Archive for the ‘State Court of Appeals’ Category

Georgia tea party activists are so concerned about the integrity of Tuesday’s election results that they plan to have volunteers serving as poll watchers. See AJC’s Craig Schneider’s article. Critics, however, say it’s a form of intimidation.

Political Insider’s Jim Galloway also reports Tea Party activists are livid over a ruling by Secretary of State Brian Kemp that shirts, hats and buttons with tea party logos won’t be allowed in polling places.

Continue reading Tea party activists to be poll watchers; Sec. of State says no to logos »

Given the importance of Tuesday’s election, many are concerned about the integrity of the results. Now comes an AJC/Channel 2 exclusive in which state elections officials acknowledge some people who will be voting may not be eligible to do so because they aren’t citizens:

The Secretary of State’s Office, which oversees Georgia’s voter rolls, does not know how many noncitizens are registered to vote. But state officials acknowledged there are some. And an Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Channel 2 WSB-TV investigation found noncitizens who have voted. (Also watch the exclusive on Channel 2)

Tea party activists are so concerned about the problem and other potential abuses at the polls Tuesday that they plan to have poll watchers on hand. See AJC’s Craig Schneider’s article. But Political Insider’s Jim Galloway reports activists are livid over a ruling by Secretary of State Brian Kemp that shirts, hats and buttons with tea party logos won’t be allowed in polling …

Continue reading AJC exclusive: Some noncitizens registered to vote in Georgia »

When people are frustrated, cash-strapped and fearful, wouldn’t they be inclined to reject whoever is in power? And when they are securely employed, well-paid and watching their home value soar and their portfolio bulge, wouldn’t they be more likely to accept the status quo?

These are questions AJC’s Michael E. Kanell poses in a piece about the quagmire Democrats find themselves in because of the lackluster economy.

Yet, Kanell reports,  a look at the history says the economy-electoral link is not always so tight.

Continue reading It’s the economy, stupid, but not always in elections »

In less than 24 hours we’ll go to the polls to cast votes in what many consider to be one of the biggest mid-term elections in recent memory.

The polls will open at 7 a.m. Tuesday and close at 7 p.m.

If you don’t know where you’re suppose to vote, just  click on this Voter Guide link. Also remember that you must show photo identification.

Tuesday’s weather outlook: Cloudy; 30% chance of light rain or drizzle; lows near 50 in town, 40s in the suburbs; highs in the upper 50s to low 60s; winds east 10-15 mph. But we won’t let a little drizzle stop us, will we?

On the ballot: Georgia voters will choose a governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, state schools superintendent, agriculture commissioner, insurance commissioner, labor commissioner and a public service commissioner; representatives of all 13 congressional districts; a U.S. senator; the entire state General Assembly – senators and representatives; statewide and state superior court …

Continue reading In less than 24 hours, Georgians go to the polls »

Georgia’s paperless electronic voting process and systems in five other states have gained the attention of an election watchdog group. In a ComputerWorld article on e-voting, the Verified Voting Foundation says states relying on paperless machines will have a hard time auditing the results, which, the group says, are vulnerable to tampering.

Voter-marked paper ballots that are scanned and tallied by electronic systems, along with paper copies of electronically cast votes, together give election officials a reliable way to verify the accuracy of tallies,  [said the watdog group's president, Pamela Smith]. “Paper enables the properties of recounting that we need right now,” Smith said.

But Merle King, executive director of the Center for Election Systems, says Georgia’s system is safe and disputes the watchdog group’s concerns. CES is a venture between Georgia’s secretary of state’s office and Kennesaw State University.

“I think the notion that electronic systems are not …

Continue reading Debate over Georgia’s paperless e-voting process continues »

Follow the latest tweets from Georgia’s campaign trail @ajcgaelections

You’ve already heard about the large number of Georgians turning out to vote early as Nov. 2 nears.

Just in case you want to get in on the action before this Friday’s deadline but don’t know where to go, the secretary of state’s office has a tool that allows you to find early voting sites, which aren’t necessarily the same as your regular polling place. Just click here to start.

Continue reading Find your polling place for early voting in Georgia »

Follow the latest tweets from Georgia’s campaign trail @ajcgaelections

Three vacancies opened up this year on the busy 12-member Georgia Court of Appeals. Gov. Sonny Perdue recently appointed people to fill two of them but six candidates are competing for the third seat in Tuesday’s elections.

Five private attorneys from the metro area and a North Georgia district attorney are running to succeed Judge Edward H. Johnson, who is retiring at the end of the year. The ultimate winner will likely be decided in a runoff on Nov. 30.

Running a statewide race in a nonpartisan election for a seat on a low-profile court can be a daunting challenge, Lawrenceville attorney Mike Sheffield said. In both 2004 and 2008, Sheffield ran for open vacancies on the appeals court but lost both times, once in a runoff. He is not running this year.

“The problem is most people don’t know much about the Court of Appeals or how it affects them — but it does affect them a great deal,” Sheffield said. …

Continue reading Georgia appeals court seat attracts crowded field of candidates »

Follow the latest tweets from Georgia’s campaign trail @ajcgaelections

Sunday’s Insider column pointed to the possibility of a runoff in Georgia’s race for governor. 11Alive just provided some fresh statistical underpinnings:

With the general election just a week from Tuesday, a new independent poll from SurveyUSA commissioned by 11Alive News and V-103 Radio shows a commanding lead for Georgia’s Republicans in statewide offices, but it also shows an increased possibility of a runoff in the hotly contested governor’s race.

Democratic candidate and former Gov. Roy Barnes is up a small bit from our last survey six weeks ago, but the numbers indicate that Republican former US Congressman Nathan Deal is ahead of Barnes, 49 percent to 39 percent.

Libertarian John Monds, at 8 percent, Monday takes the votes of 1-in-4 independents and 1-in-6 liberals, potentially keeping Deal just under the 50 percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff, though support for third-party …

Continue reading Georgia governor’s race could be headed to a runoff »

Follow the latest tweets from Georgia’s campaign trail @ajcgaelections

The Washington Post said it spent months trying to get a better understanding of the tea party movement, which has galvanized a large vocal segment of the electorate angry with Washington and what the say is the country’s downward spiral, and The Post has come to this conclusion:

[That the tea party is] “not so much a movement as a disparate band of vaguely connected gatherings that do surprisingly little to engage in the political process. …

Seventy percent of the grass-roots groups said they have not participated in any political campaigning this year. As a whole, they have no official candidate slates, have not rallied behind any particular national leader, have little money on hand, and remain ambivalent about their goals and the political process in general….

The findings suggest that the breadth of the tea party may be inflated. The Atlanta-based Tea Party Patriots, for example, says it has a listing …

Continue reading Is the breadth of the tea party movement inflated? »

Follow the latest tweets from Georgia’s campaign trail @ajcgaelections

Confused about the five amendments on the ballot next Tuesday? Voters may have a hard time weighing through the densely worded proposals, so AJC staff writer Steve Visser provides an explainer for each one. As Visser points out, the problem with amendments is the legal wording can make it unclear why the measure is being proposed and what it accomplishes. The five amendments:

Amendment 1: Making non-compete agreements more binding

Amendment 2:  Providing funding for trauma centers

Amendment 3: Change in transportation funding

Amendment 4: Allowing state multi-year contracts

Amendment 5: Allowing owners of industrial area property to get city services.

Continue reading Confusing amendments on Georgia ballot explained »