Georgia

Shortened Georgia runoff poses hurdles for voters, officials

Published

3 years ago

June 13, 2022

Shortened Georgia runoff poses hurdles for voters, officials

ATLANTA – Georgia’s 2021 voting regulation made modifications that drew a firestorm of criticism — bans on giving water to individuals ready to vote, a shorter interval to request an absentee poll and strict limits on poll drop containers.

However with early in-person voting opening Monday in most Georgia counties forward of the June 21 major runoff, the implications of one other change that bought much less consideration have gotten totally obvious. Shortening the runoff interval from 9 weeks to 4 weeks means much less time to vote early in individual and tight home windows to obtain and return mail ballots.

Opponents of the regulation say the shorter runoff interval retains individuals from voting.

“All of this stuff are designed to assemble extra hurdles to Georgians taking part in our elections,” mentioned Nse Ufot, CEO of the New Georgia Challenge, which seeks to mobilize nonwhite and younger voters. “Individually, they’re annoyances, inconveniences. Collectively, they make up a voter suppression scheme.”

Advert

Supporters of the regulation admit the four-week interval is difficult for election officers, however say the voter suppression narrative is hogwash.

“What we’ve seen is simply fewer points and extra voters turning out throughout the board, no matter get together, and no matter methodology of voting. So I believe it’s an actual optimistic,” mentioned former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who now leads Larger Georgia, a gaggle which goals to mobilize conservative voters.

Georgia requires a runoff if a candidate would not win a majority within the get together major or within the normal election. The brand new regulation mandates solely 5 weekdays of early in-person voting for runoffs, starting Monday and ending Friday. Voters bought three weeks of early voting earlier than the Could 24 major, together with two obligatory Saturdays for the primary time.

The regulation says Georgia’s 159 counties can open early in-person runoff voting as quickly as doable, however solely 10 counties began earlier than Monday. Seven counties — Clarke, Cobb, Fulton, Glynn, Gwinnett, Lowndes and Rockdale, offered Saturday voting. Solely Fulton and Gwinnett, the state’s two most populous counties, offered Sunday voting.

Advert

Some counties determined towards weekend voting as a result of officers believed there could be little demand. Many Republican voters haven’t any runoff to vote in, with all statewide races settled and few native GOP races requiring one other spherical of voting.

However Ufot mentioned it is unfair to voters to let counties set their very own schedules.

“They allow them to every decide once they wish to do early voting and whether or not or not they wish to make it simpler for individuals?” Ufot requested.

Of the 71,000 individuals who requested absentee ballots by mail, data present greater than 13,000 hadn’t been mailed by Saturday, elevating questions on whether or not voters might obtain and return them in time.

“That’s a reputable concern,” Loeffler mentioned. “On the county stage, I believe that’s one thing that they’re going to need to be watching.”

Quite a few election officers say one other week earlier than the runoff would enhance issues.

Deidre Holden, elections director in Atlanta’s suburban Paulding County, mentioned her county has struggled to order ballots, put together tools and discover ballot staff.

Advert

“We’re having bother ensuring we’re assembly deadlines,” Holden mentioned. “It’s been one thing else, simply making an attempt to get the election turned again round. … Twenty-eight days is simply not sufficient.”

Of 9 states that conduct runoffs, solely South Carolina, at two weeks, and Arkansas and Mississippi, at three weeks, have shorter intervals.

Till 2013, Georgia runoffs have been a three-week dash, however a federal choose discovered army and abroad voters didn’t have sufficient time to return mail ballots, ordering 9 weeks as a substitute.

Lawmakers in 2021 solved that downside by including ranked-choice ballots for abroad voters, letting them decide extra decisions within the occasion of a runoff.

The regulation’s Republican authors mentioned they needed a shorter interval as a result of nine-week runoffs “have been exhausting for candidates, donors and electors.” The final of these contests, after all, noticed Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock defeat Republicans David Perdue and Loeffler in January 2021 to provide Democrats management of the U.S. Senate.

Advert

“Having been a candidate in a nine-week runoff and speaking to individuals throughout the state about what a protracted runoff means, I don’t know lots of people that wish to return to a protracted runoff state of affairs,” Loeffler mentioned. “There’s voter fatigue; candidate sources get strained.”

Others recommend Republicans acted to verify Democrats might by no means repeat that efficiency.

“I do assume, perhaps, that this can be a backlash towards what occurred in January 2021,” mentioned Sean Morales-Doyle, appearing director for voting rights on the Brennan Heart for Justice.

Morales-Doyle mentioned turnout could also be excessive in Georgia, however he cautions that measuring the influence of coverage modifications on turnout “is a really difficult factor to do,” noting excessive spending in governor and U.S. Senate races drove voting on Could 24. However he mentioned shortening the runoff interval is limiting.

“There’s motive to assume that slicing down severely on entry to early voting and voting by mail goes to have a unfavourable influence on turnout,” Morales-Doyle mentioned.

Source link

Click to comment

Georgia

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

Published

5 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

13 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

23 hours 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