A former member of the Cobb County Elections Board is challenging the eligibility of a Democrat running against state Rep. Mary Frances Williams, D-Marietta. Former elections board member Steven Bruning filed a candidate qualifications challenge Tuesday, arguing that Graham Salter Bowers is ineligible to run for the District 37 seat held by Williams. Bowers, 26, an IT specialist, qualified for the May primaries March 6. Williams has represented the district — which includes downtown Marietta, the communities of Fair Oaks and Cheatham Hill and parts of east Cobb — since her election in 2018. In the challenge, Bruning, whose term with the elections board ended in June last year before he finished his service in August, contends that Bowers does not meet the required duration of residency in House District 37 to qualify for the seat. According to Georgia law, there is a mandatory residency requirement that states a member of the House of Representatives must be a resident of their district for at least a year before their election. Bruning, who lives in House District 37, said Bowers’ mailing address is the primary point of concern. Bowers’ mailing address on the Secretary of State’s
