Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for July 23, 2024

On July 23, 1864, Union and Confederate forces in and around Atlanta gathered the dead and worked to save the wounded. Union artillery began bombarding Atlanta. On July 23, 2014, Republicans did the same in the aftermath of the Primary Runoff Elections the previous day. Democratic artillery advertising would soon fill the air.

Former President Ulysses S. Grant died on July 23, 1885.

The Cleveland Metropolitan Park District was established on July 23, 1917 and currently has a set of beautiful parks winding through the city.

The number one song in America on July 23, 1982 was “Eye of the Tiger,” by Survivor, from the Rocky III soundtrack.

John Smoltz started his first game as a major league pitcher on July 23, 1988, as the Braves took a win over the New York Mets.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Former State Senator Dr. Don Thomas (R-Dalton) has died, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen News.

Last week, Don Thomas passed away at the age of 91 after “a long battle” with Parkinson’s Disease, according to his obituary. He practiced medicine for 58 years in Whitfield County and during that time also served 14 years as a state senator, shepherding two significant pieces of legislation into law — the banning of smoking in most Georgia restaurants and other public places and mandating seat belts in trucks.

Janice Helton, an employee at Whitfield Medical, began working as a file clerk during afternoons through a vocational program at North Whitfield High School.

Helton also helped on his political campaigns. One year she had to travel out of state for cancer treatments.

“He called my husband to tell him he had won the election, and then my husband called me in Arkansas,” she remembered of the era predating cellphones. “He took the time to call and make sure I knew. That was the kind of guy he was — things didn’t matter, but people mattered to him. He was a good man, and faith and family meant the most to him.”

After serving on the Whitfield County Board of Education in the 1970s, Thomas was elected to the state Senate in 1996. He worked on more than healthcare issues. Judy Alderman of the Prater’s Mill Foundation noted he was a great champion of the historic gathering place near Varnell and Cohutta.

“When he was senator, he got a grant for Whitfield County for heritage interpretation at Prater’s Mill,” she said. “With permission from Jim and Kenneth Boring, he and the local delegation offered Prater’s Mill to the state (Department of Natural Resources) as a historic site. The state wanted it, but the legislature did not approve funds for it.”

From a statement by Senator Chuck Payne (R-Dalton):

“Dr. Don Thomas was a true saint of a man, whose legacy will be defined by commitment to his community and the State of Georgia,” said Sen. Payne. “I am thankful for Dr. Thomas’ profound impact on my life as a leader and mentor. I extend my prayers and condolences to Don’s children, sister, Farrell, extended family and friends.”

Thomas, affectionately known as “Dr. Don,” served Georgia’s 54th Senate District from 1996 to 2010. He attended Berry College and Georgia Teachers College (Georgia Southern University) before earning his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. Dr. Thomas’ tenure in the Georgia Senate was distinguished by his leadership as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, where he championed significant bipartisan legislation, including the state’s smoking ban in most restaurants and public places.

As a family practice physician in Dalton, Dr. Thomas provided comprehensive care to his patients for 58 years. His political career began in 1972 with his election to the Whitfield County School Board, where he served as Chairman from 1974 to 1984.

Dr. Thomas was active in Gideons International and a longstanding member of the Dalton Rotary Club.

From NewsChannel9:

His obituary says “he was known as a soft-spoken lawmaker who was able to push through major legislation with bi-partisan support, most notably the state law that prohibits smoking in most restaurants and public places.”

The obituary says Thomas also led the fight to amend Georgia’s seat belt law to require seat belts in pickup trucks.

Governor Brian Kemp made a statement about Thomas’ passing on X Friday.

In his statement, the governor says…

“Whether safeguarding the health of Georgians or ensuring drivers were as protected as possible while on the road, he spent his entire career working to make the lives of those around him better, both as a physician and a legislator. It was a true honor serving alongside him in the State Senate – an experience I have valued ever since. Please join us in praying for his family and all who knew and loved him…”

From the Dalton Daily Citizen News:

“Don is part of the generation that built an industry here — and built a community here — that you just can’t replace,” said [David] Pennington, a former Dalton mayor. “He was part of building the medical community that had to go with the carpet industry. and he never saw a patient that he didn’t care about; he treated everybody, he was everybody’s doctor. and obviously, he had a political legacy in Atlanta in the state Senate.”

In the latter part of his career Thomas ran successfully, and was reelected several times, for the Senate. During his 14 years under the Gold Dome he created and shepherded the landmark legislation banning smoking statewide in restaurants and mandating seat belts in trucks. Pennington said his “biggest legacy” came while serving as chairman of the Whitfield County school board.

“There was no QBE (Quality Basic Education),” he noted. “So if you were from a rich area, your schools got a whole lot more money than the poorer areas. We were sorta the dichotomy here because the city of Dalton obviously, at that time, had an extremely rich tax base because of the carpet industry. Almost none of them were in the county then. Don led the effort to sue the state and start the first QBE to spread the wealth around, if you will, which was so important … (and) it took a lot of courage to do that.”

It was just a preview of things to come, for Thomas became “known for taking courageous stands.”

“Like the seat belt law in pickup trucks, he had a lot of voters and friends that didn’t like that,” continued Pennington. “No smoking in restaurants, the same thing. When he got a cause he had tremendous courage, without a doubt. You don’t find that much anymore in politics.”

“As a state senator, he introduced me when I was the county chairman to a guy named Sonny Perdue, and said he was going to be our next governor,” [Former Whitfield County Commission Chair Mike] Babb recalled. “And I thought ‘Well, that’s not going to happen — we haven’t had a Republican governor in 131 years!’ Sure enough, he became good friends and very tight with Sonny Perdue and was responsible for helping him become governor. He got us started down the Republican path, I guess you could say.”

As a physician, Thomas also educated Babb on a controversial political subject — partial-birth abortion.

“I’d never known that term until it became such a big issue at the statehouse, and I asked him to explain it to me,” Babb said, “Once he got through, you could tell I was not in favor of partial-birth abortions anymore, not by a long shot.”

Another change Thomas championed helped Babb’s wife, Karen, who Babb said struggles with asthma.

“Every time we’d go out to eat somewhere, she always had to be careful about where she sat and tried to get in a non-smoking section,” Babb said. “He worked through the state legislature and got that changed (banning smoking in most Georgia restaurants). He’s been around forever and done a lot to improve life for people in general, and specifically for people in Georgia. He’s just a wonderful guy, very family-oriented. It’s a loss to our community.”

Charlie Bethel was the District 54 state senator for three terms after Thomas and now serves as a justice on the Georgia Supreme Court. He noted Thomas was chair of the Whitfield school board the same time his grandfather, Tom Jones, chaired the Dalton board.

“My admiration for him is rooted in my grandfather having high respect for Don,” he said. “In Rotary Club I got to know him on a personal level, and it was just universal that people felt he was kind, interested in other people and how he could be helpful to them — and always an encourager.”

It was Thomas who steered him toward the state legislature, Bethel said.

“He told me he thought I’d be good at it, and encouraged me to think about it,” he recalled. “That was a boost from someone of his stature and reputation.”

“He sorta set me up to not get caught up in the frenzy of the (Gold Dome), because it can feel very hectic and crazy,” he noted. “He was a prolific worker, but never seemed rushed … the fact that I did not have a little black bag and prescription pad and the ability to take away headaches was a significant disadvantage during my service because people were used to Dr. Don literally doctoring them. But just having that level of (people saying) ‘Oh, you’re following Dr. Don’ — his borrowed credibility, in many ways — was certainly a boost to me … I’m very thankful that we had him.”

Bethel added with a laugh that as “everybody knew, he was just likely to be with shoes as without shoes when you encountered him. He didn’t like the feel of shoes on his feet.”

He said the story was true that Thomas showed up at the Gold Dome shoeless one day without even realizing it.

State Rep. Jason Ridley, who serves north Murray and Whitfield counties in District 6, spread the word of Thomas’ passing around the state.

“I think when describing Don Thomas, for me it’s going to be the same reply I got from Gov. (Brian) Kemp, Speaker (Jon) Burns, Lt. Gov. (Burt) Jones and Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper when I told them all the news (Friday): ‘We have lost a good man.’ It’s how everyone has always described Don Thomas here and at the Capitol in Atlanta.”

The Athens-Clarke County Courthouse is closed by a bedbug infestation, according to the Athens Banner Herald.

The Athens-Clarke County Courthouse is closed until July 29, while the 325 E. Washington St. facility is being treated for bed bugs. The courthouse was closed on Monday when Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Chief Judge Lisa Lott issued a judicial emergency order.

“Due to the number of visitors and employees who visit the Courthouse daily, the source of the bed bugs is not known,” the county government noted in a news release announcing the emergency order. Bed bugs are small non-flying parasitic insects usually transported from place to place as people travel.

“Bed bugs have been found in five-star hotels and resorts and their presence is not determined by the cleanliness of the living conditions where they are found,” the county government noted in its news release.

Lott’s order, covering both the judicial and non-judicial offices in the courthouse, came after the county government’s Central Services Department was made aware of the possible presence of bed bugs in some areas of the building. A pest control company subsequently confirmed that bed bugs were in the building, and the Central Services Department recommended that Lott issue the order closing the downtown Athens facility.

Vice President Kamala Harris has consistently trailed former President Donald Trump in voter surveys, according to USA Today via the Savannah Morning News.

In the 11 polls conducted with Georgia voters this year, Harris loses to Trump each time, according to data from FiveThirtyEight.

The most recent poll – taken July 16 to July 18 with 618 prospective voters – placed Harris at 40% of the vote to Trump’s 45%. An additional 5% of voters went with Kennedy, while others remained undecided.

A University of Georgia poll conducted for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution with 1,000 participants taken from July 9 to July 18 showed Harris with 46% of the vote to Trump’s 51%.

Importantly, all these polls were conducted before Biden dropped out of the race. With renewed interest and growing momentum behind Harris, she could start to climb in popularity among Georgia voters.

Like Harris, Biden also lost to Trump in all Georgia polls this year. The most recent poll showed him with 40% of the vote to Trump’s 45%.

If Trump continues to pull ahead and win Georgia this year, then Democrats’ hard-fought 2020 victory would be short-lived. Biden narrowly won Georgia in the 2020 presidential election, securing just 0.23% more of the vote than Trump, or, infamously, 11,779 more votes.

From the Ledger-Enquirer:

A survey on behalf of the British newspaper The Telegraph by Redfield & Wilton Strategies found that 53 percent of eligible voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and Pennsylvania think that Trump will win in November.

The paper said this is almost three points more than its polling on July 10, which took place three days before Thomas Crooks shot at Trump from a rooftop near his rally in Pennsylvania.

Expectations Trump would win spiked by five points to 50 percent after Biden’s widely panned presidential debate performance on June 27 and this has increased by a further 2.7 points since the assassination attempt, said The Telegraph.

“The image of Trump pumping his fist after the assassination attempt is now burned into the minds of Americans,” said Thomas Gift, director of the Center on U.S. Politics at University College London, U.K.

“Small wonder why that symbol of defiance is resonating with undecided and swing voters,” he told Newsweek on Saturday.

United States Senator Raphael Warnock (D-Atlanta) spoke about the shakeup at the top of the Democratic ticket, according to WSAV.

“I think President Joe Biden has proven once again he is a true patriot,” said Warnock, “He is a selfless servant and leader who has spent his career putting the people first.”

Warnock has offered his full support and endorsement behind Vice President Kamala Harris, who he called a close friend.

“Here is somebody who has broken many glass ceilings,” he said. “She is a very able prosecutor. She is used to making the case against criminals. And it will be interesting to see her prosecute that case over the next four months.”

From the AJC:

“I don’t know, a Black boy who grew up in Kayton Homes get elected the first United States Senator from the state of Georgia, alongside the first Jewish senator from the state of Georgia. This is the magic of America. I believe that she can win and I believe that she will win.

“I think as you look at the contrast between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, it really is a moral question, too. Will America choose the criminal? Or the person who’s spent much of her career prosecuting criminals? And ironically, the party that put up the criminal is claiming to be the law-and-order party.”

Sen. Warnock is being mentioned as a possible VP candidate on the Harris ticket, according to the Macon Telegraph.

In a CBS news report Monday that notes that the Democratic presidential nomination is “up for grabs,” Warnock is listed, along with Harris, among a host of potential presidential nominees. Many on the list could also be vice presidential nominees, according to the report.

In an opinion piece Monday in The New York Times rating how Democrats would face against Trump, veteran reporter Ross Barkan noted that “Warnock is the rare Democrat who can excite the Black working class and white liberals alike.

“He’s battle-tested in Georgia, and he’s well versed in courting Republicans and swing voters. And he has been the longtime pastor at the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legendary Atlanta church,” Barkan wrote.

But the newspaper’s opinion columnist Pamela Paul countered:

“Warnock’s background as a religious leader and an activist is not typical for a presidential candidate for a reason. On the issues, Warnock is too progressive for a deeply polarized party in which more Democrats and more independents would welcome a more traditionally liberal or more moderate candidate.”

“(Warnock) was the first Black person elected senator from Georgia — and his elevation to a national ticket would most likely energize Black voters across the U.S., who polls show had been flocking away from Biden,” NBC News reported.

South Georgia political leaders say women voters will decide the Presidential election, according to WALB.

“Me being a female, you know, I uphold my corner and encourage all other females to let’s do what we need to do,” said Trish Batten, Lee County Democratic Party Chair.

“It’s unprecedented, anticipated, wanted, and again history in the making,” said Will Davis, [Democratic] 2nd Congressional District Chair.

Local Republican leaders tell WALB they’re confident in having more women support Donald Trump’s agenda, especially if Harris joins the race.

“The policies that former President Trump is running on will be the same and the interest shown by women, it’s just stronger. It’s stronger than we’ve seen,” said Bruce Fykes, Thomas County Republican Chairman.

Local Democratic Party officials discussed the top of their ticket, according to WJBF.

Richmond County Democratic Party Chair, Jordan Johnson and Aiken County DNC Delegate James Horch say the Biden-Harris Administration Helped to pass bills like the CHIPS and Science Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and more.

“Her record is his record. The city of Augusta received $84 million dollars through the funding of the American Rescue Act– that would not have happened without the effort of the Biden-Harris administration…,” Johnson said.

They say her time served alongside President Biden has prepared her for this moment and made her qualified to lead the free world.

“If you look at the amount of student loan debt that has been eliminated by the Biden-Harris administration, that speaks to all of our needs. That’s debt that can never be refinanced. You look at the fact that insulin has been capped at $35 dollars a month for seniors, we’re trying to cap it for everybody else. These are items that everyday people in this country have asked this administration for, and quite frankly, they’ve delivered…,” Johnson said.

The Augusta Democratic Rules Committee will be meeting on Wednesday to discuss a breakdown for the Democratic National Convention and what that can look like.

From WRDW:

Jordan Johnson serves as the chairman of the Richmond County Democratic Party.

“We respect his decision. He did not make the decision haphazardly. It was an informed decision, and as we do with our president on everything else, we support his decision not to seek re-election,” Johnson said.

He says he’s confident moving forward with Biden’s decision.

“Democrats are united behind Kamala Harris, and we’re united behind Kamala Harris because we’ve seen the work that she’s done with our president. His accomplishments could not be possible without her,” he said.

This move has one member of the Columbia County Democratic Party hopeful for the future.

James Harris said: “We can see people that we want to see in office, as opposed to folks who just want to be there and or folks who can be there because they have money or access to money.”

Johnson: “Folks who are subscribing to the vision and the message of building a brighter country, a brighter future for everyone who calls this country home, we need folks to get on board.”

Johnson says what happens in November will set this country up for the next few years. He says this election is not simply about two candidates; it is about the soul of our country.

From the Gwinnett Daily Report:

Harris comes from a multi-ethnic family. She’s of Indian descent on her mother’s side and of Jamaican descent on her father’s side.

If she is elected president, she would be the first Black woman and the first South Asian — or Asian-American in general — to hold the nation’s highest office.

And, that has some Asian-American lawmakers who are Democrats from Gwinnett excited.

“My son can’t talk yet but I already told him that we are going to have our first half Jamaican, half South Asian President just like him,” state Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes, D-Duluth, referring to her newborn son, said on Twitter. “The Islam Parkes household is proud to support VP Kamala Harris to be our next President. Can’t wait to see her crush Donald Trump.”

In a joint letter, State Reps. Sam Park, D-Lawrenceville; Marvin Lim, D-Norcross; and Farooq Mughal, D-Dacula, joined other Asian-American lawmakers, including Reps. Michelle Au, D-Johns Creek; Saira Draper, D-Atlanta; and Long Tran, D-Dunwoody, in endorsing Harris while also thanking Biden for his leadership.

They particularly thanked Biden and Harris for meeting with leaders in Georgia’s AAPI community and vowing to listen to them in the aftermath of fatal shootings at Asian-American-owned businesses in metro Atlanta in March 2021.

“You kept your promise to us, and we will never forget that,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter. “And now, as ever, we continue to stand with you, as we also stand with the woman you have endorsed to be the next president of the United States. Our friend, our sister, and our first ever Black and AAPI Vice President, Kamala Devi Harris.”

Not ever[y] Asian-American lawmaker from Gwinnett is backing Harris in the presidential race, however.

Rep. Soo Hong, R-Lawrenceville, for example, is a Republican and therefore unlikely to endorse any Democrat against the GOP nominee, former President Donald Trump.

And state Sen. Sheikh Rahman, a Democrat from Lawrenceville and native of Bangladesh who was Georgia’s first Muslim state Senator, has not formally endorsed Harris.

State Rep. Ruwa Romman, a Democrat from Duluth, praised Biden’s record on healthcare and economic issues, but criticized his administration’s handling of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinians.

Romman did not endorse Harris, but did say she wanted the vice president to “now chart a better path forward by supporting a permanent ceasefire and implementing a weapons embargo. Our party’s values seek a world centered around peace and justice for all. We can achieve those goals and meet the promise of this moment.”

A new state law that took effect July 1 requires hemp sellers to be licensed, according to the Moultrie Observer.

On July 1, a state law took effect that regulates the sale of hemp products and provides for mandatory licenses for wholesalers and retailers.

“As the sponsor of this bill, I saw a critical need for amending the original legislation to address several pressing issues. Currently, the sale of hemp is unregulated, making it easily accessible to minors and available at numerous locations without proper oversight. This lack of regulation raises significant concerns about the content and safety of these products,” said Sen. Sam Watson, R-Moultrie.

He also said the bill introduces a regulatory framework for the Department of Agriculture to oversee hemp sales, ensuring that only legal substances are sold.

“This is crucial not only for consumer safety but also for supporting farmers who are part of the hemp industry. By aligning our regulations with federal standards, we ensure that the hemp sold in our state meets stringent safety and quality requirements,” Watson said.

Some things that Senate Bill 494 includes are authorizing the Department of Agriculture to enforce certain criminal laws (relating to hemp products); prohibiting persons from performing certain activities (relating to hemp products) without licenses; providing for the issuance of licenses relating to the manufacturing and sale of consumable hemp products; and providing restrictions on the sale and advertisement of hemp products.

The new legislation also prohibits the sale of consumable hemp products to individuals under the age of 21 and prohibits the purchase or possession of hemp products by individuals under the age of 21.

Watson said that the legislation helps level the playing field for the agricultural industry by regulating hemp in a manner similar to alcohol and tobacco. He said it also lowers the processing fees for producers, making it more economically viable to grow hemp in Georgia.

“This supports our local farmers and encourages consumers to buy from them rather than cheaper, imported, and potentially unsafe products,” he said.

“I view this bill as a consumer protection measure, providing the Department of Agriculture with the necessary tools to safeguard our residents. We are committed to continuing our work in the next legislative session to enhance the safety and profitability of hemp production in Georgia,” said Watson.

The Macon-Bibb Board of Elections wants to improve accessibility for voters with disabilities, according to 13WMAZ.

The Macon-Bibb County Board of Elections is working to shorten the distance to the polls at the Macon Mall, according to a report from the Macon Newsroom.

They say the board first became aware of accessibility issues at the mall voting site in December 2022. Now, the board is considering ways to reduce the walking distance for voters.

Elections Supervisor Tom Gillon suggested setting up advanced voting in the county’s new courtrooms, according to the report. The courtrooms have curbside access near the mall entrances on Bloomfield Road and Mercer University Drive.

There is also a canopy over the courtrooms’ entrance, and room to form a line of people waiting to vote inside.

The report says that William Noland, the board’s attorney, is planning to find out whether Georgia law will allow placement of an absentee ballot drop box at the courtrooms.

The board also discussed the addition of golf carts or motorized transport to improve access, according to the report. Instead, they moved a couple of voting machines outside of the office and into a sprawling lobby.

Voting opens Oct. 15 for the upcoming presidential election. The board also agreed to hold the special election for the Macon Water Authority District 1 seat during the November election.

Albany City Commissioners announced a proposed raise in the property tax millage rate, according to WALB.

The city is proposing to raise this year’s property tax by 12.17% over the rollback millage rate.

Each year, the board of tax assessors is required to review the assessed value for property tax purposes of taxable property in the county.

“When the trend of prices on properties that have recently sold in the county indicate there has been an increase in the fair market value of any specific property, the board of tax assessors is required by law to re-determine the value of such property and adjust the assessment. This is called a reassessment,” according to the city.

According to a release, when the total digest of taxable property is prepared, Georgia law requires a rollback millage rate to be computed that will produce the same total revenue on the current year’s digest that last year’s millage rate would have produced had no reassessment occurred.

“The budget tentatively adopted by the City of Albany Board of Commissioners requires a millage rate higher than the rollback millage rate,” the release said.

Before the City of Albany Board of Commissioners can finalize the tentative budget and set a final millage rate, Georgia law requires three public hearings to be held to allow an opportunity to express their opinions on the increase.

Columbus City Council will meet in temporary digs amidst construction, according to WTVM.

The Columbus Consolidated Government has announced temporary adjustments for two upcoming city council meetings due to scheduled upgrades.

City officials said the meetings set for Tuesday, July 23 at 5:30 p.m. and Tuesday, July 30 at 9 a.m. will now take place at the Muscogee County School District Public Education Center. Both meetings will be held in the board meeting room.

A spokesperson said the improvements include studio enhancements, control room upgrades, enhancements to council chambers, the council conference room, lobby and community room. These upgrades will reportedly allow continued access and participation in council proceedings, even during occasional TV broadcast interruptions.

The updated broadcast system is expected to be fully operational by August 2, in time for the next council meeting scheduled for August 14 at 9 a.m.

Tifton City Manager Emily Beeman was placed on Administrative Leave, according to WALB.

The announcement came in a city council meeting Monday night.

Beeman became city manager in 2023 and is the first woman to hold the role for the city.

The Georgia Secretary of State’s Office is conducting “health checks” of local voting systems, according to WTOC.

These health checks happen at all of Georgia’s 159 counties, the Secretary of State’s office looks to ensure the security of the building itself and its internet connection are secure as well as the effectiveness of the voting equipment there.

“So, we can verify that the machines have not been tampered with to give everyone that comfortable feeling coming into the election of November. We understand that this is going to be a large, pivotal election. It seems like we have those every two or four years here in Georgia now. So, we want to make sure that voters are confident in the results,” said [the secretary of state].

The Glynn County Board of Elections voted to hire a lawyer to help determine whether an independent candidate petition for ballot access by Laura Khurana is valid, according to The Brunswick News.

During Monday’s special-called Board of Elections meeting, Director Christopher Channell said County Attorney Aaron Mumford recommended outside legal advice to resolve the questions.

Some signatures were rejected because they were not registered to vote in Glynn County. Others printed and wrote their names so illegibly that they could not be read. Some printed their names but failed to sign their name in another part of the petition or used a post office box instead of a physical address.

If enough signatures are validated, she will face incumbent Republican Walter Rafolski, who is unopposed by a Democrat on Nov. 5.

Board members voted 4-1 to hire a lawyer, with Tommy Clark casting the dissenting vote. Clark argued state elections officials should have helped county election officials resolve the issue without hiring legal counsel.

Patrick Duncan, chair of the Glynn County Republican Party, said state law is clear about petitions, and anyone who doesn’t fill out all the information makes that signature invalid.

He expressed bewilderment over any confusion board members have about the signatures.

Amy Abbott, who lost her bid for the Republican nomination for the District 2 county commission seat, said she supported the board’s decision to hire outside counsel because there is no definition for what is a valid signature in state law. She pointed out cursive writing is no longer taught in many schools. And, while it’s a requirement to include a physical address, many people use post office boxes for contact information.