Legislation is also coming as state and local officials prepare for the upcoming 2022 election, specifically on how much power the state should have to remove county electoral officials by then.
During a visit to South Georgia earlier this month, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger opened the door for a future state takeover of the Fulton County elections.
“Nobody wants to take over a district electoral committee. But when you have a situation that lasts for 25 years, at some point people say enough is enough, he said at the time.
In response, Robb Pitts, chairman of the Fulton County Commission, accused Raffensperger and “his comrades in this struggle” of “being conspiracy theorists who promote the same Big Lie that he supposedly does not believe.”
Although the Warnock and Ossoff bill is likely to spark Republican opposition, it is backed by senior Democratic senators, including Senator Amy Klobuchar, who oversees the committee that deals with changes to the electoral law.
Before the bill was passed, Warnock criticized state officials in Georgia and other Republican-led states as a reason for the need for his bill.
“The dangers of voter suppression that we see in Georgia and across the country are not theoretical, and we cannot allow power-hungry state actors to push people out of their own democracy by overriding the decisions of local electoral officials.” ” he said.
Republicans across the state have unanimously defended the new law, saying it makes it “easy to vote and hard to cheat”. They also point to some of the existing electoral processes in Georgia, including the state’s automatic voter registration, as evidence that voting is more accessible in Georgia than in many other states.
Obviously the election debate has only just begun.
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Be sure to get the U.S. Senate to cast an initial vote late Tuesday afternoon on the federal electoral and voting law known as the For the People Act. Ten Republicans are unlikely to be willing to side with the Democratic Group to avoid a filibuster.
The majority leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, knows that too. But he still puts the bill to the vote, saying it’s important to get Republicans on record so the public knows where they stand on voting.
GOP leader Mitch McConnell, meanwhile, is just as strongly against the measure, saying there is no need for a new federal electoral law. So we do not expect many surprises as far as the result of the vote is concerned, but there is no doubt that there will be an interesting debate.
Our DC insider Tia Mitchell will be available for all of this, so follow her ongoing coverage for the AJC.
***
In the latest edition of “Herschel Walker, will he or not?” Governor Brian Kemp appeared on Fox & Friends Monday, ostensibly to talk about Atlanta’s surge in violent crime, but was eventually asked if he wants and expects Walker takes part in the Senate race against US Senator Raphael Warnock.
“He brings a lot,” said Kemp. “Running nationwide in this environment is very difficult. You know, you have to have it in your heart, you have to have it in your stomach, and that’s a decision he has to make. “
Kemp also called Walker “one hell of a good dawg,” adding that he, too, has no idea what the former UGA standout is up to. “You never know what he’s going to do,” said Kemp.
***
A Henry County judge heard arguments Monday whether the lawsuit should be dismissed calling for a re-examination of Fulton County’s postal voting records.
AJC’s Mark Niesse reports that Supreme Court Justice Brian Amero heard arguments from Fulton’s attorneys asking him to dismiss the case because the election was over and there was no evidence that anyone’s ballot was miscounted or fraudulent has been.
But the plaintiffs’ attorneys, supporters of former President Donald Trump, say a review of 147,000 ballot papers would enable them to prove allegations of fraud and mismanagement.
Amero has not indicated when it will decide on the case.
***
Cobb and DeKalb counties’ legal fees were paid after former President Donald Trump filed an election lawsuit against them that was eventually withdrawn.
The Cobb County Board of Elections received $ 15,554 to cover its legal costs, reports David Wickert of the AJC. DeKalb’s legal fees, which were approximately $ 6,000, were also reimbursed.
Trump’s attorney Randy Evans said Trump didn’t pay the fees himself but didn’t want to tell the AJC who was doing it.
“There are no more details because there are no other details.” he said.
In Cobb County’s application for reimbursement, the district attorneys wrote:
“Given the number of unsuccessful lawsuits by the former president and his campaign, it appeared that petitioners believed they could bring their baseless and legally defective complaints with impunity, regardless of the taxpayer’s cost or the impact on the democratic foundations of ours Country. “
***
A white nationalist group is among plaintiffs in a new lawsuit hoping to force the city of Decatur to restore a Confederate memorial in its central square, reports Tyler Estep of the AJC.
It names Bryan Downs, the city attorney for Decatur, and all seven DeKalb County commissioners – including two who were out of office when the obelisk was removed – as defendants, suggesting officials have taken “collusive measures” to order circumventing the State Law for the Protection of Confederate Monuments.
Martin O’Toole, a spokesman for the Georgia Sons of Confederate Veterans, wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday afternoon that the restoration of the monument would “send a message to the state and nation confirming our laws.”
“Decatur and DeKalb [County’s] Actions have been cited in several places as an example of a legitimate ‘culture break’ means to censor history, “wrote O’Toole, who is also a leader of the Charles Martel Society, an Atlanta-based white nationalist organization.
– The Atlanta Journal Constitution
***
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr convened a grand jury in Glynn County on Monday, Sheriff Neal Jump told the Brunswick News.
More:
According to news outlets citing anonymous sources, the grand jury is focused on former Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jackie Johnson and her actions following the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery on February 23, 2020.
Johnson lost the November election to new District Attorney Keith Higgins, largely due to public anger over her handling of the case.
– The Braunschweiger Nachrichten
***
Weeks after the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack, Savannah’s largest hospital system suffered its own attack on Thursday. The effects are still being felt by doctors, patients and staff, reports the Savannah Morning News:
On day five, doctors, nurses and patients in St. Joseph’s / Candler settled for computer backup procedures, including the use of paper files on Monday, after a cyberattack on Thursday caused the hospital network to shut down.
Spokesman Scott Larson made a statement around 2 p.m. Monday:
“As we continue investigating the incident, we are working to get the systems up and running as quickly and safely as possible,” wrote Larson.
– Savannah morning news
Attacks on American infrastructure and critical operations such as healthcare were among the topics President Joe Biden discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week.
***
If the walls of the Athens outpost could speak to the varsity, after decades as a favorite stop for Georgia politicos storming the state, they would have some political stories to tell.
But after 90 years in business, Sunday was the last day of the Slaw Dogs and what you want at the Athens location.
Hope lives when you can’t imagine walking to a UGA ball game or downtown rally on an empty stomach.
In a Facebook post on Monday, Varsity wrote: “We are incredibly grateful for the long-term support of our customers in Athens and look forward to serving them again soon at a new location in the Athens area.”
***
We congratulate our highly talented colleagues Mark Niesse and Alyssa Pointer, who were both recognized by the Atlanta Press Club on Monday for their outstanding reporting.
Jolt readers know Niesse as the AJC’s top election reporter, while Pointer is the photojournalist behind some of the newspaper’s most enduring images from the 2020 election – and more. much more.
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As always, Jolt readers are among our favorite tipsters. Send your best news, gossip, and inside information to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, and greg.bluestein@ajc.com.
