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.
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The No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs play against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in an SEC football game today. The matchup is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN. Notably, the game will not be available on YouTube TV due to an ongoing dispute with Disney.
Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trial offered by DirecTV. Alternatively, fans can purchase a monthly subscription offered by Fubo TV/Sling.
The Georgia squad enters this matchup with a 7-1 record, and they have won four consecutive games. In their most recent game, Georgia defeated Florida 24-20.
In order to win today’s game, the Georgia squad will need to rely on its star quarterback Gunner Stockton. He has thrown for 12 touchdowns and nearly 1,800 yards this season, which highlights his arm talent.
The Mississippi State squad enters this matchup with a 5-4 record, and the team is coming off a 38-35 win against Arkansas.
In order to win this game, Mississippi State will need a great performance from its quarterback Blake Shapen. He has thrown for 15 touchdowns and nearly 2,200 yards this year, so he will try to continue his great play this morning.
Although YouTube TV will not broadcast today’s game, fans can still watch the matchup for free with DirecTV. Alternatively, fans can purchase a monthly subscription offered by Fubo TV/Sling.
Head coach Bruce Heppler has been the architect of one of college golf’s most consistent powerhouses at Georgia Tech, crafting an exceptional record of success since taking over the reins of the program in 1995.
The Yellow Jackets haven’t missed the NCAA regionals since 1998, an incredible stretch of 27 consecutive berths. The program has advanced to 22 NCAA finals, and claimed four national runner-up finishes as well. Most recently, Tech reached the NCAA semifinals in both 2023 and 2024 — finishing second in 2023 and tying for third in 2024. Remarkably, since 2000, the Jackets have fallen outside the top 10 in the major college golf polls only five times.
But Heppler, who is 65, has announced that he will retire following the conclusion of the 2025-26 season.
“Georgia Tech is a special place, and to be a part of this school, this athletics department and this historic golf program has been an honor,” Heppler said in a release. “It’s meaningful to me that my career as a head coach, and all of the relationships that come with that, are tied to one place – Georgia Tech.
“To the men that have come through our program: I’ve had the privilege of having a front-row seat to when many of your dreams came true, and to see the growth in each one of you. I hope that maybe we’ve altered your course in some small way – not just as golfers, but as people, husbands and fathers.”
The 10-time ACC Coach of the Year has mentored a pair of NCAA champions (Troy Matteson in 2002 and Hiroshi Tai in 2024), three national players of the year (Matt Kuchar in 1998 and 2000, Bryce Molder in 2001 and Matteson in 2002), three U.S. Amateur champions (Kuchar in 1997, Andy Ogletree in 2019 and Tyler Strafaci in 2020) and a British Amateur champ (Christo Lamprecht in 2023).
“I’d also like to acknowledge the generosity of those who have donated to our program over the years. Nothing could have been achieved without those resources that you provided. (Former athletics director) Homer Rice told me when he hired me that I won’t find a place that people love more than here at Georgia Tech, and that has proven to be true. The trophies will stay here, but the relationships will travel. The goal when I arrived on The Flats in 1995 was to leave things better than I found them, and I hope that is the case.”
Heppler, who hails from St. George, Utah, and spent three years as an assistant at Oklahoma State before heading to Georgia Tech, was inducted into the Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2013.
“It’s impossible to put into words everything that Coach Heppler has meant to Georgia Tech and college golf,” Georgia Tech vice president and director of athletics Ryan Alpert said. “He’s built Georgia Tech golf into one of the nation’s premier programs, while developing some of golf’s premier players but, more importantly, developing men that have gone on to be successful in all walks of life. We couldn’t be more grateful for Coach Heppler’s contributions to Georgia Tech and are excited to celebrate him through his final season on The Flats.”
Luke Resecker (Source: Texas DPS)
JOHNSON COUNTY, Texas – Nearly two years after a devastating head-on crash that killed six members of a visiting Georgia family, a Johnson County jury has sentenced 19-year-old Luke Garrett Resecker to 65 years in prison.
The fatal crash and victims
What we know:
The verdict follows a week-long trial in which prosecutors said Resecker was under the influence of marijuana when he crossed into oncoming traffic on U.S. Highway 67 near County Road 1119 outside Cleburne on December 26, 2023.
Resecker’s Chevy Silverado collided head-on with a Honda Odyssey minivan, killing six of the seven occupants inside.
Those killed were 28-year-old Rushil Barri, 39-year-old Naveena Potabathula, 64-year-old Nageswararao Ponnada, 60-year-old Sitamahalakshmi Ponnada, 10-year-old Kruthik Potabathula and 9-year-old Nishidha Potabathula.
The lone survivor from the minivan, Lokesh Potabathula, lost his wife, two children, cousin and in-laws in the crash. He survived but was left paralyzed from the waist down.
Resecker’s passenger, 17-year-old Preston Glass, suffered a severe traumatic brain injury that left him mentally impaired.
Marijuana found in truck
Dig deeper:
Potabathula’s family had recently moved from Plano to Alpharetta, Georgia, returning to North Texas to visit friends over the holidays. Barri, his cousin, had moved from India for graduate studies and was living and working in Irving.
An affidavit and toxicology report showed that THC was present in Resecker’s system at the time of the crash. Troopers also found THC wax, a vape pen, and marijuana inside his truck.
When charges were first filed in early 2024, Resecker faced six counts of intoxication manslaughter, two counts of intoxication assault, and drug-possession charges. Due to injuries from the crash, he was placed on monitored home confinement after posting bond.
Trial and sentencing
Local perspective:
During closing arguments, Assistant District Attorney Stephanie Miller invoked each victim’s name, saying:
“Justice for Rushil, Justice for Naveena, Justice for Nageswararao, Justice for Sitamahalakshmi, Justice for Kruthik, Justice for Nishidharaman, and Justice for Lokesh — and justice for this community.”
The district attorney’s office thanked jurors, investigators, and prosecutors for their dedication, calling the case “by no means an easy one.”
The jury ultimately sentenced Resecker to 65 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
A message on reckless driving
What’s next:
The Johnson and Somervell Counties District Attorney’s Office said the case stands as a sobering reminder of the irreversible consequences of impaired and reckless driving.
Assistant District Attorneys Connor Day and Stephanie Miller prosecuted the case.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by a social media post from the Johnson and Somervell County District Attorney’s Office.
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