Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for May 4, 2026

Happy Star Wars Day! May the Fourth Be With You!

Georgia delegates convened in Augusta on May 4, 1789 to approve a new state Constitution and consider amendments. On May 6, 1789, the Constitutional Convention in Augusta, Georgia adopted a new Georgia Constitution.

One year and one day after General Sherman began the Atlanta campaign, on May 4, 1865, Atlanta surrendered. On the same day, the Army of the Potomac crossed the Rapidan River in Virginia and into the Wilderness. The Battle of the Wilderness began on May 5, 1864, between the Army of the Potomac, led by General Ulysses S. Grant, and the Army of Northern Virginia under General Robert E. Lee.

One year after that, on May 4, 1865, the last meeting of the Confederate cabinet convened in the old Georgia State Bank Building, which was located at the site of the present-day Wilkes County Courthouse in Washington, Georgia.

On May 4, 1965, the Rolling Stones played a show at Georgia Southern.

The British band played in Hanner Fieldhouse to an overflow crowd of more than 3,500 people, according to a retrospective by Jim Hilliard in the Statesboro Herald. The gym’s capacity was about 1,500.

Hilliard said organizers figured they could sell 1,800 tickets at $2.50 each, which would be enough to pay the band and have some money left over for expenses.

The Stones had played on “The Ed Sullivan Show” on Sunday, May 2, and advance ticket sales were brisk the Monday and during lunch Tuesday, the day of the concert.

Hilliard said he signed the contract booking the Stones on behalf of Sigma Epsilon Chi fraternity. The contract called for the new fraternity to pay the band $3,000 for the appearance. Hilliard said he got a $1,500 loan from First Bulloch Bank to make the deal happen.

The Stones were expected to take the stage at 8:30 p.m. and play for at least an hour, but Hilliard had lined up three front bands, and “it proved to be a fatal flaw in plans for the concert,” he said in his retrospective.

The noise was deafening as the original Stones lineup — Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts — hit the stage nearly an hour late.

Jagger and the other band members were “openly hostile” at having to wait so long to play.

On May 4, 1970, National Guard members shot into a crowd of protesting students, killing four and wounding nine others on the campus of Kent State University in Kent, Ohio.

A new historical marker recognizing H.J. Russell & Co. has been placed in Atlanta, according to the AJC.

Now, as H.J. Russell & Co. prepares to celebrate its 75th anniversary next year, the Georgia Historical Society has erected a marker at 504 Fair St. detailing some of the company’s achievements that shaped modern-day Atlanta.

“Herman and (his wife) Otelia Russell didn’t just start a company, they established a way of thinking, a way of leading, a way of living,” their eldest son and the company’s current president, H. Jerome Russell Jr., said Wednesday at a ceremony unveiling the new marker.

“The values they embedded — integrity, resilience, empathy, compassion and diversification, in life and in business — have guided our family and enterprise for nearly 75 years,” he said.

The historical marker is one of the few highlighting Black entrepreneurship as part of the Georgia Business History Initiative. And it comes at a time when teaching African American history has become a political flashpoint.

“The past is like a pair of glasses we all put on every morning, and it shapes the way we see the world,” Todd Groce, president and CEO of the Georgia Historical Society, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “But for most of us, those glasses are totally out of focus. So what we’re doing is trying to bring that into focus, make sure that it’s complete.”

H.J. Russell & Co. built many of Atlanta’s most iconic structures — from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to Mercedes-Benz Stadium — often through pioneering joint venture agreements.

Along the way, Russell broke a multitude of racial barriers, helping to integrate the city’s business community. He was the first Black member of what was then called the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce (now known as the Metro Atlanta Chamber) and the second African American to serve as its president.

A who’s who of Atlanta’s business and political elite came to the unveiling ceremony, including real estate titans Egbert Perry and T. Dallas Smith, as well as former Atlanta Mayors Kasim Reed and Bill Campbell, and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Michael Thurmond.

Alongside the new marker, the Georgia Historical Society has also created a case study on H.J. Russell & Co. for eighth-grade teachers around the state to use to teach economics.

“This is an opportunity to learn about his story, not to somehow necessarily glorify him,” Groce said, “but to be able to say, ‘This is something you can do.’ It can be an inspiration to young people.”

On May 4, 2003, I had the fortune of marrying the first Mrs. GaPundit. Happy Anniversary. Happy Star Wars Day! May the Fourth Be With You!

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

221,743 voters have cast early ballots for the May 19, 2026 Primary Elections, according to the Secretary of State’s website.

From the Statesboro Herald, dated May 1, 2026:

In the first five days of early voting, 839 Bulloch County citizens voted in-person, while another 54 had marked and returned absentee paper ballots, and one miliary or overseas voter assigned to the county voted by electronic ballot delivery.

So, 894 Bulloch voters, or 1.6% of the county’s 54,817 registered voters, had so far cast early ballots for the May 19 party primaries and nonpartisan general election, featuring contests for offices from governor and U.S. senator down to a seat on the local school board. The total of early voters included those who voted in person Monday through Friday, April 27-May 1, as reported by county Elections Supervisor Shontay Jones after the daily close at 5 p.m. Friday.

From Georgia Recorder, dated May 2, 2026:

According to data from the Georgia Secretary of State’s website, early voting is off to a brisk start as the first week wraps up.

As of Saturday morning, just over 197,000 Georgia ballots have been cast, representing 2.7% turnout.

According to Georgia Votes, total turnout in this year’s race is 15% higher than at this time in 2022’s primary election.

Of those who have cast ballots, about 54% pulled Democratic ballots and 45% chose a Republican ballot, with 1.5% opting for a nonpartisan ballot.

Emory University political science professor Andra Gillespie said it’s not surprising that Democrats have drawn more ballots at this point in the race, but warned against drawing conclusions from that data point.

Democrats appear to be more enthusiastic voters this year because of dissatisfaction with the Trump administration, but Republicans tend to be more likely to cast their ballots on Election Day rather than before, in part because Trump has cast doubt on early voting.

“It’s not surprising that more people would be pulling Democratic ballots so far, that doesn’t mean that that’s necessarily going to be the case,” she said.

In Georgia, one does not have to be a member of a party to vote in that party’s primary, and some voters choose to draw the ballot from the party they do not support in the hopes of influencing who ends up being that party’s nominee.

Early voting is going on now, and Election Day is May 19. If you vote early, you can vote at any polling place in your county, but if you vote on Election Day, you’ll have to visit your assigned precinct. Either way, you’ll need to bring ID to cast a ballot.

Governor Brian Kemp issued Executive Order #05.01.26.01, calling a Special Election for July 28, 2026 to fill the vacancy in the Thirteenth Congressional District. From WSAV:

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp called for a special election to be held on July 28, 2026, to fill the late long-term Democratic Rep. David Scott’s seat Friday.

Scott died at 80 on April 22. The Georgia Democrat was seeking his 13th term in Georgia’s 13th Congressional District.

The 13th District covers much of Atlanta’s eastern suburbs.

The winner of the July 28 special election will serve the remainder of Scott’s term, while a separate election schedule will proceed with a May 19 primary for the full two-year term that begins next year.

On the memorial service for the late U.S. Rep. Scott, from Atlanta News First via WALB:

Mourners gathered in southwest Atlanta at Elizabeth Baptist Church to honor U.S. Rep. David Scott, remembering the Georgia Democrat as a public servant who spent decades advocating for his constituents.

Scott, who represented Georgia’s 13th Congressional District, died in April. He was 80.

Saturday’s service was a homegoing celebration, a kind of funeral in which family and friends celebrate the deceased going home to be with God.

Sen. Raphael Warnock said he saw Scott two weeks earlier on a flight to Washington, where Scott was reading his Bible.

“I don’t know what he was reading that day,” Warnock said. “Maybe he was reading Psalms 46 — God is our refuge and our strength.”

Warnock said Scott “took flight” to Washington and never made it back to Georgia. “But then again, I think he finally made it home,” he added.

Scott served in Congress for more than two decades after earlier service in the Georgia General Assembly. He notably also worked alongside civil rights leaders, including Ambassador Andrew Young.

Scott represented parts of metro Atlanta in the U.S. House since 2003, most recently in the 13th congressional district, which covers parts of six metro Atlanta counties: Clayton, Henry, Rockdale, Newton, DeKalb and Gwinnett.

Scott had been preparing to run for what would have been his 13th term in Congress. His daughter, Marcye Scott, said she plans to run for his seat.

The service marked the second day of events honoring the late congressman. On Friday, a memorial service was held for Scott at the Georgia State Capitol. It was attended by more than a dozen congressional delegation members, including U.S. Reps Hank Johnson, Nikema Williams and Lucy McBath.

Colquitt County voters will decide two referenda on the May 19, 2026 ballot, according to the Moultrie Observer.

Both of the referendums ask voters to approve a homestead exemption from ad valorem taxes in the amount of $10,000 of the assessed value of the homestead for residents. The first is an exemption request for county taxes and the second is an exemption request for school district taxes.

Last year, state lawmakers passed House Bill 28 and House Bill 29 to increase in both the county and school district’s standard exemptions. They required a vote by the residents of Colquitt County to take effect. Rep. Chas Cannon sponsored these two bills, which are specific to Colquitt County. The increase applies to all residents who have an existing exemption.

The general primary/nonpartisan election is May 19 and early voting started April 27. Early voting will run through May 15, including Saturday voting on May 2 and May 9. Ballots may be cast at the Colquitt County Courthouse Annex in Room 201 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. during early voting.

Voters who don’t cast a ballot during early voting can vote at their assigned precincts on May 19, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Hall County voters will decide a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for Education (E-SPLOST) referendum in the Primary, according to AccessWDUN.

The Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST) is a one-penny sales tax that is used to fund school buildings, safety upgrades, technology, and other long term-capital needs.

ESPLOST was first passed in Hall County in 1997. The sales tax must be voted on every five years. The Hall County Board of Education approved a resolution to place the extension of the tax on the ballot in January of this year. 2026 marks the seventh time it has been put on the ballot.

According to the 2026 sample ballot, ESPLOST may generate a maximum of $400,000,000 within the five-year collection period. Revenue generated from ESPLOST collection is split based on enrollment between the three school districts in the area: Hall County, Gainesville City and Buford City schools.

The Hall County School District receives 75% of the revenue generated from the sales tax. Stan Lewis, the district’s Director of Communications, said the funding has been “critical” in helping the system build new schools, update aging facilities and invest in newer safety features.

“Many of our buildings were built in the 50s and the 60s, and so instead of just replacing them and tearing them down and building new buildings, we’re having to maintain them,” Lewis explained.

Some of the recent major HCSD projects funded by ESPLOST include Sandra Dunagan Deal and Everwood elementary schools. Lewis also broke down some of the security updates that have been funded through the program.

“Maintaining our facilities’ safety is key,” he said. “We’ve got upgraded camera systems in place. We have safety vestibules. We have keycard access for our staff. We’ve spent money to hire new school resource officers. Safety is a big part and ESPLOST has been key in making sure that we fund that.”

Lewis also said revenue from the program has helped to alleviate some of the costs for property taxpayers in the county.

“Additionally, ESPLOST has allowed us to pay down debt on general obligation bonds, as well as keep the millage rate at a manageable number for our property owners,” Lewis said.

Lewis also highlighted that revenue is not solely generated by Hall County residents, with roughly 30 to 40% of revenue contributed by those visiting the county.

“We have a lot of people that visit Lake Lanier, that visit the hospital system, and the numerous secondary education systems in our area,” Lewis said. “And when folks spend money here, it goes towards the school systems.”

Lewis said if ESPLOST were to pass again in 2026, the funds would continue to be used in the same way, with facilities updates including improvements to some of the high school’ s performing arts centers.

The Gainesville City School System collects about 22% of the revenue generated from ESPLOST. Buford City Schools receives the remaining 3% and could collect a maximum of $12,000,000.

Gainesville City School’s superintendent Jeremey Williams said much like the Hall County School District, the program helped bring several facility updates to his school system.

“Every campus you see now is funded through ESPLOST,” Williams said. “Our oldest building we have now [is] Centennial Arts Academy, and that was an ESPLOST project. All the way up to more recently, we opened Monday Mill [Academy]–That was an ESPLOST project.”

Williams explained that if ESPLOST is not passed, the school systems would have to wait another year before bringing the issue back to voters.

“[Current] ESPLOST will be collected through October of 2027, so, if we’re not able to pass the ESPLOST, we will be able to go back to the community a year from now and and do it again without having any interruptions in the current projects and collections and debt that we have now,” Williams said.

Democratic Georgia Secretary of State candidate Penny Brown Reynolds campaigned in Augusta, according to WRDW.

Brown Reynolds appeared at the Henry Brigham Community Center. She said she is qualified for the position with her background of working as a judge and lawyer.

Brown Reynolds laid out some of her goals if elected.

“We want to make certain that I’m not just a gatekeeper, but we are helping businesses. I’m concerned about fraud for seniors because that’s in my preview as secretary of state, and then the licensing part, are you a nurse, a cop waiting for too long to get your licenses, and so I’m going to clear that backlog,” Reynolds said.

She also appeared at Tabernacle Baptist Church and Transforming Lives Bible Church on Saturday. She is expected to be at Good Shepherd Baptist Church Sunday morning.

Ms. Reynolds also campaigned in Columbus, according to WTVM.

Hall County Solicitor General Inez Grant faces a challenger in her first election since being appointed by Governor Kemp, according to AccessWDUN.

Inez Grant was appointed by Governor Brian Kemp in April of 2025 in the wake of former solicitor Stephanie Woodard’s alleged theft by taking. The office dealt with significant public scrutiny, and Grant says she has worked to deal with the backlog of cases and rehabilitate the office’s image.

Her opponent is John Batchelor, who formerly worked in the office from 2013 to 2016 and is focused on transparency and thoroughly investigating each case.

“I came in having been approved and appointed by the governor, so my resumé was already vetted by the state of Georgia,” Grant said. “My opponent also submitted for this job, and he was not selected. Once I got here, I carried out what I told the governor I would do, and I have proven that I’m able to get this office back on track.”

Grant added being in the position for 10 months has been “eye-opening.”

“I really feel like I’ve carried out my commitment … I can only make this office better,” Grant said. “What I want to continue doing is developing the programs that we’re interested in with the mental health issues, the truancy issues, all of these addiction issues.”

Batchelor has spent 13 years in prosecution, having formerly worked in the Hall County Solicitor General’s office, in Oconee County with ousted Athens-Clarke County DA Deborah Gonzalez, and with the Gwinnett County DA’s office.

“It’s been a minute since [Grant’s] been in prosecution … the case law’s changed … I’ve tried every case known to man,” Batchelor said. “I respect the governor’s decision … but the appointments are temporary, and now it’s time for Hall County citizens to decide.”

He has worked eight separate jobs since March of 2013, with a cumulative 10 years being in prosecution. Batchelor said he was highly sought after for many of the prosecutorial positions.

“I’ve been invited to these places because of my trial experience,” Batchelor said. “When Deborah was there, they wanted a Republican in Oconee County … but it became an atmosphere … with huge turnover and instability and no real guidance.”

Batchelor also claimed Grant was forced to resign during her stint under Rylee. Grant denied those claims.

“I have never been forced to resign from Hall County, I left Hall County on very good terms,” Grant said. “I remained friends with Rylee until he died, I spoke at his funeral. If I was forced to resign, how would I have maintained a friendship with the person that I work with for that long?”

Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judges opted to not re-appoint three Juvenile Court Judges, according to WTVM.

Three juvenile court judges in the Chattahoochee Circuit were not reappointed Tuesday, ending a combined 60 years of experience on the bench.

Presiding Judge Warner Kennon, Judge Andy Dodgen and Judge Joey Loudermilk will be replaced by three local attorneys: Amy Walters, Chris Williams and Thomas Tebeau III. The new judges will be sworn in late June and start July 1.

The vote to remove the three judges from the Chattahoochee Circuit Juvenile Court bench happened Tuesday. The seats are up for reappointment every four years after four-year terms.

The judges are elected by the superior court judges in the circuit. A majority of the seven superior court judges decided to go with the new appointees and not reappoint the current judges.

The ballot is a secret ballot with a neutral person from Macon County who counted the ballots in a private room, threw the ballots out and did not reveal the breakdown of the vote to the judges. The person announced only the outcome.

“I can’t really say how I felt about it or how I viewed it other than to say all three of the judges are fine judges and have done a great job and have over 60 years of experience on juvenile court,” said Judge Gil McBride. “We (the circuit) are in debt to the departing judges as fine judges, fine colleagues and we will all get behind and support the new judges.”

McBride said 13 or 14 applications were submitted, an unusually high number. The superior court judges interviewed all of the applicants over three days and voted Tuesday afternoon.

McBride said the vote had long been scheduled and is not sudden. He said there was no hint of anything wrong.

McBride has served 18 years as a superior court judge. He declined to say how he voted but said he has never seen this happen before.

Sen. Sam Watson (R-Moultrie) and Rep. Chas Cannon (R-Moultrie) gave a legislative update to members of the Colquitt County Democratic Party, according to the Moultrie Observer.

It was apparently not without controversy, as Democratic Party Chairman Shirley Hampton responded to social media comments as she opened the April 28 meeting.

Hampton emphasized that state Sen. Sam Watson and Rep. Chas Cannon are called to represent the whole county. Her plan for the meeting was an update directly from the local lawmakers about the recent General Assembly session, even if their party affiliation was different from her organization’s.

Watson and Cannon were aware of the tension, and part of their presentation emphasized how lawmakers of both parties must work together at the Capitol to create legislation that benefits everyone.

“It’s a relationship business,” Watson said. “… You’ve got to have relations with the entire assembly.”

Responding to a question later in the meeting, Watson told how a constitutional amendment he’d proposed passed with the support of both Republican and Democratic lawmakers. Cannon described helping a Democratic lawmaker get his bill heard by a committee that is chaired by a Republican.

Watson and Cannon bounced off one another throughout their presentation, discussing the state’s budget, changes to property taxes and changes to income taxes.

It’s an excellent article with great information about legislation that passed in the recent legislative session. It’s also heartening to see legislators and activists behaving this way, and everyone involved is to be commended.

Quitman City Commissioner Christopher Cole has resigned due to relocating outside his district, according to WALB.

The city of Quitman announced Friday, May 1, that Commissioner Christopher Cole has resigned due to residency issues. Cole represents Quitman’s District 1.

“Due to an unexpected relocation outside of his district, [Cole] no longer meets the residency requirement outlined in the City Charter,” the city wrote in a public statement.

Quitman’s city charter requires councilmembers to reside within their district for the duration of their term.

The city will call for a special election to fill the vacancy. City manager James Lawrence said additional details will be provided later.

This comes amid recent controversy surrounding Quitman’s city charter, after Georgia Rep. John LaHood previously wrote legislation to dissolve it.

The city has dealt with a number of issues over the years, but perhaps the biggest outstanding issue is that the city has not completed an audit since 2017-2018.

The city is operating under it’s current charter for now, with no immediate dissolution deadline. Rep. LaHood’s legislation was changed to include a referendum that will allow people in Quitman and Brooks County to vote on the future of their local governments.

A second referendum in 2027 would consider whether to adopt a detailed unified government charter. The city will continue to update their audits in the meantime.

Brantley County public schools were scheduled to reopen today as wildfires recede, according to WTOC.

In a social media post, the Brantley County School System said in part, “With the improvement of fire conditions, we plan to welcome our students back to school on Monday.”

School officials say they wanted to make clear and say with care for families who have been impacted, displaced, or still navigating property loss, to not feel pressured to return to school right away.

Brantley County Schools have been closed since April 22 due to the wildfires and conditions in the area.