Archive for the ‘State House Races’ Category

Yet another Democratic legislator switched to the Republican Party this week, moving the GOP a little closer to having the two-thirds majority in the House needed to pass constitutional amendments without any help from Democrats.

Rep. Mike Cheokas of Americus joined a crowd of white, non-metro Atlanta Democrats who have switched since the November elections.

“As a member of the House since 2004, I have been driven to best represent the needs and interests of my constituents at the State Capitol in Atlanta. My fiscally conservative voting record reflects that effort and the views of my constituents, which ultimately led me to join the House Republican Caucus,” he said.

There are now 114 Republicans in the House, with 63 Democrats and one independent. Two seats are currently vacant.

One of the reasons some Democrats are switching is that 2011 will be the year the General Assembly re-draws  political boundaries based on the changes in Georgia’s population over the past decade. …

Continue reading Another Democrat becomes a Republican in the state House »

Two long-time South Georgia Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday made the switch to the Republican side of the General Assembly.

Reps. Bob Hanner of Parrott and Gerald Greene of Cuthbert are now listed on the Georgia General Assembly’s website as being Republicans.

Neither lawmaker could be reached for immediate comment, but the office of Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, confirmed the changes Tuesday. But Hanner has served as a Democrat in the House since 1975 and Greene was sworn in in 1983, also as a Democrat.

Hanner and Greene join Rep. Alan Powell of Hartwell in leaving the Democratic Party for the GOP in the wake of last week’s Republican sweep of statewide offices.

Their moves now give the Republicans 111 seats in the 180-seat chamber.

Continue reading Two more House Democrats join GOP caucus »

Good morning, metro Atlanta. With across-the-board gains statewide and nationally, Republicans are riding high this morning. Here are some links you’ll want to visit right off the bat to get an overview of what went down Tuesday:

Georgia governor’s race results

Map: Georgia governor’s race

Georgia statewide races results

Complete statewide results

Map: How the nation voted

Continue reading The day after: Republicans bask in the afterglow »

By Ernie Suggs, AJC staff writer

Statewide, the secretary of state’s office, said there have been no major problems regarding voting.

“There is nothing systemic, nothing major or statewide that we are concerned with,” said Matt Carrothers, director of media relations for Secretary of State Brian P. Kemp. “Every election, you invariably are going to have a few things pop up. But nothing county election officials, or our office, working in conjunction with them, have not been able to rectify quickly.”

Carrothers said most of the problems have resulted frommisunderstandings. The statewide fraud hotline, for example, got a call about voters being turned away from a poll at one precinct. In actuality, Carrothers said, the voters were being shown the best door to enter.

Voting throughout the state will continue until 7 p.m. As long as you are in line by 7 p.m., you will still be allowed to vote.

Continue reading No major problems that haven’t been addressed, officials say »

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp is encouraging voters who believe they are being treated unfairly at their precinct, or if they witness a potential election law violation, to immediately contact the poll manager on duty and call the Secretary of State’s Stop Vote Fraud Hotline at 877-725-9797.

Georgia voters can also report a potential violation online by visiting the Secretary of State’s website at sos.ga.gov, and clicking on the Stop Voter Fraud button.

In addition, the FBI and federal prosecutors in the Northern District of Georgia, which includes metro Atlanta, are taking complaints of suspected election fraud and voting rights abuses.

The FBI can be reached at 404-679-9000. Complaints about ballot access problems or discrimination can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section in Washington at 1-800-253-3931 or 202-307-2767.

“It is imperative that those who have specific information about discrimination or election fraud make that …

Continue reading State and federal hotlines open for reporting election abuse complaints »

The Associated Press reports more than 761,000 voters cast their ballots by mail or at voting stations across Georgia before early voting largely ended last Friday, according to unofficial results from Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s office.

Much of the early voting was clustered around Atlanta, the state’s population center. More than 55,000 early ballots were cast in Cobb County, where both candidates hope to perform strongly. Barnes lives there, although Republican Sonny Perdue carried it in 2002 when he unseated Barnes from the governor’s office after a single term.

Cobb County was followed by DeKalb County east of Atlanta and urban Fulton County — both strongholds for Democrats — and finally Gwinnett County, which has historically leaned Republican but has seen its wide margin erode in recent years with an influx of immigrants.

Continue reading 761,000-plus Georgians cast their ballots early »

We surely hope so. WSB-TV’s  Sabrina Gibbons reports there are 175 million users on Twitter, and it’s generally expected the system will be overloaded  just like it is when other huge events happen. But we’ll keep tweeting the latest elections developments anyway.

Continue reading Can Twitter handle the rush? »

Georgia and the rest of the nation can begin voting in what many consider to be one of the most important midterm elections in years. Here’s a look at the congressional seats, governorships, state legislatures and some of the ballot measures that will be on ballots around the country on Nov. 2.

For a national perspective on what’s at stake, follow Washington blogger Jamie Dupree throughout the day.

Continue reading The polls are open, so get out and vote! »

Voters will have pretty decent weather today as they go to the polls. WSB meteorologist Kirk Mellish says it’ll be mostly cloudy, breezy and much cooler than yesterday with highs today 57 to 62 and lows 47.

Thursday, more clouds, breezy and chilly temps with a 40 percent chance of a shower or drizzle. Highs Thursday will be around 57 and lows 46 to 50.

Continue reading Cool and breezy weather awaits metro Atlanta voters »

Good morning, metro Atlanta. It’s Election Day!

The polls will open at 7 this morning and close at 7 p.m.

Still trying to figure out where you should vote? Click on this Voter Guide link. Also remember that you must show photo identification before you cast your ballot.

AJC.com will provide minute-by-minute updates on this elections blog from early morning until late in the evening when the winners are declared. On Wednesday morning, don’t miss The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for full post-election analysis.

You’ll also want to join the hundreds who have signed up to become  Twitter followers @ajcgaelections.

Continue reading It’s Election Day! Polls open at 7 a.m. »