Georgia
Three of the most important down-ballot races facing Georgians in the 2024 election
Voters from around the country discuss issues most important to them
USA TODAY spoke to voters from around the country to learn about the most important issues to them and whether anything could sway their votes.
The presidential race is easily the biggest to watch this election. But, it’s certainly not the only important one in Georgia.
USA TODAY recently provided an analysis of each state’s less high-profile but very consequential races. Here are the three listed for Georgia:
Georgia House District 42
Who is running: Gabriel Sanchez, a 27-year-old Democratic Socialist, and Republican Diane Jackson are both vying for their first term in the Georgia legislature.
Where is District 42: Covers much of the Smyrna area, according to Ballotpedia.
What’s at stake: Sanchez is the first Democratic Socialist to win a state primary in Georgia, according to the Atlanta chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. In the May primary, he defeated incumbent Rep. Teri Anulewicz, who has served in the House since 2017. District 42 has not been represented by a Republican since 2012 and overwhelmingly voted for Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, meaning Sanchez will likely be the first Democratic Socialist state lawmaker in Georgia’s history.
Georgia House District 53
Who is running: Incumbent Rep. Deborah Silcox, a Republican, is vying for her second term representing District 53 against Democrat Susie Greenberg.
Where is District 53: Covers parts of the Roswell and Sandy Springs area, according to Ballotpedia.
What’s at stake: This race is one of the most competitive in the state, and one of the most expensive legislative battles. Silcox flipped the district Republican in the last election, winning by fewer than 1,500 votes. Greenberg has raised nearly $432,000, according to her most recent campaign filing, more than four times Silcox’s $103,000 from this year’s campaign. Silcox previously represented House District 52 but lost to Rep. Shea Roberts, a Democrat, in 2020. Silcox notably refused to concede for over six months following the election, after a lawsuit was filed by a Sandy Springs resident alleging that voter fraud had occurred in the district. The case was eventually dismissed by the Georgia Supreme Court.
Georgia Senate District 48
Who is running: Incumbent Sen. Shawn Still, a Republican, is defending his seat from Democratic challenger Ashwin Ramaswami.
Where is District 48: Approximate of north Johns Creek and east Alpharetta, according to Ballotpedia.
What’s at stake: Still was one of 19 people indicted in Georgia as part of former President Trump’s fake elector scheme, having served as a secretary who signed and filed false documents in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election results. His opponent, Ramaswami, has been campaigning on his experience in election cybersecurity and other progressive issues, and has raised more than five times as much as Still, according to recent campaign filings. If elected, Ramaswami would be the first Indian American and first Gen Z lawmaker in the Georgia Senate.
Georgia
Four Middle Georgia teens charged for murder of Crisp County 20-year-old, GBI says
CRISP COUNTY, Ga. (WGXA) — Four teenagers are facing multiple felony charges for the murder of a 20-year-old man in Cordele last month.
On Friday, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced the arrests of 17-year-old Bianca Armani King-Knight, 17-year-old Kaylee Posey, and 19-year-old William Troy Posey all from Crisp County and 19-year-old Trenton Donnell Lane from Wilcox County, in connection to a shooting that left one person dead and another injured on the 1000 block of Dayton Road.
The GBI identified the victim as Correnthian Jeremiah Cooks, 20, who died at a local hospital after being found shot on around 6:45 p.m. on June 27. While the other male victim received treatment and was later released.
All four teenagers were charged with one count of felony murder and three counts of aggravated assault on June 29 and are currently being held at the Crisp County Jail.
The investigation remains ongoing, and anyone with information is urged to contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Americus at (229)-931-2439, the Cordele Police Department at (229) 273-3102 or submit an anonymous tip online.
Stick with WGXA as we learn more and keep you ready for what’s next.
Georgia
“Operation Southern Slow Down” returns to target speeding drivers across Georgia and Florida
Heading out on the road for a little summer vacation? Law enforcement agencies across the South have a warning: Slow down or face consequences.
The ninth annual “Operation Southern Slow Down” will run from July 13 to 19 across Georgia, Florida, Alabama, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
All five states and local law enforcement agencies will be taking part in the speed enforcement and awareness campaign, which officials say is designed to prevent crashes and save lives by reminding drivers of the dangers of speeding and reckless driving.
During the time period, drivers will see more law enforcement on roads across all five Southern states.
Last year’s operation ended with nearly 53,000 citations and warnings for speeding, 2,230 for reckless driving, and over 3,000 for violating distracted driving laws. Over 1,400 drivers were arrested on DUI charges, including 501 in Georgia.
“Operation Southern Slow Down” began in 2017 in an effort to reduce crashes and save lives. Federal crash data shows that speed was a factor in one out of five fatal traffic crashes in Georgia from 2020 to 2024. A 2023 report by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety found that over half of those killed or seriously injured in multi-vehicle crashes where speed was a factor were not the speeding driver.
“Unsafe driver behaviors like speeding are a major contributor to fatalities and serious injuries on our roadways,” said Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared W. Perdue, P.E. “Remember that your actions behind the wheel can have life-altering impacts: slow down and drive responsibly to help get everyone to their destinations safely.”
Authorities say drivers should always wear a seat belt and make sure to give others who are traveling at high speeds on the roads plenty of space.
Georgia
Georgia cops’ alleged misuse of Flock license plate tracking data fuels privacy concerns
ATLANTA – At least ten police officers across Georgia have been arrested and charged with misusing the Flock camera database for personal reasons, adding to growing privacy concerns about the technology.
The cameras, usually mounted to a black pole, record license plates and other data of whoever passes them.
Georgia police database tracking
What we know:
A series of recent arrests has exposed the misuse of Flock license-plate-reading cameras by police officers throughout the state.
In Greene County, Deputy Quin’sha Goss was fired on Tuesday and charged with misusing the system.
The recent arrests include five police officers in Albany, who were also charged earlier this week.
That’s alongside a lieutenant, a sergeant and a deputy in Cherokee County charged last month with violating their oath.
System audits flag searches
What they’re saying:
Flock Co-founder Paige Todd stated that many recent arrests resulted from departments utilizing a new audit assistance tool that automatically flags unusual searches.
“In this case where misuse happened, the technology itself was not creating the misuse. It was it was human beings,” Todd told FOX 5’s Rob DiRienzo.
Todd argued that the public safety benefits of the technology heavily outweigh individual instances of human misconduct.
Todd explained, “best way to prevent misuse is now, every member of law enforcement out there knows that this audit exists,”
Todd added that the system has successfully helped track down thousands of individuals across the country.
“We, I believe, solve about a million crimes with our technology,” she said. “10,000 missing people have gone home because of it. This feels like pretty small in comparison.”
Privacy concerns trigger pushback
The other side:
The ACLU of Georgia called the incidents a critical wakeup call regarding constitutional protections and tracking limits. Christopher Bruce of the ACLU of Georgia said, “Jeopardizing your civil rights and civil liberties is never just an unfortunate event. You have constitutional rights, especially a right to privacy. And the question is who polices the police?”
Information security analyst Peter Tran noted that the network relies heavily on automated data collection.
“It uses AI,” Tran said.
Tran said many are uneased by the logging searchable personal data into a nationwide database.
“It becomes a privacy and security issue. So, you’re whereabouts where you shopped, your name, your address,” he said.
SEE ALSO: Dunwoody sets ‘guardrails’ for Flock surveillance cameras use
The blowback has prompted dozens of U.S. communities to end their contracts.
Videos have circulated on social media instructing people how to tear them down or disable them.
In Barrow County, the sheriff said three Flock cameras were recently damaged there.
The sheriff said damage to the devices could be considered a felony.
The Source: The information in this story is based on original reporting by FOX 5’s Rob DiRienzo, who interviewed Flock co-founder Paige Todd, ACLU of Georgia representative Christopher Bruce, and security analyst Peter Tran, as well as tracking data from local sheriff offices.
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