 165
The state amendments
All three amendments to the Georgia Constitution passed statewide and in Chatham County.
| Amendment | Statewide yes | Chatham yes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 53.9% | 57.4% |
| 2 | 68.4% | 70.5% |
| 3 | 77.7% | 79.3% |
Top of the ticket
Chatham gave Democrats about two-thirds of its vote in the statewide races.
- U.S. Senate: Sen. Jon Ossoff, a Democrat, beat Republican Mike Collins statewide 2,463,134 to 1,711,327. Ossoff took 67.3% in Chatham.
- Governor: Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms beat Republican Rick Jackson statewide 2,268,464 to 1,908,266. Bottoms took 62.9% in Chatham.
Every result on this page is unofficial. Full results, by race and by county, are on the Secretary of State’s results site.
Have your say