Georgia
Georgia GOP leaders clash over election oversight
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Tensions inside Georgia’s Republican Party spilled into public view on Thursday at the Senate Ethics Committee.
The committee met at the Georgia Capitol to take up questions surrounding election administration.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones called on Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who did not attend the hearing, despite being in the Capitol complex earlier in the day.
The dispute is unfolding as several Republican leaders position themselves for a run for the governor’s mansion. Jones, who currently leads all gubernatorial contenders in campaign fundraising, has called on Raffensperger to testify, accusing him of failures in election oversight. Raffensperger is also running for governor.
At the center of the conflict are recent admissions from Fulton County election officials that hundreds of thousands of ballot tabulator tapes from the 2020 election were not properly signed, a violation of state rules. Tabulator tapes act as receipts in the election process and are used to confirm that vote totals are accurate during certification.
Jones has argued that the election results should not have been certified under those circumstances.
In addition to calls for testimony, state Sen. Randy Robertson, a member of the Senate Ethics Committee, has filed a resolution urging Raffensperger to comply with federal requests from the U.S. Department of Justice to turn over Georgia’s complete voter roll.
“No elected official in this state is exempt from participating in any civil, criminal, or administrative investigation — including our secretary of state,” Robertson said.
Raffensperger has pushed back, saying the committee’s demands would require his office to release sensitive voter information, including Social Security numbers and driver’s license data, which he says would violate Georgia law.
In a letter to the committee chairman explaining his absence, Raffensperger said his office has already complied with federal requests to the fullest extent allowed under state law.
“I always follow the law and the Constitution,” Raffensperger said. “This resolution would actually require me to violate state law — and I won’t do that.”
What happens next remains unclear. Lawmakers could attempt to pursue Raffensperger’s testimony through the courts or take further legislative action, but no immediate decision was announced during the hearing.
Copyright 2026 WANF. All rights reserved.
GEORGIA, Ga. (WALB) — A new bill introduced to the Georgia Senate could create a constitutional amendment to restrict voting to legal U.S. citizens.
The bill, Senate Resolution 4EX says, “No person who is not a citizen of the United States shall be entitled to vote at any election by the people.”
If passed, Georgians will vote on the constitutional amendment in the November election.
Georgia Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger said “I have been calling on the legislature for years to pass this amendment to the state constitution. I am glad to see the legislature finally act to ensure only American citizens are voting in our elections.”
According to Raffensperger, Georgia was the first state in the nation to conduct citizen verification of voter rolls. Since 2022, Raffensperger’s office conducted two citizenship audits of Georgia’s voter rolls.
SR 4EX Text
“Casting a vote is one of the most important elements of American citizenship. Any illegal vote dilutes the value of a citizen’s lawfully cast ballot. U.S. Citizens should decide Georgia elections. Period. I urge the legislature to pass this important legislation.”
The state uses information from the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) to identify people who are non-citizens. This data is based on documents provided to DDS, through its REAL ID drivers licenses or state identification cards.
That information is also ran through the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program to verify an individual’s citizenship status.
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Copyright 2026 WALB. All rights reserved.
The Oklahoma Sooners left no doubt in their 11-4 win over the Georgia Bulldogs to advance to the College World Series finals. It is OU’s second trip to the finals since 2022 but this one feels far more improbable.
A bubble team toward the end of the regular season and down 8-2 in an elimination game against Georgia Tech, Oklahoma has defied the odds and powered its way to the finals in Omaha. On Wednesday night, the Sooners hit five home runs against a Bulldogs team that led the nation in home runs per game this season.
Jason Walk got the home run party started, and Dasan Harris hit a pair of two-run bombs to help Oklahoma separate from one of the best teams in college baseball.
From the mound, freshman Nick Wesloski put together a strong performance for the Sooners, allowing just one earned run in 5.2 innings pitched. L.J. Mercurius worked 3.1 and allowed just one earned run against the vaunted Georgia offense.
Everything is clicking for Oklahoma heading into the finals, which begins on Saturday. They’ll face a good North Carolina Tar Heels for all the marbles. But before we get to the championship series, here’s a look at how social media reacted to the Sooners win over Georgia.
Playing for a Natty
Incredible Job by Skip Johnson
Definition of Team
Just Unreal
Got Hot at the Right Time
The Moment from the Dugout
Freshmen Phenoms
Nothing Easy, Everything Earned
Team of Destiny?
Exceeding All Expectations
Dasan Harris is that Dude
Incredible Story
Sooner Magic is alive and well
Playing for a trophy
Time to lay it all on the line
Just doing ridiculous things
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X (formerly known as Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.
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