Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for October 3, 2022

On October 3, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving to be observed on November 26, 1863 and on the fourth Thursday in November every succeeding year.

This announcement harkened back to when George Washington was in his first term as the first president in 1789 and the young American nation had only a few years earlier emerged from the American Revolution. At that time, George Washington called for an official celebratory “day of public thanksgiving and prayer.” While Congress overwhelmingly agreed to Washington’s suggestion, the holiday did not yet become an annual event.

Thomas Jefferson, the third president, felt that public demonstrations of piety to a higher power, like that celebrated at Thanksgiving, were inappropriate in a nation based in part on the separation of church and state. Subsequent presidents agreed with him. In fact, no official Thanksgiving proclamation was issued by any president between 1815 and the day Lincoln took the opportunity to thank the Union Army and God for a shift in the country’s fortunes on this day in 1863.

On October 3, 1922, Rebecca Latimer Felton was appointed to the United States Senate from Georgia following the death of Senator Tom Watson. After initially being rebuffed by the Senate, Felton was sworn-in on late in November, becoming the first woman to serve in the United States Senate.

On October 3, 1995, O.J. Simpson was acquitted of murder.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

The 2022 International Canoe Federation Kayak Freestyle World Cup starts today in Columbus, Georgia, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.

Headline of the week: “Around Town: Company hits overdrive on I-75, and local politics put phasers on stun” in the Rome News Tribune.

Phasers on stun: Stacey Abrams’ cameo on “Star Trek Discovery” had the Democratic gubernatorial hopeful playing the president of Earth. A sci-fi buff, Abrams loved the spotlight but knew what would follow. Sure enough, damage control reports the mailers and TV campaigns are underway, citing “Planet Stacey” as well as her potential “Hollywood” ties. What’s interesting is the rematch in Georgia’s governor’s race has moved from Brian Kemp’s “shotgun sit down” with “Jake” to aliens and phasers. (Clarification: “space” aliens). Abrams, in a recent interview with the Rome News-Tribune, told us the Trek stint was an absolute hoot, adding that she couldn’t even tell her family about it until the broadcast.

Ninety-eight new American citizens were sworn in at the Carter Center in Atanta for former President Jimmy Carter’s 98th birthday, according to WRDW.

The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum went all out to celebrate the oldest US president in history. They opened a new exhibit: “The Colors of Peace: President Carter’s Vision through the Art of Children.” it’ll have 270 pieces of art created by children from around the world.

“Most exciting is this naturalization ceremony to welcome these new American citizens,” said Sylvia Naquib, the museum’s curator.

The museum also dropped admission rates to 98 cents for the big birthday.

Voters with disabilities had questions for statewide candidates, according to the Georgia Recorder via GPB News.

The event was put on by groups like the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities with the goal of both highlighting the electoral clout of people with disabilities and encouraging this community to speak up and be heard in the political space.

Georgia doesn’t track how many registered voters have disabilities, but nationally, the community represents about 20 million voters.

Most of the participating candidates submitted a video response to questions that were played during the event, held both virtually and in person.

A few, including Republican incumbent state Superintendent Richard Woods, Democratic insurance commissioner candidate Janice Laws Robinson and Libertarian labor commissioner candidate Emily Anderson, were the only candidates in their race to show up in person to answer questions.

Charlie Miller, the legislative advocacy director for the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities, acknowledged that some candidate responses were more detailed and thoughtful than others, but he still sees progress in all the responses.

“We would love more concrete answers to our questions, yes,” Miller said. “But just purely having them acknowledge the disability community, it’s a step in the right direction. I’m not saying it’s the final step, but it’s a step.”

“We said no matter what happens, even if no candidate shows up, no one sends a video, we’re still going to have it, we will still have it virtually and in-person to really show the candidates that our voice matters in the state of Georgia and in their elections,” Miller said.

A replay of the forum can be viewed on the council’s Facebook page.

Some election officials are concerned about potentially-confrontational poll watchers, according to the Associated Press via AccessWDUN.

Those fears led the North Carolina State Board of Elections in August to tighten rules governing poll watchers. But the state’s rules review board, appointed by the Republican-controlled Legislature, blocked the new poll watcher regulations in late September, leaving election officials such as Risku without additional tools to control behavior on Election Day, Nov. 8.

“It becomes complete babysitting,” Risku said in an interview. “The back and forth for the precinct officials, having somebody constantly on you for every little thing that you do — not because you’re doing it wrong, but because they don’t agree with what you’re doing.”

Poll watchers have traditionally been an essential element of electoral transparency, the eyes and ears for the two major political parties who help ensure that the actual mechanics of voting are administered fairly and accurately. But election officials fear that a surge of conspiracy believers are signing up for those positions this year and are being trained by others who have propagated the lie spread by former President Donald Trump and his allies that the 2020 presidential election was riddled with fraud.

The laws governing poll watchers vary from state to state. Their role is generally to observe, question any deviations from required procedure and, in some states, lodge formal complaints or provide testimony for objections filed in court.

Governor Brian Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp visited Hahira, where he served as Grand Marshall of the Honeybee Festival according to the Valdosta Daily Times.

Governor Kemp also visited the Columbus area, according to WTVM.

Governor Brian Kemp stopped in our area today at the Kia Georgia Training Center to discuss Hurricane Ian and tout the progress the Peach state has made in recovering from the pandemic.

This visit was part of a major announcement that Georgia is ranked as the number one state for business for the 9th year in a row.

A little over a month before voters head to the polls, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp is talking about the state’s economy in Troup County, picking Kia Georgia’s Training Center in West Point for a big announcement.

The plant is home to three thousand employees, producing over 340,000 vehicles per year and over 3.8 million cars since production started nearly 13 years ago.

“Governor Kemp has been a friend of Kia since his inauguration in 2018. He’s officiated two of our new model launches and celebrated with us our 10-year anniversary,” said Kia Georgia’s CEO Stuart Countess.

“…I’ve also declared a state of emergency for every county in Georgia to ensure we’re prepared for whatever this major weather event will bring our way,” said Governor Kemp.

“I’ve had the pleasure of announcing that Georgia has been named for the unprecedented 9th year in a row…the number one state for business. So, congratulations to you all,” said Gov. Kemp.

“In this past fiscal year alone, Georgia saw a record 51,132 new private sector jobs come to our state, and over 21.2 billion dollars in investments come to our communities,” said Gov. Kemp.

Governor Kemp says he will continue ensuring Georgia remains the number one state for business. News Leader 9 reached out to Stacey Abrams’ campaign for comment but has not heard back yet.

Gov. Kemp declined to answer whether he would rally with former President Donald Trump, according to Newsweek.

Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Kemp was asked by host Shannon Bream about reports from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that said Trump might be seeking to hold a rally in the state later this month, asking the governor if he would appear at such an event despite his “frenemy thing” with the ex-president.

“I’m not too worried about what the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is speculating on. They’ve been no friend of mine,” Kemp said, brushing aside the question. “I’m focused to speaking [to] hard-working Georgians, making sure that they know I will continue to fight for them every single day.”

The previously-scheduled Macon debate of U.S. Senate candidates is canceled, according to the Macon Telegraph.

Mercer University’s Center for Collaborative Journalism and its media partners 13WMAZ, The Telegraph and Georgia Public Broadcasting said they would not host its planned Oct. 13 event after incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock and Libertarian candidate Chase Oliver agreed to appear.

Republican challenger Herschel Walker never responded to the debate invitation, Center for Collaborative Journalism director Debbie Blankenship said in a statement.

“The event was intended to provide Central Georgia voters with access to all the candidates before the November 8th election. However, both Warnock and Walker agreed to a debate in Savannah that will be broadcast statewide on Oct. 14. Our partner Georgia Public Broadcasting will also offer voters the opportunity to see Warnock and Oliver debate before a statewide audience on Oct. 16,” she said. “In light of these other voter access opportunities, Mercer’s Center for Collaborative Journalism and its partners will not move forward with a debate hosting two of the three candidates on the ballot.”

United States Senator Jon Ossoff (D-Atlanta) wants to expand access to mental health care, according to WJBF.

Senator Ossoff is efforting a bipartisan bill that will eliminate out of pocket expenses for seniors on Medicare needing mental health care.

He said there is too much red tape that makes it difficult for seniors to access those needed mental health services. He believes that if passed, this legislation will strengthen Medicare.

“Those of us working on this legislation to help seniors access mental health services through Medicare, brought together more than 30 senators not from both parties to advance this. I think that Georgians want me to work together with Democrats and Republicans to do what’s in the interest of our state,” he explained.

Senator Ossoff is also working to provide easier access to mental health services and substance abuse support for veterans and military families.

Senator Ossoff’s new legislation would provide three free mental health care visits a year to Georgia veterans and military families.

The bill is co sponsored by Republican Senator Kevin Cramer.

“Veterans have put it all on the line for our country and they deserve the very best. They’ve earned the very best I want to make it easier for veterans to access the care and services that they’ve earned.”

The Gwinnett County Board of Elections will hold additional events to hire poll workers, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

The county wants to hire 2,500 poll officials to work at polling locations for the election. County officials said poll officials have a chance to earn a stipend of up to $390 by working during the election.

The county would like to hire multilingual poll workers, especially people who can speak Spanish, but applicants are required to be at least 16, a U.S. citizen and demonstrate an ability to read, write and speak English.

Anyone who is interested in working as a poll official can also apply at GwinnettCounty.com/PollOfficialHiring.

Third parties voting organizations want Gwinnett election officials to stop hearing residency challenges against registered voters, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law sent a letter to the elections board and the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office on Thursday on behalf of the Georgia State Conference of the NAACP; Gwinnett County Branch of the NAACP; GALEO Latino Community Development Fund Inc.; Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda Inc.; League of Women Voters of Georgia; and Common Cause.

The groups claim the county is violating voters rights on two grounds.

One is that, they assert, National Voter Registration Act of 1993 prohibited an elections board from hearing voter registration challenges within 90 days of a federal election. The other is that they assert the county’s elections board has sustained some voter registration challenges without adhering to requirements laid out in the same federal law.

State statute O.C.G.A. 21-2-230 says a voter’s registration can be challenged up to the day that voter casts their ballot or the day before their absentee ballot, if they cast one, is set to be tabulated. The county’s elections board is required to immediately consider the challenge under the state law.

The county’s election board can face sanctions from the State Elections Board if it does not comply with the law.

At the same time, the attorneys for the six groups assert that 52 U.S.C. 20507 (c)(2)(A) prohibits elections boards from hearing or sustaining voter registration challenges within the three months leading up to a federal election.

The Savannah Morning News profiles the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for Transportation (T-SPLOST) on the November ballot.

The Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) referendum will be on the Nov. 8 general election ballot. If passed, it greenlights Chatham County to enact a penny sales tax to fund a litany of road and transportation-related projects.

At the bottom of Chatham County voters’ general election ballot is a referendum seeking enactment of a Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. If approved by majority vote, TSPLOST would mean an additional 1% sales tax on goods and services sold within Chatham County to be collected for the next five years. TSPLOST revenue can only be used for transportation-related projects.

While the project lists submitted by Chatham County and its eight municipalities total $420 million, it’s only a portion of the funds needed for the heavyweight improvements targeted by local government leaders. For many projects, TSPLOST serves as the “local match” for state- and federal-level roadway projects, like the work ongoing at the I-16 and I-95 interchange in west Chatham.

“And it’s not like a one-to-one match. It’s like a nine-to-one match,” said Dave Simons, the politico hired by the Savannah Chamber of Commerce to market TSPLOST ahead of Election Day.

According to the Savannah Chamber, about a quarter of the funding ($110 million) for this year’s TSPLOST can be leveraged for more funds, leading to nearly $1 billion in total transportation projects.

And from another article in the Savannah Morning News:

According to officials, improving and expanding sidewalks and bike trails is a priority, not only for safety and health reasons but also to provide alternative transportation options for those without vehicles and to reduce automobile emissions.

More than $20 million in TSPLOST funds is earmarked for sidewalks. The City of Savannah will invest $18 million to expand sidewalks and perform maintenance.

Three other municipalities will also use TSPLOST money for sidewalks, as will Chatham County. Bloomingdale will expand its sidewalk network along U.S. 80, the city’s main thoroughfare. Thunderbolt plans sidewalk improvements along Shell Road, College Road, Mechanics Road and River Drive. Garden City will invest $300,000 in sidewalks within its limits.

Chatham County will use its sidewalk money in Isle of Hope, investing $1.5 million in the densely populated residential area.

Momentum continues to build for the Tide to Town urban trail system. The initiative is aimed at building and connecting nearly 30 miles of protected walking and bicycling trails throughout Chatham County.

The broad embrace of trails is evident in the wide range of trail projects on the TSPLOST list. Savannah, Garden City, Bloomingdale and Chatham County all designated money for trails, including the Truman Linear Park Trail, the centerpiece of the Tide to Town network.

The Rome and Floyd County Joint Services Committee is negotiating a potential Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax agreement that would put SPLOST on next year’s ballot, according to the Rome News Tribune.

This will be the first SPLOST up for a vote since the 2017 package. While many of the projects from that SPLOST have been completed — like parks upgrades and the Charles C. Parker Center in Etowah Park — several of the big ticket items like the county’s agriculture center are still in the works.

Officials have indicated there won’t be anything new to report Tuesday regarding the LOST — local options sales tax — distribution formula tentatively agreed upon in September. The city and county commissions will still have to take a vote to ratify that agreement before Dec. 31.

Cobb County Commissioners voted to regulate short term rentals, according to the AJC.

The county will now require short-term rental owners to get a certificate of occupancy and designate a local agent that can be contacted by the county to address complaints or issues. Owners will also need to notify neighbors and homeowners associations about the rental, and they can have only one listing per residence.

Linda Verde, an owner who rents out two guest bedrooms in her East Cobb home, said she supports the ordinance except for the limit of one rental unit per property. She said that owners who live on the property have more control over their unit and can mitigate any problems.

“The only way that we are able to afford that home is by short-term rentals,” she said to the board. ”We regulate everything that happens in our home.”

Short-term rentals include any type of housing unit rented for 30 days or less, often advertised online on sites like Airbnb and VRBO to be used as temporary stays. Many owners rely on short-term rentals for additional income.

The county brought the regulations in response to complaints from residents about rentals turned into party houses, too many cars parked along the streets and other general disruptions to neighborhoods.

Commissioners created a task force with short-term rental owners, members of the community and other interested parties to look at how to regulate the industry and address the concerns while still allowing the practice.