Tag: Georgia General Assembly

A word of warning: Gwinnett County Board of Elections (and others) not in compliance with Georgia Constitution

This flaw, if not remedied, could lead to successful challenges to certification of elections and shutdown of local elections operations Georgia GOP legislators have hastily stitched together ill-crafted bills designed mainly to curb voting in larger counties–while voting down HB 773, an effort to bring Gwinnett County Board of Elections into compliance with GA Constitution. Stunning incompetence and negligence. So … I sent this email to Georgia House Speaker David Ralston today, with a copy to Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and sponsors of HB 773. I would have sent a copy to Gov. Brian Kemp, but couldn’t find his email address, so he’ll have to read my blog. Dear Speaker Ralston: Good morning. I know that the session is hectic, especially near…

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Georgia absentee voting: Rep. Barry Fleming’s House Bill 270 needs fixing

If changes aren’t made to give a more reasonable deadline and allow emergency applications, legislators should reject HB 270 By Jonathan Grant @Brambleman Georgia House Bill 270 is designed to fix a problem of an untenable deadline for local election officials to mail out absentee ballots. Currently, county registrars and absentee ballot clerks are required to accept absentee ballot requests up to the Friday before an election. The turnaround time is supposed to be two days, according to current law (Georgia Code 21-2-385). Since election offices are assumed to be closed on weekends, that creates a time squeeze, especially since the law further states that no absentee ballot shall be mailed (or issued) on the day prior to a primary or election. This…

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Georgia Rep. Vernon Jones couldn’t even last until the Democratic Primary. Now he’s speaking at the GOP Convention.

Jonathan Grant @Brambleman Donald Trump-loving State Rep. Vernon Jones is scheduled to speak tonight at the Republican convention. Apparently, he’s the only Georgian to take a microphone. But how much do Republicans know about the man? What do they care? Feel the Vern! MAGA! The timing of Jones’s endorsement of Trump, coming before the Democratic primary, was interesting. What it did was allow him to step onto the GOP stage before the Democratic door hit him on  his way out. And the door was about to slam hard. Although recent media coverage hasn’t mentioned it, Jones faced disqualification from the Democratic Primary ballot. Jones had been running for re-election to House District 91 in DeKalb and Rockdale counties when a DeKalb voter…

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Georgia Rep. Tommy Benton is a Lost Cause. Will Jackson County voters say “Enough’s enough?”

Above: State Rep. Tommy Benton shares his thoughts about the late Rep. John Lewis Part 1: “You can’t fix stupid” By Jonathan Grant @Brambleman Last week was not a good one for Georgia Republicans. Gov. Brian Kemp continued his stumble through a Covid-induced haze, and his plan for a special legislative session got pushback from the Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the House. The party’s image took a blow when crazy-talkin’ Qanon supporter/purveyor Marjorie Taylor Greene won the party’s 14th Congressional District runoff in a landslide. New polls show tight races for presidenta and senator, confirming Georgia’s status as a swing state. To top it off (or bottom it out), unreconstructed State Rep. Tommy Benton burst back onto the public stage and…

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New day in deep-red Georgia? Hundreds protest in Peachtree City, Democrat Jill Prouty calls out MAGA candidates who “fail on social justice”

By Jonathan Grant @Brambleman Jill Prouty stepped outside the library she manages in Peachtree City on Tuesday, June 2, and observed a wondrous sight: Hundreds of people kneeling on the lawn of the City Hall complex. In the land of golf carts, they had marched to protest police brutality and racial injustice. Peachtree City Police Chief Janet Moon walked with them. It was as peaceful as peaceful could be. The hastily organized solidarity protest drew a crowd of 400 people, perhaps more. You can read local news coverage here. Lots of pictures. Many young people chanting “Black Lives Matter.” “It gave me chills,” said Prouty, who is also the Democratic candidate for Georgia House District 71 in Fayette and Coweta counties. “It…

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Georgia can’t even pass a weak hate crimes bill. Wonder why?

Note: Not a damned thing has happened on this issue since I originally posted in February (except for hate crime) so I’m re-posting with a more exasperated headline. Update: In an article published today, Gov. Kemp said he’s “open” to hate crime legislation, but wouldn’t say he’d sign it–essentially the same message I received from Rep. Mitchell, who met with Kemp on the issue early in the General Assembly session. Nothing has changed. If Governor Kemp hates crime so much, why doesn’t he hate hate crimes? By Jonathan Grant @Brambleman Brian Kemp hates gangs. In 2018, the self-described “politically incorrect conservative” promised he would “protect Georgia families by crushing street gangs.” Now, his second year in office, the governor has unveiled his…

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