Georgia

‘No authority’: Georgia election board loses again in court as judge strikes down 7 rules

Published

1 year ago

October 17, 2024

‘No authority’: Georgia election board loses again in court as judge strikes down 7 rules

For the second time in two days, Georgia judges delivered a major blow to efforts by the state’s election board to change the rules governing this November’s election just weeks in advance.

In a late-Wednesday ruling, Judge Thomas A. Cox Jr. struck down seven new rules from the board, including a controversial ballot hand-count rule that another judge had already temporarily blocked on Tuesday. Cox ruled that all seven rules recently passed by the board’s Republican majority contradicted the state’s election laws and exceeded the state board’s authority.

“An administrative agency can only act to implement existing statutory schemes; they hold no authority to create new requirements or otherwise expand their own authority,” Cox wrote.

Members of the state election board didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Lawyers for Eternal Vigilance Action Inc., a conservative advocacy group that sued to challenge the rules’ constitutionality, also didn’t immediately respond to a comment request.

On Tuesday, after the ballot hand-count rule was temporarily halted by a different judge, state board member Janelle King said in a statement that “sometimes the victory lies in the public knowing that the State Election Board is paying close attention to our election process.”

Hand-count rule ‘vastly expands the authority and obligations of poll officials’

The flurry of last-minute changes ahead of the November election prompted Republican and Democratic officials to voice concern in recent weeks.

King and two other Republican members of the five-person state election board – who have been praised by former President Donald Trump as “pit bulls fighting for honesty, transparency, and victory” – passed the ballot hand-count rule and several other measures despite being advised by Georgia Republican Attorney General Chris Carr that they were probably unlawful. King challenged Carr’s assessment in her Tuesday statement.

The hand-count rule would have required thousands of Georgia poll workers to unseal ballot boxes and hand count the ballots, verifying that the totals match tallies produced by machines and working to correct any discrepancies. Studies have found that hand counts are slower and less accurate than machine counts.

Georgia Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger warned the ballot hand-count rule in particular could lead to “error, lost or stolen ballots, and fraud.” More broadly, he described a raft of election changes from the state board as “a mess.”

The Georgia Association of Voter Registration and Election Officials, a nonpartisan group with more than 500 officials and staff, had also warned the ballot hand-count rule could undermine public confidence in the election and “set fatigued employees up for failure.”

Election Day is weeks away. Sign up for USA TODAY’s On Politics newsletter for more updates.

In his Wednesday decision, Cox described the rule’s hand-count process as “cumbersome,” and said Georgia election laws that spell out poll officer duties once polls close don’t call for hand counting.

“In fact, the rule vastly expands the authority and obligations of poll officials in preparing ballots pre-delivery to the superintendents and pre-certification,” Cox wrote.

The other six rules Cox struck down would:

Require local officials to conduct a “reasonable inquiry” before certifying election results
Grant county election board members access to all election-related documentation created as the election was being conducted;
Require an absentee ballot deliverer to provide a signature and photo ID at delivery;
Demand video surveillance and recording of authorized drop boxes after the polls close;
Broaden mandatory, designated poll-watching areas; and
Add new requirements for the county board of registrars in reporting absentee ballot information.

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Georgia

Why Southern Living is spotlighting serene coastal escape in Georgia

Published

1 hour ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Why Southern Living is spotlighting serene coastal escape in Georgia

A quiet stretch of the Georgia coast is back in the national spotlight.

In a recent feature, Southern Living highlighted the Golden Isles as one of the South’s most serene escapes, praising the region’s undeveloped marshes, barrier islands and slower pace compared to other East Coast beach destinations.

Located roughly halfway between Savannah and Jacksonville, the Golden Isles include Brunswick, Sea Island, St. Simons Island, Jekyll Island and Little St. Simons Island.

Here’s what to know.

What makes Georgia’s Golden Isles different?

Unlike more densely developed beach towns in neighboring states, Georgia’s coastline is defined by tidal creeks, salt marshes and wide stretches of protected land.

“The coast of Georgia is quite different than the shores of North Carolina or South Carolina,” Southern Living wrote. “It’s wilder and quieter, and it’s much less populated with beach towns.”

While the islands offer modern resorts and vacation homes, much of the natural character remains intact.

One of the most photographed spots is Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island, known for its haunting remains of a maritime forest scattered along the shoreline.

Where are visitors staying?

The publication pointed to several well-known properties across the islands:

The Cloister at Sea Island
Jekyll Island Club Resort
St. Simons Island: The Grey Owl Inn and the St. Simons Lighthouse.

Little St. Simons Island, accessible only by boat, was highlighted for its all-inclusive lodge and thousands of acres of protected marshland and upland habitat.

What can you do in the Golden Isles?

Southern Living emphasized simple, immersive experiences:

Biking under live oaks
Kayaking through marsh creeks
Horseback riding along the beach
Watching sunsets over the water.

Public beaches like East Beach on St. Simons Island remain open to visitors, while golf courses on Jekyll Island and St. Simons offer year-round play.

The region’s history also plays a major role. Visitors can climb the St. Simons Lighthouse, explore historic districts in Brunswick or learn about Gullah Geechee heritage through local organizations.

For more information, visit southernliving.com/georgias-golden-isles-11906085.

Vanessa Countryman is the Trending Topics Reporter for the Deep South Connect Team Georgia. Email her at Vcountryman@gannett.com.

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Georgia

Gov. Kemp signs amended FY 2026 budget, delivering $2B in Georgia tax relief

Published

13 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Gov. Kemp signs amended FY 2026 budget, delivering B in Georgia tax relief

ATLANTA, Ga. — Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp on Tuesday signed HB 973, the amended Fiscal Year 2026 budget.

The amended budget includes $2 billion in income and property tax relief, alongside investments in education, public safety, mental health, transportation and rural development.

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones praised Gov. Kemp, saying the budget…

“Makes critical investments in middle-class families, mental health services, healthcare workforce development, transportation and Georgia’s veterans community.”

Key allocations in the amended budget include:

Education and Workforce Development: $325 million to endow the DREAMS Scholarship, a new needs-based scholarship program; $6 million for a Career Navigator tool; and funding for new and expanded programs at University System of Georgia and Technical College System of Georgia institutions.
Public Safety: $150 million for Department of Corrections bed space, $9.7 million for additional corrections officers, $15 million for a new K-9 training facility, and $50 million to help communities address homelessness, including among veterans.
Mental Health: $409 million to design and construct a new Georgia Regional Hospital to expand mental health bed capacity.
Transportation: More than $1.6 billion to extend and expand I-75 express lanes in Henry County; $185 million for SR 316 interchange conversions; $100 million for rural bridge rehabilitation and replacement; and $250 million for local maintenance and improvement grants.
Rural Georgia: $15 million for rural site development grants; $35 million for a new natural gas infrastructure program; and $8.9 million for the Georgia Forestry Innovation Initiative.

Governor Kemp says the state’s conservative budgeting approach has allowed Georgia to provide tax relief while making “generational investments.”

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Georgia

Middle Georgia DSA condemns U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, calls escalation ‘illegal’

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Middle Georgia DSA condemns U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, calls escalation ‘illegal’

MACON, Ga. (WGXA) — Middle Georgia Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has issued a statement regarding the U.S. and Israel’s joint strikes on Iran over the weekend.

According to other WGXA articles, based on reports as of early March 2026, the United States and Israel have launched major, coordinated military operations against Iran, labeled in reports as “Operation Epic Fury” and “Operation Midnight Hammer”. This follows months of failed nuclear negotiations and escalating regional tensions.

RELATED | Hegseth insists US-Israel strikes on Iran are ‘not Iraq, not endless’

WGXA asked Middle Georgia DSA, the largest activist organization in Middle Georgia, for their opinions on the strikes, and they responded with this:

The strikes on Iran, carried out by the United States and Israel, mark a catastrophic escalation in an illegal act of aggression. The Iranian people do not deserve to live in fear of American bombs and of the instability of regime change. Americans do not want our tax dollars and the lives of our people to be wasted on opening up a new war in the Middle East, or on bombing girls’ elementary schools. We want relief from the affordability crisis. We want peace. Middle Georgia DSA unequivocally condemns these attacks and any politicians who cannot do the same. We do not want this, we do not deserve this.

DSA added that they are not currently planning any protests at this time, and that they “remain focused on improving the conditions of people who live within our communities directly, and do not feel a protest is the best strategy to deliver on that.”

Middle Georgia DSA condemns U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, calls escalation ‘illegal’, March 2, 2026 (Image is meant to say 2026 instead of 2025, Courtesy of GCSU Mutual Aid)

However, GCSU Mutual Aid, a grassroots, community-led initiative focused on collective care and resource sharing within the Milledgeville and broader Middle Georgia area. While not an official department of Georgia College & State University (GCSU), it frequently operates in coordination with student-led groups and local residents to address gaps in traditional social safety nets.

RELATED | GCSU encourages peaceful expression ahead of national ICE walkout

GCSU Mutual Aid is planning a protest for Wednesday, where they will be “Marching for Democracy” in retaliation to recent events in the U.S.

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