Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for October 13, 2025

On October 13, 1870, Governor Rufus Bullock signed legislation creating the Georgia State Board of Education.

On October 13, 1885, Governor Henry McDaniel signed legislation authorizing the creation of a state school of technology as a branch of the University of Georgia; the school would open in Atlanta in October 1888, and in 1948 was renamed the Georgia Institute of Technology.

On October 13, 1918, the ban on public gatherings in Atlanta to prevent spread of the Spanish flu, was extended an additional week.

On October 13, 1976, Democrat Jimmy Carter received a post-debate bump against President Gerald Ford, with polls showing Carter at 50%-40% over the incumbent, up from 47%-45% before the debate.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

State Representative Mandi Ballinger (R-Canton) has died, according to the AJC.

State Rep. Mandi Ballinger died after a long battle with cancer, House Speaker Jon Burns announced Sunday.

The Canton Republican served in Georgia’s State House for more than a decade. Voters first elected her in 2012. She most recently served as chair of the House Judiciary Juvenile Committee, representing District 23.

“Her commitment to advocating on behalf of the most vulnerable among us, including children and survivors of domestic violence, has certainly left an indelible mark on countless lives across the entire state of Georgia,” Burns said in a statement.

In a statement, Gov. Brian Kemp called her a “leader who was respected across the political aisle as an advocate for justice in our state.”

State Rep. Chuck Martin, R-Alpharetta, sat next to Ballinger in the House chamber every day during session for the last 10 years. He saw lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle come to her desk for advice on legislation over the decade.

“She just truly had her heart in it, and it didn’t stop when she walked out of the Capitol building,” he said. “She was always thinking of what we could do next and lift Georgia into a better place.”

Martin emphasized her focus on supporting children who were survivors of abuse and exploitation.

“I don’t know there’s anybody who had more of a heart for the youth, the most vulnerable in our community. She was always focusing on things that affected people who were marginalized or minimized and had a heart for service.”

Ballinger entered the Legislature at the same time as state Rep. Bill Hitchens, R-Rincon. She served for many years on his subcommittee, Public Safety Appropriations.

“We both came from a criminal justice background, but we were from different perspectives. She worked trying to resolve issues for children and social issues. I was in law enforcement,” he said. “She boiled everything down to basic facts. She became not only a friend but a confidante.”

Automatic. Dexter Weaver of Athens says he will sell Weaver D’s Delicious Fine Foods, according to the Athens Banner Herald.

A sign is up on the property of the longtime soul food restaurant with FOR SALE in large bold letters.

This isn’t the first rodeo for Weaver D’s announcing it’s closing. In 2013, Weaver put the building up for sale and stated that the business was in deep financial straits, but later kept the business open saying that he couldn’t leave the community.

“I am up for sale, OK,” Weaver told the Athens Banner-Herald Friday. “This time it’s for real. This is it. The sign is out here in black and white.”

Weaver founded the soul food restaurant in 1986 and has served ‘delicious fine foods’ at the same East Broad Street location ever since.

It has become a community staple and gained massive popularity in 1992 when R.E.M. named its album “Automatic for the People,” a slogan coined by Weaver himself.

Weaver, 71, said this time he’s ready to retire.

“I’m trying to retire,” Weaver said. “After I go through the right procedures, OK.”

It’s not known when the restaurant will close for good.

Early voting in the November 4, 2025 Special Elections and Municipal Elections begins tomorrow, Tuesday, October 14, 2025. From 13WMAZ:

Starting Tuesday morning, Georgia voters can cast their ballots early for the November 4th election — and there’s a lot more on the ballot than just statewide races.

Across the state, voters will weigh in on two statewide seats on the Public Service Commission, the board responsible for regulating utilities in Georgia.

Warner Robins Mayor LaRhonda Patrick is being challenged by Fabian Velazquez.

In Perry, Christopher Smith is taking on incumbent Mayor Randall Walker. Voters there will also decide two city council races.

Centerville has two contested council seats are on the ballot.

Meanwhile, Bibb County has no local races on the ballot this time — but voters there will decide whether to continue the school district’s SPLOST, a special-purpose local option sales tax used to fund education projects.

Monroe County will also vote on an education SPLOST, that could fund a new Mary Persons high school.

In Jones, they will vote on whether or not to extend the current SPLOST for the county and for the city of Gray.

Other mayor’s races will take place in Milledgeville, Fort Valley, Gordon, Marshallville, and more.

I highly recommend signing in to the Secretary of State’s “My Voter Page” at https://mvp.sos.ga.gov/s/ to check your registration and identify your local early voting hours and locations.

On the Public Service Commission elections, from Georgia Recorder:

A unique off-year election for two seats on the Georgia Public Service Commission, a body responsible for regulating utilities in the state, has Republicans vocally concerned, especially considering concurrent municipal elections that they worry could favor Democratic mobilization.

Early voting starts Tuesday for the Nov. 4 election, which will decide the fate of two incumbent Republican commissioners on the PSC — Tim Echols of District 2 and Fitz Johnson of District 3 — who are being challenged by Democratic candidates Alicia Johnson and Peter Hubbard, respectively. Fitz Johnson was appointed to the seat by Gov. Brian Kemp in 2021.

With the races operating outside the typical presidential or midterm election cycles, attention is low and local municipal races could inadvertently dictate the outcome of the statewide PSC contests, according to experts.

Democrats are also hoping frustration over rising electricity bills will help motivate voters to turn out, with both Democratic candidates campaigning on utility affordability.

Republicans appear to be ramping up efforts to energize their base. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp recently headlined a campaign event in Cumming for the Republican incumbents. Signs at the event said “Don’t Dem the lights in Georgia.”

Josh McKoon, the chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, said there was significant concern about Republican voter engagement in the PSC races. He said this election is important for two reasons: the PSC’s role in ensuring reliable energy, which is the “backbone” of Georgia’s economy, and the need to prevent the Democratic Party from gaining a “crack in the door” to the state’s governance.

“We have got to wake people up,” he said.

McKoon encouraged early voting, saying that “the more early voting we have, the easier it’s going to be to finish the drill and win this election.” He described the election as a “close election” in a “competitive state.”

At the top of his speech, Kemp signaled his concerns about low Republican turnout and suggested that apprehension over the coming election drove first lady Marty Kemp to start wearing a shirt with the word “pray” on it.

“You hardly even see (Peter Hubbard and Alicia Johnson) out there shaking any hands, asking anybody for a vote. They’re hoping nobody pays attention to this race. They don’t even want people to know that there is a race. That is our biggest liability in this race, as a lot of the speakers have talked about, is that people just don’t know what’s going on,” Kemp said.

Echols, who has served on the commission since 2011, acknowledged that Democrats have an advantage due to the numerous municipal elections taking place and, along with other speakers, pivoted to campaigning on cultural issues. He called his opponent, Alicia Johnson, a “DEI specialist” who “wants to bring DEI principles into health care companies, and now she wants to do that at the Public Service Commission.”

“She wants to bring DEI and wokeness to the PSC. We simply can’t let that happen, can we?” Echols said.

Alicia Johnson, the Democratic candidate for District 2, addressed the attack directly, calling the comments not just a “lie,” but a “racist, MAGA dog-whistle,” saying that her background is at the “intersection of community development, economic development and public policy.” She added that she believes the attack is a sign that the incumbents “are scared.”

“I think it really speaks to Tim Echols’ character and his personal values, and that it’s a reflection of him, not me,” Alicia Johnson said. “I’m not just a Black female, but I’m a wife, I’m a mother, I’m a grandmother, I’m a community leader. If he wants to point out that I’ve dedicated my career to helping people, communities and organizations grow stronger and healthier and more resilient, then way to go, Tim.”

Other speakers also resorted to culture war attacks, with Attorney General Chris Carr, who is running for governor, claiming that the “Democratic Party has been taken over by socialists.” Congressman Mike Collins, a U.S. Senate candidate, said that allowing the two Democrats to be elected would bring back “that green new scam of Joe Biden’s America” along with “California values of less power, more brownouts and higher energy.”

But despite Republicans’ concerns about reaching voters, Hubbard was the only candidate who participated in a recent debate hosted by the Atlanta Press Club. Hubbard, who debated against an empty podium as Fitz Johnson declined to participate, used the absence of his opponent to launch a direct attack on the incumbent’s record.

“My question would be, why didn’t you have the courage to show up today and defend your six rate hikes in two years?” Hubbard asked.

Echols and his opponent, Alicia Johnson, also did not participate in the debate.

The role of municipal elections

Charles Bullock, a political scientist at the University of Georgia, said in an interview that because Georgia still leans conservative, Republicans, who are also incumbents, have a slight advantage. However, he pointed to the general low visibility of PSC races, saying that voters typically don’t know who the candidates are or what the PSC does. Voters in this case are likely to show up to vote for local candidates they know and “tend to fall back on party ID,” Bullock said.

“That’s the kind of situation which therefore may create the opening where Democrats could break through and win one or both of these,” Bullock said.

Democrats are pledging to be a check on rising utility bills. The current commission has come under scrutiny for approving a series of rate increases requested by Georgia Power.

Bullock and fellow UGA political science professor Trey Hood emphasized that the simultaneous municipal elections in cities, typically where Democrats live and contested races are common, can provide a stronger incentive for voters to show up at the polls.

“I think the argument about Democrats being somewhat advantaged because of these local elections is probably more correct, or probably has more weight,” Hood said, compared to the argument about voters being dissatisfied with rising energy bills.

Bullock said if Democrats were to win either or both seats, “this would be quite inspiring and exciting for them” as they head into next year’s elections, because they may see it as conditions trending in their favor. He said that even if both Republican incumbents win, Democrats could still interpret results as an advantage heading into 2026, where most statewide seats will not have a Republican incumbent running, potentially opening the door for more competitive contests.

Voter frustration over utility bills

Democrats and energy advocates are banking on voter frustration over rising utility bills helping to energize voters.

Charles Hua of PowerLines, an organization focusing on consumer energy issues, said in an interview that nationally, utility bills are the “fastest driver of inflation right now,” adding that utility bills in Georgia “have increased 33% in the last two years, translating to about $500 per year.”

Hua said that utility affordability is a “very animating issue right now” and could mobilize voters, but that the challenge is that the awareness of the PSC’s role is not high. Most state agencies across the U.S. that regulate utilities are appointed, unlike in Georgia, where voters can choose each of the five commissioners.

“We’re in the homestretch 27 days. What’s possible? Look, I don’t know. We don’t know. We’re going to see this play out … We don’t know what the final turnout number will be because this is the only statewide election you know on the ballot, and most people have not heard of it,” Hua said.

Connie Di Cicco, political director for Georgia Conservation Voters, an organization focused on environmental protection advocacy, said the frustration is “almost palpable at this point,” and that she believes that the direct connection between the PSC and bills is a strong mobilizing issue.

“Affordability is just a universal issue that a lot of people are feeling all over the state, and that is something that people are very upset about, and literally hits home. So if you’re feeling it and you don’t like it, then you can vote for change and make something happen in November,” Di Cicco said.

From the AJC:

Early voting begins Tuesday for two seats on the Georgia Public Service Commission, and Republican incumbents Tim Echols and Fitz Johnson are both on the ballot — Echols for the first time in years, and Johnson for the first time ever.

The incumbents have accepted contributions from executives of companies that benefited from some of the board’s most controversial decisions, from allowing a railroad to acquire properties over the objection of the owners to requiring Georgia Power to buy expensive electricity produced at wood-burning plants.

Those contributions have helped the incumbent Republican commissioners build a commanding fundraising lead over their Democratic opponents in next month’s election.

Echols’ top contributors include Lawrenceville utility construction firm Gunter Construction Co. ($23,800) and Ben Tarbutton III ($14,900), owner of Sandersville Railroad Company.

Last year the PSC allowed the Sandersville Railroad to use the government’s eminent domain power to acquire parts of 18 Hancock County parcels over the objection of the property owners. The railroad planned to build a spur line to serve private industries, but the PSC ruled the line was in the public interest.

Another top Echols contributor was Green Power Solutions ($22,200), which operates a Dublin wood-burning “biomass” power plant.

Last year the PSC approved a Georgia Power plan to buy more electricity from biomass facilities. Supporters, including Echols, said the plan would create forestry and trucking jobs and tap another reliable energy source. Critics said electricity from biomass costs two to three times more than other sources — costs that would be passed along to ratepayers.

Green Power Solutions is part of the Beasley Group, a forest products company with numerous affiliates, some of which produce biomass electricity. Echols received $43,100 from various Beasley Group companies, records show.

A Beasley representative did not respond to requests for comment.

In a statement, Echols said he’s “overseen many power plant and gas line construction projects” as a commissioner and acknowledged that many of his contributions come from those sectors.

Echols made a pledge in his 2010 campaign not to take money from employees, lawyers or lobbyists from companies regulated by the agency.

He said in his statement that he stood by that promise in 2010 and 2016 but was still criticized for the money he did accept.

For this race, he changed course.

“I felt I had proved my independence and changed my policy, knowing I would need every penny of funds to defeat a fierce opponent,” Echols wrote.

On the City of Thunderbolt elections, from the Savannah Morning News:

During the last municipal election, the Town of Thunderbolt decided that, for the mayor at least, they had an appetite for someone new. After serving as mayor for eight years and on city council for 12 years before that, Beth Goette was uprooted by newcomer Dana Williams in 2021, ushering a new era in Thunderbolt.

Williams beat Goette with 60% of the vote to Goette’s nearly 40%, of the total 435 votes cast. The two will face off in a rematch for mayor’s seat this year, but the council race is shaping up to look different than in 2021, which had six people running uncontested for six council seats.

Now, four newcomers will run against the six incumbents, some of whom have held their seats for decades.

From WRGA News:

Early voting for the November 4 elections will begin on Tuesday, due to Monday being Columbus Day.

Not only are there races for the Rome City Commission, the Rome School Board, and the Cave Spring City Council on the ballot, but voters will also be deciding the implementation of a one-penny sales tax to offset property taxes.

If approved, the sales tax would be collected for five years and used exclusively for property tax relief.

The revenue must be used to directly reduce the property tax millage rate.

Also on the November ballot is a referendum to allow liquor by the drink and Sunday liquor sales in unincorporated Floyd County.

City of Rome voters will choose between five candidates seeking three seats in Ward Two on the city commission.

Nine candidates are vying for seven seats on the Rome City School Board.

In Cave Spring, there are three contested city council races.

In Post 5, the contest is between Warren Baker Harbin and Tom Lindsey.

Former Democratic State Representative and DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones announced he is running for Secretary of State, according to the AJC.

Vernon Jones, a supporter of President Donald Trump who switched from the Democratic Party, announced Monday he’s running for Georgia secretary of state.

Jones, 64, joined an increasingly crowded field of Republicans seeking the job of Georgia’s chief elections official. He will compete against state Rep. Tim Fleming, former U.S. Senate candidate Kelvin King and former state elections official Gabriel Sterling.

Jones, a former state representative and DeKalb County CEO who crowd-surfed during a Trump rally, said he will “fight for secure elections, defend our values, and make Georgia the model for America First election integrity.”

Jones underwent a political transformation from Democrat to outspoken conservative who supported Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was “rigged.” He declined to seek reelection to the state House in 2020.

Jones, who called himself the “Black Donald Trump,” has called for prosecutions of Democrats and defended Trump and his allies when they were charged with crimes.

He has tried to return to elected office since leaving the state House, first by running for governor and then dropping out to seek an open seat in the U.S. House in 2022. Jones won Trump’s endorsement but lost the Republican primary to Mike Collins, who went on to win the race.

United States Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins discussed the current federal government shutdown with AccessWDUN.

“Good news is we operate off of an advanced appropriation,” Collins said. “Which means our hospitals, our clinics, disability benefits, those kinds of things are already pre-funded.”

This comes as the House of Representatives passed a budget bill that the Senate continues to shoot down.

“What is being affected is a lot of our outreach, a lot of our being able to communicate with folks in our veteran community to get the benefits that they have earned,” Collins said. “Also, our vocational rehab and education group is also affected, this affects veterans who are trying to get retrained job skills.”

Collins added that other critical services are remaining open.

“I don’t want anybody to think that mental health services, suicide prevention services, healthcare [is affected]. All of that is still functioning at the VA,” Collins said. “There’s no slowdown there.”

“If six Democrats would honestly realize that they’re hurting the American people … they could open up the government today,” Collins said. “They are choosing to have a policy fight over funding and Obamacare subsidies, which go toward … funding illegal aliens.”

That is a claim many Republicans have made to censure the shutdown efforts by Democrats.

In general, undocumented immigrants do not qualify for federal health care coverage programs.

There is a requirement that hospitals with emergency departments provide care to anyone with an emergency condition due to the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA).

Non-profit independent healthcare policy analyst KFF reported that for fiscal year 2023, 0.4% of Medicaid spending, or $3.8 billion, went to reimburse hospitals for emergency care.

The last vote was on Thursday, in a 54-45 vote that again failed to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to bypass a filibuster.

The vote signified the Democrats galvanizing around their health care demands. It’s been reported that millions could face higher insurance premiums if health care subsidies expire at the end of the year.

Democrats have said they want the subsidies to be extended, and have demanded Republicans roll back their cuts to Medicaid in President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”

In recent days, it’s been reported by the Associated Press that Trump warned that there will not be guaranteed back pay for federal workers — reversing long-standing policy for 750,000 furloughed employees.

On Friday, it was reported that the mass firings of federal workers have started.

“No matter what your background, what your political opinion or political persuasion, if you’re getting benefits that you’ve earned from the VA, you’re going to continue to get them,” Collins said. “We’re gonna get back as soon as we possibly can.”

Colquitt County property tax due dates may be extended due to delays in processing bills, according to the Moultrie Observer.

A delay in setting the tax digest has kept local governments from setting their millage rates this year. For the County, it will be more than a month’s delay, compared to last year’s Sept. 17 date, by the time county commissioners adopt their millage rate at a called meeting Oct. 28.

Colquitt County property taxes are, typically, due by Dec. 10 and tax bills are mailed at least 60 days prior to the due date, states the county tax commissioner’s website.

According to Colquitt County Tax Commissioner Cindy Harvin the due date will be later than Dec. 10, this year. She is still finalizing the details.

The City of Moultrie adopted its millage rate Thursday in a called meeting, and it is 7.545, a decrease from last year’s 7.900. Both the City of Ellenton and the City of Norman Park adopted their rates Thursday, too. The City of Berlin will adopt its millage rate Oct. 16 and the City of Doerun with set its rate Oct. 20, but their proposed rates have already been announced. (Please see table for the municipalities’ rates.)

The Colquitt County Board of Education will adopt its millage rate at its meeting Oct. 27.