FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — The special election for a state Senate district in north Fulton and Cherokee counties is headed to a runoff, according to the returns.

Voters in Senate District 21 headed to the polls on Tuesday to choose between seven candidates, with none getting more than 40% of the vote. A candidate must clear the 50% + one vote majority threshold to avoid a runoff.

Democratic candidate Debra Shigley had the highest share with 39.51% (8,438 votes according to the Georgia Secretary of State website ).

Six Republicans, meanwhile, divided up the conservative vote in a district that Republican Brandon Beach had represented before he left the post to take up the job as U.S. treasurer.

Among those Republicans, Jason T. Dickerson appeared to have a slight edge into the runoff a

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