SPLOST Wins by 79 Votes

Updated 10:30 p.m.

It's the last twist of the night, as the SPLOST appears to have passed tonight by 79 votes out of 42,971 votes counted. That's a margin of 0.18 percentage point.

However, this election appears to be far from decided. Though the vote totals include all Election Day ballots at 153 precincts, all absentee ballots and all early votes, the results remain unofficial.

An election this close seems likely to result in an effort to recount or recanvass the ballots, the vast majority of which were cast electronically. Cobb County said it expects to have more information on the next steps Wednesday.

The “current goal is getting an accurate count of the votes cast,” county spokesman Robert Quigley said in an e-mail at 9:50 p.m. “We will focus on the next steps once we complete the task at hand.”

Cobb County Election Results

Unofficial results from the Cobb County Board of Elections & Registration as of 10:30 p.m.

Updated 9:43 p.m.

The gap has fallen to 24 votes out of just fewer than 40,000 counted, with 11 precincts left to report.

Updated 9:36 p.m.

With 15 precincts left to report, the passage of SPLOST leads by 122 votes out of 39,076 counted, or 0.32 percentage point.

Updated 9:12 p.m.

Never let it be said that one person's vote doesn't matter. With 123 precincts and all absentee and early votes counted, according to the Cobb elections website, the SPLOST extension is ahead by 98 votes, or 0.26 percentage point. With 36,306 votes counted, any margin of victory at this point will most likely be exceedingly slim. 

Updated 8:55 p.m.

The 24-vote margin was cavernous compared with the latest gap: The pro-SPLOST side leads by only four votes out of 35,418 counted so far at 120 of 153 precincts. That's 0.02 percentage point.

Update: 8:47 p.m.

The votes have gone back SPLOST's way. With seven more precincts reporting in, the pro-SPLOST side outnumbers the anti-SPLOST votes by the margin of 24 votes out of 34,196 counted, or 0.08 percerntage point. It seems as though early and absentee voting will decide this election, and we'll keep updating as the night progresses.

Updated 8:35 p.m.

A few more votes have trickled in, and the lead has flipped. The margin is now 92 votes in favor of the "no" side, 16,221 to 16,129, representing a gap of 0.28 percentage point.

Updated 8:25 p.m.

The voting for the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax referendum ended at 7 p.m., and the early results are too close to call.

The pro-SPLOST side has a slight lead, but the anti-SPLOST side has been ahead at times during the count.

With 108 of 153 precincts reporting, the "yes" side has a 103-vote lead, or 0.32 percent of the 31,343 votes counted.

An estimated 10 percent of registered Cobb voters were expected to cast ballots on whether to extend the existing single-penny sales tax for an additional four years, through the end of 2015. The tax would collect a projected $492 million to pay for transportation, facilities, public safety, and parks and recreational improvements. 

Northeast Cobb Patch will report the final results as soon as the votes are reported by the Cobb Board of Elections & Registration. 

Updated 3:55 p.m.

Cobb County Board of Elections & Registration Director Janine Eveler said after contacting precincts at 3 p.m., overall voter turnout is still projected to be around 10 percent.

But, she added, there are still chances for an increase. 

“Our only hope is that the people who missed the morning will come by after work,” she said.

The elections office checked with the precincts once earlier for totals and will not again until the 7 p.m. voting deadline, she said. 

Updated 3:01 p.m. 

Cobb County Board of Elections & Registration Director Janine Eveler said this morning's rain might have scared off a few voters. 

As of 10 a.m., the voter turnout rate showed that 10 percent of Cobb's 392,589 active registered voters were on track to go to the polls by tonight's 7 p.m. deadline.

"Things are a little slow, but they’re going well," she said.

Eveler said some more voters might trickle in after work.

Updated 1:00 p.m.

Only a handful of Northeast Cobb residents voted on SPLOST this morning. The numbers elevated slightly during lunch hour.

The Sandy Plains Baptist Church, like many Northeast Cobb locations, have seen only a handful of voters.

Today voters will decide whether to approve a Special Local Option Sales Tax designed to raise more than $492 million for public improvements throughout the county.

Voting is available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the following locations, today:

Addison Elementary School, 3055 Ebenezer Road, Marietta, GA 30066

J. Daniell Middle School, 2900 Scott Road, Marietta, GA 30066

Blackwell Elementary School, 3470 Canton Road, Marietta, GA 30066

Davis Elementary School, 2433 Jamerson Road, Marietta, GA 30066

Kincaid Elementary School, 1410 Kincaid Road, Marietta, GA 30066

Sandy Plains Baptist Church, 2825 Sandy Plains Road, Marietta, GA 30066

Elizabeth Baptist Church, 315 Kurtz Road, Marietta, GA 30066

Crossview Baptist Church, 1100 Piedmont Road NE, Marietta, GA 30066

Kell High School, 4770 Lee Waters Road, Marietta, GA 30066

Lassiter High School, 2601 Shallowford Road, Marietta, GA 30066

Mabry Middle School, 2700 Jims Road, Marietta, GA 30066

McCleskey Middle School, 4080 Maybreeze Road, Marietta, GA 30066

Tommy Nobis Center, 1480 Bells Ferry Road, Marietta, GA 30066

Nicholson Elementary School, 1599 Shallowford Road NE, Marietta, GA 30066

Wesley Chapel Methodist Church, 4495 Sandy Plains Road, Marietta, GA 30066

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, 2240 Shallowford Road, Marietta, GA 30066

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 2922 Sandy Plains Road, Marietta, GA 30066

Simpson Middle School, 3340 Trickum Road, Marietta, GA 30066

Piedmont Church of Christ, 1630 Piedmont Road, Marietta, GA 30066

Ray-Thomas Presbyterian Church, 4644 Sandy Plains Road, Marietta, GA 30066

If voters agree, the new SPLOST will focus on revitalizing and preserving the county’s infrastructure, including existing parks, roads, bridges, school zones, libraries, senior facilities and other essential public features.

For more information, please visit cobbsplost2011.org, cobbsfuture.org and votenomarch15.com.

For more voting information, call 770-528-2581 or visit cobbelections.org.

How do you intend to vote? What is the scene like at your polling place? Tell us in the Comments Box.