Georgia

Georgia election board’s right-wing faction revisits Fulton’s 2020 presidential election • Georgia Recorder

Published

5 months ago

August 8, 2024

Georgia election board’s right-wing faction revisits Fulton’s 2020 presidential election • Georgia Recorder

A trio of conservative members of the Georgia State Election Board agreed Wednesday to further investigate Fulton County’s 2020 presidential election law violations despite warnings from fellow board members that their decision was illegal.

In a 3-2 vote Wednesday, right-wing GOP Georgia election board members Rick Jeffares, Janice Johnston and Janelle King voted to report findings from the Fulton investigation into allegations of double balloting, missing ballot images, and a host of other violations tied to the controversial 2020 election highlighted by the presidential contest that saw Republican incumbent Donald Trump suffer defeat to the Democrat’s nominee Joe Biden.

The case is now referred to the Republican Attorney General Chris Carr, whose office is to report on its findings within 30 days and to notify the State Election Board immediately if the investigation cannot be conducted due to a conflict of interest with a case that has also been investigated by the Georgia Secretary of State. State agencies are considered clients of the Georgia Attorney General.

The vote Wednesday referred the Fulton case to the Attorney General’s office for investigation into 17,852 reported missing ballot images, the double-counting of more than 3,000 ballot vote images, and other election-related violations. In May, Georgia election officials with the secretary of state told the election board that mistakes made by Fulton election workers in 2020 would not have changed Trump’s narrow Georgia loss to President Biden.

Wednesday’s state board vote followed a Tuesday meeting when the board set the stage for county election officials to delay certifying election results while demanding more information about how votes are tallied.

Johnston raised concerns that Carr’s office could be conflicted because the case also involves the secretary of state’s office, which has been involved in the initial investigation since a complaint was filed in 2023.

Wednesday’s election board dispute stems from the May 7 board meeting, in which the state panel voted 2-1 to formally reprimand Fulton County for a host of alleged election violations. At the time, the state board agreed to assign an independent election monitor to oversee Fulton’s election operations in this November’s election contest between Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and the Democrat’s nominee, Vice-President Kamala Harris.

On Wednesday, board members were split on whether the May agreement had been resolved when the Fulton Elections Board agreed on an election monitoring team in recent weeks.

Johnston said that state election and Fulton officials were unable to agree by the July deadline set by former election board member Ed Lindsey, Jr., who presented the proposition in May with a timeline for reaching a compromise on appointing the 2024 election monitoring team.

“(Lindsey) let the board know that should an agreement not be reached on a monitor in July, that (heâ€¦ will come back with a motion to reconsider and send (the case) to the attorney general,” Johnston said.

Johnston said that Futon officials have made it difficult for her to inspect election materials that might reveal information about the missing election documents and other issues related to the case.

“It seems to me that somebody is moving heaven and earth to not allow anyone to review the paper ballots,” she said. “I don’t know why that is. I’m just interested in the data and interested in the numbers. I’m not interested in who got more votes.”

Election board Chairman John Fervier said the case could not be reopened by Johnston, who failed to support the letter of reprimand and how the election monitors would be appointed in May.

Fervier warned that the board could be violating a “double jeopardy” law which prohibits anyone from being prosecuted twice for a case involving substantially the same charges.

Several hours before Wednesday’s vote to refer the case for further investigation, the State Election Board decided to postpone deciding who would serve on the team assigned to monitor Fulton’s elections.

Georgia election board voted to revisit Fulton’s 2020 presidential election despite warnings it would violate law. Stanley Dunlap/Georgia Recorder

During Wednesday’s meeting, the board heard presentations from two proposals seeking to independently watch Fulton’s election operations through the remainder of this year. Some questions were raised about members of one proposed morning team who had ties to right-wing “election deniers” conspiracists who had sought to overturn Trump’s loss to Biden in 2020.

Meanwhile, King expressed her distrust in the supporting and monitoring team led by a former Georgia Secretary of State attorney Ryan Germany, who she accused of repeatedly downplaying any serious election problems from 2020. That bi-partisan monitoring group received the support of the Fulton County Elections Board during a July meeting.

Sherri Allen, who was sworn in as chair of the Fulton County Board of Registration & Elections on Aug. 1, said the board has fully followed the state election officials’ actions in May, including accepting the reprimand of June 13 and selecting a monitor in July.

“We will not engage in any further discussions, investigations or other action related to this case,” Allen said in a statement. “To do so would be a waste of taxpayer dollars and time that is best spent preparing for the upcoming General Election.”

Sara Tindall Ghazal, the State Election Board’s sole Democrat, is an attorney who has specialized in election laws and she said Wednesday that was voting against a measure that she contends would be a violation of her oath of as an state election officer and as an attorney “sworn to uphold the laws of the state of Georgia.”

King, who was appointed to the board by House Speaker Jon Burns last month, said worries about potential litigation shouldn’t dictate the board’s decisions.

“The amount of times I’ve been told not to do something because we could possibly be sued, if we were doing a drinking game, we would all be drunk,” King said. “At this point, I feel like we have to make sure we’re not scared of the fear of that because in some cases it’s the right thing to do.”

Fervier, who was appointed to serve in a nonpartisan chairmanship role in January by GOP Gov. Brian Kemp, said that following the law is the best action to be taken.

“Following the law is something that I will always strive to do and will vote against when I think we’re violating the law or violating rules,” Fervier said.

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX

Source link

Click to comment

Georgia

Georgia Lottery Mega Millions, Cash 3 results for Dec. 24, 2024

Published

7 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

The Georgia Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 24, 2024, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from Dec. 24 drawing

11-14-38-45-46, Mega Ball: 03, Megaplier: 3

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 3 numbers from Dec. 24 drawing

Midday: 2-1-3

Evening: 7-9-7

Night: 3-4-6

Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 4 numbers from Dec. 24 drawing

Midday: 4-5-8-6

Evening: 4-7-0-7

Night: 4-7-9-2

Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash4Life numbers from Dec. 24 drawing

07-23-25-46-57, Cash Ball: 03

Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Dec. 24 drawing

Early Bird: 03

Matinee: 08

Drive Time: 04

Primetime: 05

Night Owl: 11

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Georgia FIVE numbers from Dec. 24 drawing

Midday: 2-8-4-4-7

Evening: 7-6-6-4-6

Check Georgia FIVE payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Fantasy 5 numbers from Dec. 24 drawing

04-15-25-37-42

Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

Prizes under $601: Can be claimed at any Georgia Lottery retail location. ALL PRIZES can be claimed by mail to: Georgia Lottery Corporation, P.O. Box 56966, Atlanta, GA 30343.
Prizes over $600: Must be claimed at Georgia Lottery Headquarters or any Georgia Lottery district office or mailed to the Georgia Lottery for payment.

When are the Georgia Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
Cash 3 (Midday): 12:29 p.m. ET daily.
Cash 3 (Evening): 6:59 p.m. ET daily.
Cash 3 (Night): 11:34 p.m. ET daily.
Cash 4 (Midday): 12:29 p.m. ET daily.
Cash 4 (Evening): 6:59 p.m. ET daily.
Cash 4 (Night): 11:34 p.m. ET daily.
Cash 4 Life: 9:00 p.m. ET daily.
Cash Pop (Early Bird): 8:00 a.m. ET daily.
Cash Pop (Matinee): 1:00 p.m. ET daily.
Cash Pop (Drive Time): 5:00 p.m. ET daily.
Cash Pop (Primetime): 8:00 p.m. ET daily.
Cash Pop (Night Owl): 11:59 p.m. ET daily.
Georgia FIVE (Midday): 12:29 p.m. ET daily.
Georgia FIVE (Evening): 6:59 p.m. ET daily.
Fantasy 5: 11:34 p.m. ET daily.
Jumbo Bucks Lotto: 11:00 p.m. ET on Monday and Thursday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Georgia editor. You can send feedback using this form.

Source link

Georgia

Georgia's immigrant communities brace for mass deportations in new Trump term

Published

15 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

Georgia's immigrant communities brace for mass deportations in new Trump term

Georgia immigrant families brace for mass deportations

Immigrant families across Georgia are bracing for mass deportations but what could that look like here in metro Atlanta?

Immigrant families across Georgia are having difficult conversations around the table this holiday season, preparing for the possibility of mass deportations when President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January.

The president-elect has vowed to implement what he has called the “largest deportation program in American history,” and has discussed using the military to do so.

Members of Atlanta’s Hispanic community recently gathered in Brookhaven for a town hall meeting to discuss these policies’ potential impact, and what the weeks and months to come could look like.

“We’ve started preparing the community for what might happen,” Santiago Marquez, CEO of the Buford-based Latin American Association (LAA), said. “For mixed-status families that we have talked to, there’s fear and concern.”

This year, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported that 4,500 people in the Atlanta metro area who were in the country illegally have been deported.

The debate over immigration enforcement intensified after the murder of nursing student Laken Riley in Athens at the hands Venezuelan national Jose Ibarra.

That fueled calls from Republicans for an immigration crackdown.

President-elect Trump has promised to bring troops into communities nationwide to aid in carrying out deportations.

Mark Nevitt, an associate professor at Emory Law, explained the legal framework that could be invoked to facilitate such actions.

“The president does have broad authorities under a law called the Insurrection Act,” Nevitt said. “He’d have to declare an insurrection, which is arguably not the case in this specific instance. There’s not sort of an open insurrection against the president.”

He warned that doing so could harm civil-military relations, threaten civil liberties, and endanger lives.

There are also concerns about the psychological and emotional toll these measures could have on immigrant communities.

“I think that would be terrifying to a lot of people. It might remind them of their countries that they fled,” he said.

Marquez advises individuals who could be affected to educate themselves on their legal rights and to create a contingency plan while awaiting further details on the president-elect’s policies. The LAA has more information on its website.

The Source: FOX 5 Atlanta reporter Rob DiRienzo cited statements from President-elect Donald Trump and spoke to the CEO of the Latin American Association and Emory Law associate professor Mark Nevitt for the information provided in this article.

ImmigrationGeorgiaDonald J. TrumpNews

Source link

Georgia

How Georgia Fans Should Remember Carson Beck

Published

1 day ago

December 24, 2024

Press Room

How Georgia Fans Should Remember Carson Beck

With Carson Beck’s season over, here is how the Bulldogs’ fanbase should look back on his time as Georgia’s quarterback.

Earlier this week, reports surfaced that Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck received surgery to repair the UCL ligament in his throwing arm. Subsequently ending his 2024 season and likely concluding his time as a Georgia Bulldog. With Beck’s collegiate career seemingly over, how should Georgia fans reflect on the quarterback’s career in The Red and Black?

While Beck was only the starter during the 2023 and 2024 seasons, his story begins much before then. The quarterback was a highly touted member of the Bulldogs’ 2020 signing class and was listed as a 4-star at the time of his commitment. Unfortunately, his freshman season was anything but normal, as the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic shortened all college football seasons and even saw numerous games canceled.

Following the conclusion of his freshman season, Beck seemed poised to at the very least earn some playing time during the regular season. As spring scrimmages and fall camps concluded, reports sprinkled in that Beck had made massive strides from his freshman year and was likely the second-string quarterback behind starter JT Daniels. However, once Daniels was sidelined with an injury early into the 2021 season, Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs’ staff elected to name Stetson Bennett the starter of the Bulldogs’ offense due to his experience.

Beck would see action sparingly throughout the year, while Bennett went on to lead the Dawgs to their first national title in over 40 years. Following the 2021 season, Bennett announced that he would be returning for one more season as the Bulldogs’ quarterback. This led to many fans anticipating Beck to enter the transfer portal and look for opportunities elsewhere.

Despite expectations to transfer, Beck remained steadfast in his loyalty to the “G” and served as the Bulldogs’ backup for the 2022 season. Once the season concluded, the Bulldogs were on a massive win streak and had just completed the first back-to-back national title victory in the College Football Playoff era. Placing immense pressure on whoever the next starting quarterback would be.

Following an intense position battle with Brock Vandagriff ahead of the 2023 season, Carson Beck was named Georgia’s starting quarterback after waiting for three seasons. Subsequently tasking Beck with maintaining the longest win streak in Bulldogs history, winning a third straight national title, and doing so with a brand-new offensive coordinator. Understandably, the Dawgs offense struggled at times throughout the 2023 season and much of the blame was undeservedly placed on Beck.

Despite criticism, Beck finished his first year as a starter with the highest single-season completion percentage in Georgia football history and led the Bulldogs to a dominating victory over Florida State in the Orange Bowl. With Beck’s 4th collegiate season concluded anticipations of him entering the NFL Draft began to rise. But once again, the quarterback’s loyalty to Georgia shined through as he elected to come back for one more season as the Dawgs’ quarterback.

As the 2024 season approached, expectations for Beck and the Georgia offense remained extremely high. Unfortunately, suspensions, injuries, and lackluster play from surrounding talent led to numerous games where the Bulldogs’ offense struggled. Beck had his fair share of struggles as well and went through a rough period of games throughout the regular season, which led to him receiving mass amounts of criticism and was often the subject of many jokes.

However, Beck once again overcame the criticisms and led the Dawgs to an SEC title appearance against all odds. Sadly, the SEC Championship would be his last appearance as Georgia’s quarterback, as he would suffer an injury to his throwing arm that would require surgery.

Carson Beck’s lengthy story with the Georgia Bulldogs certainly did not have the storybook ending that many would have liked to see. But that is far from the legacy that the quarterback is leaving behind. In an era where players demand absorbent amounts of money to commit, transfer when they don’t play, and head off to the NFL Draft as soon as possible. Carson Beck was an outlier for Georgia and dedicated his entire college career (and then some) to the Bulldogs.

The term “Damn Good Dawg” (or DGD for short) is used by the Georgia fanbase and is reserved for only the most deserving of Bulldogs. While Carson Beck likely won’t go down as the greatest Georgia quarterback of all time, nor will his jersey be retired anytime soon. The quarterback showed vast amounts of determination, poise, and loyalty that helped bring some of the greatest moments in the history of Georgia football and will absolutely go down in history as a “Damn Good Dawg.”

Other Georgia News:

Join the Community:

Subscribe to our YouTube Page HERE.

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking “Follow” on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @BulldogMaven & follow us on Twitter at@DawgsDaily

Source link