Voting Today? Here’s Where to Watch the Sixth District Election Returns Around Atlanta

Today’s the day, Atlanta. The nation’s eyes and political pundits are aimed at Georgia’s Sixth District and the special election — Karen Handel against Jon Ossoff — taking place this rainy Tuesday in the coveted congressional district. Whether you live within the district’s funky boundaries or are watching from afar, there’s little else on the minds of metro Atlantans today, so Eater Atlanta will be keeping a running list of restaurants and bars showing the election returns this evening, beginning at 7 p.m. when the polls close.

The political divisiveness in our country has trickled down to the restaurant community — some establishments like Manuel’s Tavern, a politics-friendly tavern in Poncey-Highland, and Noni’s Deli in the Old Fourth Ward, choose to wave their political flags high while others have said (off-record) it’s simply bad for business to mix politics with dining out.

The divide can even be seen in how restaurants ITP and OTP are choosing to handle televising tonight’s returns. It should come as no great surprise that many of the Sixth District restaurants we spoke with regarding this story have opted against showing the returns, making it clear they want to offer their guests a respite from the tense political atmosphere.

But restaurateurs like Matt Ruppert, owner of Noni’s Deli on Edgewood Avenue, feel that tonight’s results are important for the Atlanta community. Ruppert wants to offer his guests a place to dine, drink, and stay politically engaged.

“I like to think of Noni's as the geeky younger brother of Manuel's Tavern — a place to get a hearty meal with a stiff drink but also fill up on civics, share ideas, meet local candidates, and stay engaged,” he told us. “Georgia races like the one in the Sixth are just as important, if not more so, than national ones, so we've decided to give tonight's results a proper viewing.”

Jenn Streck, who co-owns Hampton & Hudson in Inman Park with her husband Billy, agrees with Ruppert’s community sentiment and told Eater Atlanta, “Hampton & Hudson is a neighborhood establishment, and we like to be a place where people can come together to eat, drink, and watch important events like this in the community. It just allows people to get out of their house and discuss the issues.”

Inquiring minds want to know which Atlanta area restaurants and bars will be showing tonight’s Sixth District returns — and why. If your restaurant will be broadcasting the returns or you have something to say on the matter, reach out to Eater Atlanta on Twitter at @eateratlanta, on Facebook, or via email at atlanta@eater.com.

Here’s who will be showing the returns:

Manuel's Tavern
602 North Highland Avenue Northeast; (404) 525-3447.

Noni’s Deli
357 Edgewood Ave SE; (404) 343-1808

Hampton & Hudson (showing the returns in addition to Tuesday Trivia)
299 North Highland Avenue; (404) 948-2123

Argosy
470 Flat Shoals Ave SE; (404) 577-0407

Joe’s on Juniper
1049 Juniper St NE; (404) 875-6634

Cowtippers
1600 Piedmont Ave NE; (404) 874-3751

Additional reporting by Nicole Bae and Sonia Chopra.