Tag: georgia
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Newest Clayton County Board of Education member elected
The special general election for Clayton County Board of Education District 8 in Georgia was on Sept. 21. The filing deadline to run passed on Aug. 11. Joy Tellis Cooper (D) defeated Arvis Walker (D) for the District 8 seat. A runoff election was initially scheduled for Oct. 19, but it was not needed after…
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Five candidates file for Georgia House special election
Five candidates have filed to run in the Nov. 2 special election for District 165 in the Georgia House of Representatives. Edna Jackson (D), Sabrina Kent (D), Antwan Lang (D), Clinton Young (D), and Clinton Cowart (L) filed before the Sept. 10 filing deadline. The winner of the special election will serve until January 2023.…
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Federal appeals court rejects claim that Georgia requirement that voters pay postage for absentee/mail-in ballots amounts to a poll tax
On Aug. 27, 2021, a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit unanimously affirmed a lower court’s decision finding that a Georgia law requiring voters to pay the price of postage for returning absentee/mail-in ballots does not constitute an illegal poll tax. The plaintiffs had argued that requiring absentee/mail-in…
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Georgia’s suspended insurance commissioner found guilty on 37 charges of fraud; voters to decide in 2022 on suspending pay for indicted officials
On July 22, a jury found former Georgia Insurance Commissioner Jim Beck (R) guilty on 37 counts of fraud, including mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and tax fraud. Beck was elected to the office on November 6, 2018, and was suspended from the office by Governor Brian Kemp (R) on May 16, 2019. The…
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Governor Brian Kemp appoints new state supreme court justice, public service commissioner
Governor Brian Kemp (R) appointed Verda Colvin to the Georgia Supreme Court and Fitz Johnson to the Georgia Public Service Commission on July 20 and 21, respectively. Colvin will fill the vacancy left by Justice Harold Melton, who retired on July 1 of this year, while Johnson will take former Commissioner Chuck Eaton’s position. Governor…
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Gov. Brian Kemp fills vacancy on Georgia Supreme Court
Georgia GovernorBrian Kemp (R) appointed Verda Colvin to theGeorgia Supreme Court on July 20. Colvin was Kemp’s third nominee to the nine-member court. Colvin succeededHarold Melton, who retired on July 1. Chief Justice Melton joined the Georgia Supreme Court in 2005. He was appointed to the court by Gov. Sonny Perdue (R). Prior to her…
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Leesa Hagan wins special runoff election in Georgia House district
Leesa Hagan (R) won the special general runoff election for Georgia House of Representatives District 156 on July 13. She defeated Wally Sapp (R), earning 51.7% of the vote to Sapp’s 48.3%. Hagan and Sapp advanced from the general election held on June 15, where they defeated Democratic candidate Wright Gres. A runoff became necessary…
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Two Georgia House special runoffs set for July 13
The special general runoff elections for Georgia House of Representatives Districts 34 and 156 are scheduled for July 13, 2021. In District 34, Devan Seabaugh (R) is facing Priscilla Smith (D) in the runoff. In the June 15 general election, Seabaugh and Smith advanced from a field of five candidates and earned 47.1% and 24.6%…
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Redistricting review: Georgia, Maryland, and Michigan hold public redistricting hearings
Redistricting authorities in at least three states held hearings about their respective redistricting processes in the past week. Here’s a roundup. Georgia: Last week, Georgia lawmakers announced a schedule for public redistricting hearings, the first of which took place virtually on June 15. Ten more public hearings are scheduled, with the next taking place in…
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Two Georgia state legislative special elections advance to July 13 runoffs
A special general election was held for Georgia House of Representatives Districts 34 and 156 on June 15. In District 34, Priscilla Smith (D) and Devan Seabaugh (R) advanced to the general runoff and defeated Sam Hensley Jr. (D), David Blinkhorn (R), and Chris Neill (L). In District 156, Leesa Hagan (R) and Wally Sapp…