The special election to replace a Georgia legislator who pleaded guilty to money laundering appears headed for a runoff, pitting a national guardsman against a minister.

Dee Dawkins-Haigler, a political consultant who is also an ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, received 164 votes in yesterday’s election.

With less than the required “50 percent plus one” majority, Dawkins-Haigler will likely face a June 10 runoff against her apparent runner-up, national guardsman and former police officer Malik Douglas, who received 99 votes.

The day before the election, Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel announced Douglas’s name would be allowed to remain on the official ballot.

Candidate Colet Odenigbo had attempted to disqualify him, arguing that when the National Guard deployed Douglas to Iraq earlier this year, his active duty status made it illegal for him to seek public office. Last week, an administrative law judge dismissed Odenigbo’s case.

In yesterday’s special election, Odenigbo came in fourth with 92 votes, just behind Traci Waites who got 96. Jim Sendelbach came in fifth with 72 votes.

All these numbers are unofficial until next week, when county and state elections officials expect to certify the final results.

Write-in ballots have yet to be counted (a sixth candidate KaTesha Sagers joined the race after the state’s filing deadline and was not listed on the official ballot).

But just looking at the number of ballots cast for the “official” candidates, we’re talking about a grand total of 523. No! I didn’t leave out a digit (believe me, I checked this number multiple times with multiple sources thinking the same thing you probably are).

With votes in such rare commodity, it’s no wonder the candidates so actively campaigned on street corners. And now, the process starts all over again… and then again!

You see, the winner of the June 10 primary fills the unfinished (but soon to expire) term of District 93 State Representative Ron Sailor, Jr., who resigned in March after pleading guilty to money laundering. But the victor will barely have time to settle into the office before he or she seeks re-election in Georgia’s general primary on July 15.

I think it’s a safe bet motorists driving through suburban Atlanta’s Dekalb and Rockdale counties will be seeing a lot of Mrs. Dawkins-Haigler and Mr. Douglas over the next few weeks.