Georgia
Issues with Georgia voter information website raise concerns for November general election
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – A glitch in Georgia’s voter information page that lasted just shy of an hour during Tuesday’s primary election has some advocates concerned for the November general election.
The My Voter Page, referred to as MVP, is a site run by the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office that allows voters to look up their registration status and precinct location, and track their absentee ballots and view sample ballots.
But for about an hour between 1-2 p.m. during Tuesday’s primary, the site was down, leaving voters with no access to their information.
“In the years I’ve been doing this I’ve never seen it be down for this long,” said Stephanie Ali, policy director with the voting rights group New Georgia Project. “So we have to have our confidence that this is getting fixed, that this is going to be stronger and that this is going to handle a higher volume going into November and frankly beyond.”
Election officials said the crash was a symptom of too much traffic on the page – or more accurately – what those users were doing.
“It’s not just the user, it’s the things they’re requesting,” said Gabriel Sterling, chief operating officer of the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office, in a press conference moments after the site went back online. “When you’re requesting to download a sample ballot, it’s a lot more capacity than it is if you’re just looking at your polling location, so it’s not a question of number of users. We were in the thousands at a time of doing it at that point.”
But primary elections historically see far lower voter turnout than general elections, so the concern is that the site will experience something similar when far more voters are using it in November.
“If this number of voters knocks it off its pedestal, then we’ve got to expect a higher number are coming and we’ve got to be ready for that,” said Ali.
Exacerbating the issue were ongoing delays at U.S. Postal Offices in Georgia. Because those delays risked the timely delivery of absentee ballots, absentee voters were specifically encouraged to check the MVP for the status of their ballot, and if it wasn’t showing a confirmed delivery, they were directed to vote in person so their absentee ballot could be spoiled once it arrived late.
The page was needed Tuesday perhaps more than it had been in a long time. This year’s primary election was the first since a sweeping round of redistricting impacted the voting precincts and candidates for people in metro Atlanta and the metro Macon area.
GEORGIA PRIMARY ELECTION COVERAGE:
It also happened in the middle of the day, when people still had a chance to confirm their precinct and go vote.
Ali said it could have been far worse.
“Our biggest fear seeing something like that is that that sort of crash happens in the evening at 6 p.m. when people are trying to do their final runs and there is no later,” she said. “You can’t just have a flippant response that, oh, there’s still a chance, because at some point there won’t be.”
The site was back up and running around 2 p.m. on Tuesday. Georgia saw a roughly 20% voter turnout for the primary.
Copyright 2024 WANF. All rights reserved.
Georgia
No. 3 Georgia to Host Top-Ranked Auburn for Regular Season Finale – University of Georgia Athletics
Georgia fell at Auburn 14-6 to wrap up the fall slate of their season. The overall record against the Tigers currently stands at 31-31, including a 13-7 record in Bishop.
During their National Championship run in the 2024-25 season, the Mane Dawgs faced off against Auburn on three separate occasions. Georgia was victorious at home, 11-9, before falling on the road, 11-8. In the quarterfinals of the NCEA National Championships in Ocala, the Bulldogs stunned the second-ranked Tigers, 13-4, en route to their eighth National Championship title.
Georgia returns to action following a trip to Blythewood, South Carolina, to take on the third-ranked Gamecocks.
Top-ranked Auburn travels to Bishop after hosting No. 4 SMU at home the prior weekend. The Tigers defeated the Mustangs 13-7 and swept all four MOP honors.
Following the conclusion of the meet, Georgia will honor their seven seniors for their dedication and contributions to the program.
The meet will be streamed on SECN+ at https://gado.gs/e7v, and live scoring will be available at https://gado.gs/e7w.
HOW TO FOLLOW GEORGIA EQUESTRIAN: For complete information on Georgia equestrian, follow the team on its social media channels via @UGAEquestrian on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
JOIN OUR MANE DAWGS FUND: Mane Dawgs Fund contributions make a direct impact in supporting our student-athletes and equines at the Georgia Equestrian program. A gift to the Mane Dawgs fund helps provide resources such as equipment upgrades for our student and equine athletes, travel assistance, and enhance overall team experiences. Contributions to the Mane Dawgs provide benefits such as membership gifts and information about upcoming special events. Click here for more information.
Georgia
Georgia OC Mike Bobo gets giant pay raise, salary matches DC Glenn Schumann
Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo and defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann will be paid equally in 2026 after receiving raises, according to an Athens Banner-Herald report.
Coach Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs are coming off a second consecutive SEC championship season and College Football Playoff Sugar Bowl quarterfinal appearance.
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Georgia
Georgia Lt. Gov. announces bill inspired by Charlie Kirk to protect student speech
Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones on Monday unveiled legislation inspired by the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk that he says would expand students’ free speech rights in public schools, making Georgia the first state in the nation to pursue such a measure.
Jones announced the “True Patriotism and Universal Student Access Act,” known as the TPUSA Act, on Monday as a priority for the 2026 legislative session. The proposal, sponsored by State Sen. Ben Watson (R–Savannah), would strengthen First Amendment protections for public school students by safeguarding their right to speak, organize, and express political and religious views on campus.
The bill is explicitly shaped around the work and legacy of Charlie Kirk, the founder of the conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA and its political arm, Turning Point Action. Jones and others have framed the legislation as a way to honor Kirk’s efforts to mobilize young conservatives and defend free speech in schools and on college campuses.
“In the spirit and memory of Charlie’s work, the TPUSA Act in Georgia would ensure that students’ First Amendment rights to organize, gather and speak are protected, regardless of their religious, political, or social viewpoints,” Jones said in a press release. “Georgia is leading the way as the first state in the nation to do it.”
Jones, who is running for governor and is endorsed by both former President Donald Trump and Turning Point Action, also emphasized his broader commitment to free speech rights as part of his campaign rhetoric.
“Georgia is building on the work of Charlie Kirk to ensure students can speak, organize and express their beliefs freely,” Jones posted on social media.
The TPUSA Act would require public schools in Georgia to permit political expression before, during and after the school day to the same extent that non-political expression is allowed. It also would let students form political clubs and groups during non-instructional time, bar discrimination against groups based on viewpoint, and guarantee that students could wear politically themed clothing and accessories under the same standards that apply to other permitted attire.
Supporters say the legislation would ensure that school administrators cannot block students from engaging in peaceful political activities and that all viewpoints, partisan and nonpartisan, would have equal access to meeting spaces and facilities.
Sen. Watson said the move reflects the belief that schools should not restrict students’ free speech or prohibit them from organizing around their beliefs.
“School officials should not have the power to enforce their own ideologies on students,” he said.
Josh Thifault, senior director at Turning Point Action, praised Georgia’s effort, asserting that Kirk “lived and died for the First Amendment.” He added that the legislation will benefit students “for decades to come” by removing barriers to student expression.
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