BIRMINGHAM, AL - Mayor William Bell is not stranger to a runoff for Birmingham mayor. He is not even a stranger to coming in second in the general election and winning a subsequent runoff. But this election just took a different twist than Bell's victory in 2010. This year, former candidates are throwing their support to Bell's opponent, including third place finisher Chris Woods.

In a press conference Wednesday at the Harbert Center downtown, Woods - who finished with 18 percent of the vote Aug. 22, - declared his support for Randall Woodfin, who received the most votes in the general election, with 41 percent. When Bell won the mayoral race in 2010, he barely forced a runoff against Patrick Cooper, but ended up winning the runoff because Bell was able to get the support of the voters who voted for candidates other than Cooper. This may not be the case this year. If all of Woods' voters vote for Woodfin, chances are good that Woodfin ends up winning the election Oct. 3. (For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Birmingham Patch morning newsletter.)

Woods official statement Wednesday pointed out that more than 60 percent of the voters voted against Bell, which indicates that most voters want a change in City Hall.