# 2003 Tallahassee mayoral special election

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vte :
The 2003 Tallahassee mayoral special election was held February 4 and February 25, 2003 to elect the mayor of Tallahassee, Florida.
Since no candidate obtained a majority of the vote in the first-round, a runoff was held between the top-two finishers.
The election coincided with elections to City Commissioner Seats 1, 2, 3 and 5.
Marks became the second popularly elected mayor of Tallahassee. Marks became Tallahassee's first elected African American mayor, and its fifth-overall African American mayor.

## Background

On January 4, 2003, Tallahassee Mayor Scott Maddox was elected Chairman of the Florida Democratic Party. Maddox announced that he would remain Mayor of Tallahassee until late February 2003, when a special mayor election would be held to elect a successor.

## Election results
### First round

First-round results :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| John Marks | John Marks | 11,702 | 43.10 |
| John Paul Bailey | John Paul Bailey | 7,382 | 27.19 |
| Steve Meisburg | Steve Meisburg | 7,039 | 25.93 |
| Anthony "Tony" Davis | Anthony "Tony" Davis | 603 | 2.22 |
| Richard Junnier | Richard Junnier | 423 | 1.56 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 27,149 | |
| Voter turnout | Voter turnout | 32.43% | 32.43% |

### Runoff

Runoff results :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| John Marks | John Marks | 19,119 | 67.10 |
| John Paul Bailey | John Paul Bailey | 9,374 | 32.90 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 28,493 | |
| Voter turnout | Voter turnout | 33.93% | 33.93% |