Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for August 31, 2026

On August 31, 1864, Confederates charged Union forces at the Battle of Jonesboro, in which the CSA suffered more than 1400 casualties in one hour.

On August 31, 1955, the first solar powered car was demonstrated by William Cobb of General Motors.

On August 31, 1965, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation creating the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which the Senate had previously passed.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson is joining a lawsuit seeking to overturn state legislation that makes her office non-partisan, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

Austin-Gatson announced Friday morning that she has filed a lawsuit against the state of Georgia challenging House Bill 369 in Fulton County Superior Court. The bill, which Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law earlier this year, forced the DA’s office and nearly every other county level office in five metro Atlanta counties to be filled through nonpartisan elections held in May.

Austin-Gatson said the move by the legislature’s Republican majority — despite opposition from leaders in the state, county and several district GOPs — sets a worrying precedent. The bill began its life as a food truck bill but Republican legislators gutted it and changed its language to be about nonpartisan elections.

“I feel it’s unjust in the way that it even traveled through the House (and Senate) and we just can’t let it stand,” Austin-Gatson said. “It’s not good for people to think their lawmakers are doing backroom deals and things like that.“We have to be upfront with the public.”

House Bill 369 officially targets counties that have appointed coroners. That narrows its impact to just Gwinnett, Fulton, Cobb, Clayton and DeKalb Counties.

Opponents have pointed out that the DAs in all five counties are African-American women.

The language that was inserted into House Bill 369 by the Georgia Senate earlier this year was originally in a separate bill that the full Senate had rejected earlier in the 2026 legislative session. Once it was substituted in place of the old food truck-related language, the Republican majority in the Senate approved it and the GOP-controlled House then signed off on it.

Austin-Gatson’s lawsuit is separate from another lawsuit filed by DeKalb County DA Sherry Boston earlier this year to also challenge House Bill 369. Fulton County DA Fani Willis, Clayton County DA Tasha Mosley and Cobb County DA Sony Allen have joined Boston’s lawsuit as co-plaintiffs.

From the AJC:

The law has been framed as an effort to depoliticize local offices. But some Democrat leaders say the law disproportionately impacts Black elected leaders in Georgia’s most populous region.

Austin-Gatson called it “strange and prejudicial.” All five counties to which the law applies have Black Democratic women serving as district attorney.

“I am the first African American who has ever had the position of district attorney in the history of Gwinnett County,” Austin-Gatson said. “Therefore, I have a duty to stand up and fight against what I believe to be unjust and racially discriminatory legislation.”

The civil filing comes months after DeKalb District Attorney Sherry Boston filed a suit against the law, calling it “clearly unconstitutional.”

Boston, chair of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Association of Georgia, announced the litigation during a news conference where she was flanked by district attorneys Fani Willis of Fulton County, Sonya Allen of Cobb County and Tasha Mosley of Clayton County.

United States Senator Raphael Warnock (D-Atlanta) called for a statewide moratorium on data centers, according to WSAV.

U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock is calling for a statewide moratorium on data center construction after meeting with Effingham County residents Friday who raised concerns about OpenAI’s proposed Project Camellia.

OpenAI announced in July that it plans to build a 3.2-gigawatt data center in Effingham County.

Warnock visited the proposed site and met with residents and members of the Protect Effingham Alliance. Residents raised concerns about utility bills, water, noise, light and pollution.

“The lack of transparency here in Effingham County and in counties across our state and across the country is unacceptable, and that’s why today I’m calling for a moratorium on data centers,” Warnock said.

Under Warnock’s proposal, the moratorium could be lifted for a specific project only if certain safeguards are in place.

Those conditions include ensuring there are no water or electric bill increases because of a data center, no “sweetheart” tax giveaways to developers, no non-disclosure agreements and no air or water pollution. Warnock also called for no ambiguity around noise and light pollution.

John Smith, an Effingham County resident who lives about a thousand yards from the proposed construction site, said residents should have been involved before the project moved forward.

“Why wasn’t this a conversation before it became a done deal? Why weren’t we putting guardrails in place before the deal was signed?” Smith said.

Effingham County native Isaiah Scott also met with Warnock, saying the senator’s visit represents the strongest show of support the community has seen from a government leader.

The Effingham County Industrial Development Authority(ECIDA) responded to Warnock’s concerns about transparency.

ECIDA CEO Brandt Herndon said Project Camellia was the result of an economic development process involving privately controlled property, negotiations and multiple parties.

“Those discussions included information that could not be made public before a transaction and project announcement were finalized,” Herndon said.

Herndon said that is “fundamentally different from stating the project is being developed without public oversight.”

He said the public will have opportunities to hear from Effingham County, OpenAI and the project’s development team as additional local, state and regulatory processes move forward.

OpenAI said it supports Warnock’s focus on protecting Georgia families and local communities. The company responded to his visit:

“We support Senator Warnock’s focus on protecting Georgia families and local communities. That is why OpenAI will pay the full cost of the electric infrastructure and service required for Project Camellia, use closed-loop cooling designed to keep ongoing water use low, and provide $80 million in community benefits shaped by local input.”

OpenAI says it has also committed $80 million for community benefits in Effingham County. The company says input from residents and local organizations will help shape how those funds are used to address locally identified priorities.

WSAV is also told the ECIDA estimates Project Camellia will contribute approximately $32 million annually to Effingham County Schools.

Effingham County officials have also said proceeds associated with the Project Camellia land sale could support approximately six mills of combined property-tax relief this year. The county has described that as an initial step toward its longer-term goal of eliminating county homestead property taxes, which would require additional action and voter approval.

The project remains subject to state and county reviews, permitting, site-plan approval and inspections.

From the Savannah Morning News:

The announcement came Friday morning during a press conference at Zion Lutheran Church in Guyton, where Warnock met with residents and stakeholders regarding the planned data center in Rincon. He also laid out the only reasons the moratorium should be lifted if implemented.

“That moratorium can only be lifted for a specific project if there are no water or electric bill increases because of the data center, if there are no NDAs or sweetheart tax giveaways to developers and there is no air or water pollution from the data center, and no ambiguity around noise and light pollution,” said Warnock.

Brant Herndon, chief executive officer for the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority, told SMN in a previous interview that the IDA board approved an incentives package that includes a 50% property tax abatement for 15 years. In exchange, OpenAI would be locked into the county’s 2026 millage rate for the duration of the agreement.

Herndon added that the estimate does not account for additional revenue generated through other taxes that would benefit the county. Overall, he said, OpenAI is expected to become the largest taxpayer in Effingham County history.

The Airing of Grievances: From the Savannah Morning News:

The Effingham County Board of Commissioners chambers were at overflow level Saturday morning.

More than 100 residents flocked to the county administrative offices to air grievances, ask questions and hear a comprehensive presentation on the recently announced OpenAI data center proposal in the county.

The meeting lasted four and a half hours, with three of those hours devoted to public comment, during which residents overwhelmingly opposed the proposal. Public commenters cited concerns about transparency, infrastructure demands and OpenAI’s accountability.

The announcement of the center was made on July 22 to the surprise of residents after approval of a 50% tax incentive package brokered by the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority.

“Moving this point forward, if it meets the federal, state and local ordinances and law, the project will proceed,” Effingham County Manager Tim Callanan said during the presentation.

The PILOT program is a central facet to the county’s “Project Zero” aimed at eliminating county residential property taxes. OpenAI will begin making payments on the value of the undeveloped property next year.

“This is the first step in the county’s plan for Project Zero,” Callanan said.

One common grievance among attendees was that they were not consulted and had no say in the proposed data center before it reached this stage of planning. The county was first contacted about the project in January 2026 regarding infrastructure, according to the project timeline presented Saturday.

Bulloch County Commissioners will likely consider amending a data center zoning proposal Tuesday, according to the Statesboro Herald.

An item having to do with data centers appears high on the agenda for the Bulloch County Board of Commissioners’ 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1, regular meeting. But to be clear, this is the proposed zoning text amendment intended to ban data centers that was “tabled” for roughly 30 days by a 3-2 vote of commissioners Aug. 4.

Since then, during the Aug. 18 meeting, the commissioners heard and discussed a county staff presentation about a different zoning text and map amendment that would allow data centers in specific “overlay zoning” areas, subject to regulations and requirements. But that proposal has not been through the county’s process for amending an ordinance and is not on the agenda for this Tuesday’s meeting.

What is there is the ban amendment, drafted by the staff after commissioners voted 5-0 on May 5, to start such a process. It defines “data center” but then states, in the separate sections defining the General Business, Heavy Manufacturing and Light Manufacturing zones, that each “does not include data centers.” The proposal would also scrub references to “cryptocurrency mining” and related terms from existing zoning ordinances.

Commissioners could vote to approve or drop this proposed ban, or further postpone a decision.

Meanwhile, their temporary moratorium barring data centers anywhere in the county unincorporated area, initiated in February and extended in May, remains in effect until Dec. 31, 2026, unless the board takes other action.

The pending data center ban amendment is the first of seven zoning items on the commissioners’ Sept. 1 agenda.

Augusta is considering a data center ordinance, according to WJBF.

Augusta residents will have a chance this evening to weigh in on proposed rules that would regulate future data center development in the city.

The public meeting is part of the city’s effort to put together the community’s feedback before a proposed data center ordinance is finalized. The drafted ordinance would address requirements for where data centers could be built and how they would begin to operate.

This meeting will address different points in the ordinance: noise, lighting, and even the visual impact on the community. Many people are concerned about the impact data centers would have on quality of life and the environment.

Also airing grievances: Dougherty County property owners received their tax bills, according to the Albany Herald.

Dougherty County has completed a comprehensive reassessment of property tax values for the first time in more than a decade, and this week the notices to property owners started landing in the mailboxes of property owners.

Judging by the reaction online, the feeling from many residents is anger, confusion and frustration. Dozens have commented on social media, and Dougherty County Commission members say they are receiving calls, texts and emails.

The volume got loud enough for Commissioner Russell Gray that he put his own response on Facebook.

“I think there’s initial outrage at seeing the magnitude of increases in valuation,” he said. “I caution everyone to understand that it is not a tax bill.”

That linking of assessment value, such as the assumption that a 50% increase in value means a 50% jump in property taxes, is one that individuals commenting online are making.

Put simply, a higher property value does not equate to a bigger tax bill, the commissioner said. The amount on those bills will depend on the tax millage rates set by the County Commission, Albany City Commission and the Dougherty County School Board.

Homeowners who have homestead exemptions also are further protected at the city and county levels because both governments opted into state legislation that will retain the 2024 base rate, keeping the values on those properties the same. Any increase in valuation would be limited to the amount of the consumer price index (CPI) for the year.

The second thing to remember is that all property owners can appeal the new valuations on properties. Higher property values mean that the millage rate, which determines the actual tax bill, can be lowered.

“We’re getting a ton of calls,” Larry Thomas, the vice chairman of the Dougherty County Board of Assessors, said. “That was expected. It’s the shock value, just realizing their property has increased in value like it has.”

“Our job as assessors is to ensure the property is valued at fair market value,” he said. “That is all we do. We do not set the millage rate.”

The Dougherty County School System is preparing to set a lower millage rate in response to rising values, according to the Albany Herald.

Superintendent Kenneth Dyer told members of the Dougherty County Board of Education on Friday that the district has not yet received the preliminary tax digest needed to calculate a proposed millage rate, but the significant increase in property values is expected to allow for a sizable reduction.

“I do anticipate a significant reduction in our millage rate because of the significant increase in the tax digest,” Dyer said. “What exactly that is, I don’t know.”

Dyer said the reduction could ultimately be the largest the district has made during its nine-year stretch of lowering the millage rate.

The school system does not determine individual property values. Those assessments are established through Dougherty County’s property tax assessment process. The school board instead determines the millage rate applied to taxable property values to generate revenue for the school district.

That means a significant reduction in the school millage rate could offset at least some of the impact of higher property assessments, but it does not necessarily mean every homeowner’s school tax bill will decline.

A property owner whose taxable value increased substantially could still pay more in school taxes even with a lower millage rate, depending on the size of the reassessment, applicable exemptions and the rate ultimately adopted by the board.

Dyer acknowledged the concern surrounding the reassessments, telling board members some property values appeared to have increased significantly. He said some residents have questioned whether the new assessed values reflect what their properties could actually sell for.

“We can anticipate a ninth consecutive year, and it’ll probably be the largest rollback — the largest reduction — that we’ve seen,” Dyer said.

Republican Rick Jackson campaigned for Governor in Savannah, according to WTOC.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson campaigned in Savannah this weekend, telling voters that affordability — including tax cuts — and improvements to Georgia’s education system are top priorities of his campaign.

The event drew a mix of supporters and undecided voters. Jackson was joined by several fellow Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, who praised Jackson’s record on Georgia’s business climate.

“As governor, I will treat affordability like a crisis because for too many families, it already is,” Jackson said. “Before the government asks you for another dollar, it ought to account for every dime it already takes. We will eliminate wasteful spending and we will keep our budget balanced and we will bring transparency to every level of government.”

Jackson faces Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms in the Nov. 3 election.

Georgia Democrats pushed back on Jackson’s visit. In a statement, state Rep. Anne Allen Westbrook said Jackson “still hasn’t come clean” about money she claims he is making off taxpayers, pointing to a contract she said he secretly extended into the next governor’s term.

“Jackson’s keeping us all in the dark — but Georgians deserve transparency around his secretive dealings,” Westbrook said in the statement.

From WJCL:

“Our success has created thousands of Georgia jobs, supported scholarships for foster children, providing millions of dollars to help others, and open doors for people who needed a fair shot,” Jackson said.

He also pledged to make Georgia more affordable.

“I will cut Georgia’s income tax in the first half or I will not run again. Simple as that,” he said.

State Rep. Anne Allen Westbrook, who represents Georgia’s House District 163, expressed skepticism about Jackson’s candidacy and encouraged voters to ask questions.

“Unless he has promised to disclose all of the contracts he has with the state of Georgia, then I’m not persuaded that this is going to be a good deal for Georgians,” Westbrook said.

Jackson responded to the criticism, saying, “The insiders have their candidates, their connections and their plans. I was not part of any of them. But being counted out is not new to me.”

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter also voiced his support for Jackson, saying, “Fifteen years in a row, [Georgia has] served as the number one state in which to do business. We’ve got to continue that, and we’ve got a candidate for governor who can do just that.”

Jackson was joined by Carter, Georgia First Congressional District Candidate Jim Kingston, Georgia Commissioner of Labor Barbara Rivera Holmes, and Georgia Lieutenant Governor Candidate Greg Dolezal, as well as his son, Shane Jackson.

Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms campaigned for Governor in Macon, according to 13WMAZ.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms brought her campaign to Central Georgia on Saturday, stopping in Macon to speak with voters about issues including health care, education and immigration.

Bottoms, a former mayor of Atlanta, spoke to the crowd, some of which held signs supporting her campaign.

Bottoms previously worked in Macon and said speaking directly with Central Georgians is an important part of her campaign.

“I always say the streets don’t lie, so it’s nothing like being on the ground talking directly to people, listening to people,” Bottoms said.

Expanding Medicaid is one of the issues Bottoms has highlighted on the campaign trail. She has called for investments in rural hospitals, emergency medical services, telehealth and maternity care.

“Whether we need Medicaid or not, if you go into an emergency room and that emergency room is overrun with people, then you are being impacted by our unwillingness to expand Medicaid,” Bottoms said.

Medicaid was also a concern for some attendees at Saturday’s event.

“If you don’t have the expansion of Medicaid you have longer lines, so that helps in a lot of regards,” Dumas said.

Bottoms’ Republican opponent, Rick Jackson, has said commercial health insurance is better for patients than Medicaid, according to his campaign.

Bottoms has also criticized Jackson’s candidacy, saying electing him would be “putting Trump in the state capitol.”

“If they’re pleased with the cost of gas, the cost of groceries, cost of housing, then maybe Rick Jackson is your guy,” Bottoms said.

Improving literacy rates is another focus of Bottoms’ campaign.

According to the Georgia Board of Education, 67.1% of students statewide read at grade level or above. In Central Georgia, the figure is 70% in Houston County, while in Bibb County, 45.2% of students read at grade level or above.

Bottoms said Georgia needs to invest more in education.

“We are not funding education in the way it needs to be funded, we are not allotting money accordingly based on poverty rates in this state,” she said.

Bottoms also discussed her position on immigration, pointing to her record as Atlanta mayor, when she said her administration did not work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“We will be a welcoming state, meaning that no matter your country of origin, no matter your race, no matter your nationality,” Bottoms said.

Bottoms also stopped in Columbus on Thursday ahead of her Macon visit.

Springfield, Georgia will not renew their school zone cameras contract, according to the Savannah Morning News.

The city of Springfield voted unanimously Aug. 11 to terminate its contract with Blue Line Solutions, a company that operates a speed detection camera in the Springfield Elementary School Zone. The agreement is set to terminate Sept. 11.

“Under Blue Line’s proposed amendment, the cameras would be expected to operate for eight hours on school days,” said Springfield City Manager Lauren Eargle, which would be longer than the cameras are currently operated. “If the city chose to continue its more limited enforcement schedule, Blue Line’s fee would increase from 35% to 65% of paid notices of liability (tickets). After consideration, council determined that continuing the contract was not in the best interest of the city.”

House Bill 651, signed by Gov. Brian Kemp May 12 and effective July 1, added new provisions governing school-zone speed cameras, including giving local governments the option to continue or discontinue their use.

While city officials focused on the changing legal and financial landscape, Blue Line emphasized the program’s impact on driver behavior.

“The results in Springfield reflect that safety-first approach. Speeding violations across the two Springfield Elementary locations have declined by 98.1% overall, including reductions of 99.4% on Old Dixie Highway and 96.1% on State Route 119,” said Kelly Abercrombie, chief strategy officer for Blue Line Solutions. “Most notably, approximately 97% of the reduction occurred during the public information and education phase, before enforcement began, demonstrating that the program’s presence alone produced an immediate change in driver behavior.”

For Springfield, changes in state law meant the city could evaluate whether the cameras should remain in the school zone. Eargle said the city of Springfield has never operated the camera for eight hours per day, and that the camera currently only operates during drop-off and pickup periods.

“Blue Line Solutions began receiving revenue from the Springfield program in January 2023, after making an initial investment of approximately $75,000 for site construction, equipment, installation, and other implementation costs,” said Abercrombie. “Since January 2023, BLS has received approximately $143,000 in gross revenue from the program. Accordingly, gross receipts have exceeded BLS’s initial investment by approximately $68,000. That amount should not be characterized as profit because it does not account for BLS’s continuing costs associated with operating, maintaining, processing, administering, and supporting the program.”

Columbus City Council authorized their city manager to acquire land to build a new jail, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.

During last week’s meeting, the Columbus Council authorized the city manager to spend $4 million to buy 42.54 acres of land at Cusseta Road and 10th Avenue to secure the property for a potential new Muscogee County Jail.

As officials explore options for a new jail, a city-owned site on 11th Avenue has been considered the most likely site for the project. The 42.54-acre property the council approved is near this site.

Two parcels are included in the acquisition, according to the resolution. The purchase of one parcel was negotiated at $2 million, the resolution says, and the easement of the second parcel was negotiated at $2 million.

CCG will have the option to purchase the second parcel in 3 years for $1, according to the resolution.

This purchase will be funded through the Other Local Option Sales Tax (OLOST) Public Safety Reserves, according to the resolution.

The city has expended about 80% of its budgeted funds for this fiscal year, according to data from the Transparency Center on CCG’s website.

Acquiring this land does not mean the city will move forward with a new jail anytime soon, he said.