Brambleman

DeKalb approves early voting sites and times for countywide referendum, muncipal elections

Cities across DeKalb will be holding municipal elections on November 5, and three of them–Dunwoody, Brookhaven, and Stonecrest–have agreed to fund local early voting sites. Download schedule. The board also approved a simplified application for absentee ballots. For more information, contact the DeKalb Board of Elections by phone at 404-298-4020 or via email at voterreg@dekalbcountyga.gov For more complete coverage of the board’s September meeting, read “What if they held a meeting and everybody came?” There is also a countywide referendum on ethics reforms–a do-over, so to speak, after courts ruled that DeKalb’s ethics board was unconstitutional because most of its members were not picked by elected officials. There will be a series of town halls on this and other subjects hosted by DeKalb’s…

DeKalb Board of Elections plays hide-the-ball from its members

QUICK UPDATE: Today’s meeting was epic; 45 citizens attended the two-hour meeting–the longest I’ve ever seen. On this issue, Board member Dele Smith’s motion to reconsider and reverse last month’s purges of Decatur residents passed unanimously. One GOP Board member admitted the “bad optics.” Chairman Samuel Tillman complained about bloggers. I think he meant me. Sad! I’ll write more later in a new post. By Jonathan Grant @Brambleman The DeKalb Board of Registration and Election’s agenda for today’s meeting is fuller than usual. In addition to the more typical list of voter challenges, there’s the case of Jacinda “Cindy” Thomas, running for mayor of Lithonia. But it may be Unfinished Business that proves to be the most intriguing—and I mean that in…

Latest outrage: DeKalb Board of Elections plays hide-the-ball from its own members

QUICK UPDATE: Today’s meeting was epic; 45 citizens attended the two-hour meeting–the longest I’ve ever seen. On this issue, Board member Dele Smith’s motion to reconsider and reverse last month’s purges of Decatur voters passed unanimously. One GOP Board member admitted the “bad optics.” Chairman Samuel Tillman complained about bloggers. I think he meant me. Sad! I’ll write more later in a new post. By Jonathan Grant @Brambleman The DeKalb Board of Registration and Election’s agenda for today’s meeting is fuller than usual. In addition to the more typical list of voter challenges, there’s the case of Jacinda “Cindy” Thomas, who is running for mayor of Lithonia. But it may be Unfinished Business that proves to be the most intriguing—and I mean…

Abrams Playbook makes Georgia top target for Dems in 2020

By Jonathan Grant @Brambleman In the past, Georgia has not received top-tier attention or funding in presidential races. Due to demographic changes and her remarkably close finish in the 2018 gubernatorial race, Stacey Abrams wants to change that. She’s pushing Georgia to national Democrats as their best 2020 investment opportunity in her just-released Abrams Playbook (see below). It lays out a blueprint/game plan for campaigns to build on her 2018 successes to turn Georgia Blue. In her opening letter, Abrams argues: “When analyzing next year’s political landscape and electoral opportunities, any less than full investment in Georgia would amount to strategic malpractice.” The Abrams team does an excellent job laying out a case for treating Georgia like a must-win battleground state, and…

She’s running–but for what?

Update–Sept 19, 2019 From the AJC: WASHINGTON — Freshman Congresswoman Lucy McBath ruled out a bid for U.S. Senate on Thursday, telling The Atlanta Journal-Constitution she’s focused on winning a second term in one of the country’s most competitive House districts. National Democratic leaders had been aggressively courting McBath to run for the seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, and she would have been considered the party’s top contender should she have entered the contest. Read more By Jonathan Grant @Brambleman About 250 people packed the house for Sixth District Rep. Lucy Bath’s Sunday town hall at Temple Emanu-El in Sandy Springs. State Rep. Josh McLaurin, who represents the area in the General Assembly, gave McBath a stirring introduction, and…