Brambleman

DeKalb legislative forum in Brookhaven draws big crowd

Above: Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver talks about election reform Jonathan Grant @Brambleman Paper ballots, no bar codes! Nearly a dozen DeKalb legislators and legislators-elect—all Democrats now—discussed issues with an attentive audience of about 100 country residents at Brookhaven City Hall Wednesday night. In response to questions about election security, Rep. Scott Holcomb told the audience he would be introducing a “Paper Ballots” measure in this year’s session, which starts Jan. 14. The state is due for an upgrade of its outdated election system, and legislators will be looking at the work of the Secretary of State’s Secure Accessible Fair Elections (SAFE) Commission, which has been tasked to hold hearings and examine replacement voting systems, then make a recommendation to the General Assembly, which…

Priorities and values: Sally Harrell looks ahead to General Assembly

Above: Lucy McBath, Sally Harrell, and several new colleagues at Indivisible Georgia Sixth District’s “We Flipped the Sixth” Celebration earlier this month Jonathan Grant @Brambleman The pace hasn’t slowed for Sally Harrell since winning North DeKalb-based Senate District 40 on Nov. 6. Meet-and-greets, fundraisers, and rallies have been replaced on her calendar by orientations, training sessions, and meetings. Lots of meetings. “I’ve been really, really busy,” she said over coffee recently, taking time out to discuss the upcoming General Assembly session, which opens Jan. 14. The big flip SD40 was a bright spot for Democrats this year. Harrell was the only Democratic challenger to unseat an Incumbent GOP senator. Not only did she beat 20-year incumbent Fran Millar by nearly 10 points,…

Guess who’s not supporting Lindy Miller for Georgia PSC?

The Latest: This comes on the heels of Libertarian PSC candidate Ryan Graham’s announcement that he’s voting for Democrat Lindy Miller, as well. In announcing her decision, Debbie Dooley notes the recent revelation that Georgia Power allies are pumping $750,000 into the race to protect their investment in a bought-off commissioner. And now it’s up to $1 million. Note: Former Republican Georgia Public Service Commission candidate John Hitchins sent this is as a comment. I’m publishing it on its own as a guest post, of sorts. Republican support for Lindy Miller for PSC John Hitchins Public Service Commissioners are tasked with being consumer watchdogs when it comes to regulated industries. Unfortunately, current PSC Commissioner Chuck Eaton has forgotten that. He is one of the closest allies Georgia Power has on the Public…

Printable Georgia Runoff Flyer supporting John Barrow, Lindy Miller

Download printable runoff flyer (pdf) I couldn’t find any, so I made one. The one I worked up was for Pleasantdale Road precinct in North DeKalb County, but I changed it so it can work anywhere in the state (with 7 am-7pm hours). If you want one with different hours, message me and I’ll make one. By the way, the nuclear power industry can’t stand the thought of an independent voice on the PSC, so it’s pumped (checks notes) a million dollars into the campaign in favor of Republican incumbent Chuck Eaton, who’s made it his business not to do his job for the past 12 years. The difference between John Barrow and Republican Brad Raffensperger is equally stark. Raffensperger chose not to…

Georgia runoff early voter: Old white man

Some notes on early voting in Georgia’s runoff Here’s a handy website: GeorgiaVotes.com that you can check throughout the week. Early voting ends Friday, and the runoff is a week from now, on Dec. 4. I live in DeKalb and try to keep up with the DeKalb Board of Elections. The Board posts early vote totals here, and you can follow the BOE on Twitter @DeKalbVotes. DeKalb County Monday early voters (runoff): 3,341 1st Day General early voters: 5,227 As a rule, DeKalb provides statewide Democratic candidates with their largest margins of any county. In the General, Stacey Abrams beat Brian Kemp by 212K votes in her home county. Fulton, larger but less intensely Blue overall, gave Abrams a 194K margin. These two counties…

GOP incumbent stinks so bad, Tea Party leader endorses Democrat in Georgia PSC runoff

Early voting is underway in Georgia’s statewide runoffs for Secretary of State and Public Service Commission Post 3. Both agencies have suffered from a decade of misrule. It’s our last chance to restore some balance to state government. It’s so out of whack that even conservatives and Libertarians supporting Democrats in these races. The Latest: This comes on the heels of Libertarian PSC candidate Ryan Graham’s announcement that he’s voting for Democrat Lindy Miller, as well. In announcing her decision, Debbie Dooley notes the recent revelation that Georgia Power allies are pumping $750,000 into the race to protect their investment in a bought-off commissioner. And now it’s up to $1 million. From this morning’s AJC Jolt: Debbie Dooley, a co-founder of the…

Brambleman

Georgia politics, history, and other stuff