The Update - 10/16: Georgia's US Senate and Congressional races, 3 statewide ballot initiatives, and now podcast breaking down the #'s of early voting so far!
Early voting is NOW, keep reading below to learn more!
Welcome to my newsletter by me, King Williams. A documentary filmmaker, journalist, podcast host, and author based in Atlanta, Georgia.
This is a newsletter covering the hidden connections of Atlanta to everything else.
Georgia US Senate candidates Jon Ossoff (D) and Raphael Warnock (D) campaigning
This is newsletter features a complimentary episode of The Neighborhood Watch Podcast with statistician Ryan Harris on Georgia’s record turnout.
You can listen here in Substack or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or SoundCloud.
Ryan talks about the differences in Georgia's election turnouts of 2016 versus 2020. He also talks about the role of the 2018 Georgia Gubernatorial elections and why that vote was historic.
We also do an early assessment of races in the state you may not have heard of and what to expect in turnout this year.
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Ryan also has a new newsletter (because who doesn't?) and I strongly suggest you subscribe: georgiavotes.substack.com/
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He also has a website at georgiavotes.com/ and can be found on Twitter @gtryan.
I would strongly suggest also checking out my newsletter from 10/5/2020 which includes important information on voting for those in the military, convicted felons, and those hiding from individuals on how to vote in this election.
Also for Book Club members check later today in the bonus email for instructions on what to do Sunday.
For those wanting to volunteer at the polls, please respond to me by replying to this email or in the comments below.
The Georgia US Senate Races
The First Race
Raphael Warnock vs Kelly Loeffler vs Doug Collins vs Matt Lieberman vs 17…yes SEVENTEEN other people
You read that correctly. There are twenty-one people running for office for Kelly Loeffler’s seat.
This seat is crucial because in 2019 Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson had to step down due to health issues.
No matter who wins, the will be challenged again during the likely rematch of Stacey Abrams vs Brian Kemp that year.
As a result, Governor Brian Kemp selected Kelly Loeffler a successful businesswoman who could be a rebranding of the Georgia GOP.
Kelly Loeffler is the Buckhead vote and notably not the backwoods one. This choice is making a broader appeal to many white women who have felt abandoned by the Republican Party in the age of Trump.
This pick by Kemp and her subsequent semi-scandal on whether or not she used inside information as a US Senator to sell off her personal stocks in related companies have caused her to jettison into the national spotlight much earlier than expected.
As a result, she has been challenged by established Georgia Republican Doug Collins as well as Democrats of all sorts who see the seat as potentially available.
That's because this is called a 'jungle primary', which is a winners-take-all run, that allows anyone to run regardless of a political party.
Adding another wrinkle to this is the importance of this seat. Whoever wins this seat will be immediately available to serve as a US Senator starting November 4.
Also, a Senator serves for 6 years and will be up for re-election in 2026, not 2024.
* correction; Isakson was elected in 2016, this senator serves until 2022. The winner of Ossoff v Perdue will serve until 2024.
Here are the big four candidates:
Reverend Raphael Warnock:
Could be the first Black US Senator ever from Georgia.
Warnock represents a bridge between the Black church’s civil rights tradition, the Black collegiate educated tradition of Atlanta, and the often forgotten second/third-tiered cities in the south. Warnock is from Savannah and was educated at Morehouse College here in Atlanta.
Warnock has been surging in the polls and by some estimates is 41% of the vote and could win outright.
Despite Georgia’s long-standing appeal to African-Americans dating back to the end of the Civil War, the state has never had the representation of this community on the US Senate level.
A Warnock win would be a realization that Georgia is no longer in the control of the good ole’ boy system which has lasted since the end of the Civil War. Making Warnock only the eleventh African American senator ever in US history.
His campaign is unique in that it's not shy about race, class, over-policing, and the activist faith-based tradition emanating before the Civil Rights movement.
Warnock is running against history and it will be interesting to see if he can pull it off next month.
Kelly Loeffler:
Buckhead businesswoman, her husband Jeffery Sprecher’s company owns The New York Stock Exchange (you read that correctly), current co-owner of The Atlanta Dream, in addition to cosplaying as Marjorie Taylor Greene (you will read more on that further below).
By touting her 100% voting record for conservative issues and her open embrace of every conservative talking point available.
Kelly Loeffler has run into a number of issues mainly from different factions of Republicans as well as her own WNBA franchise the Atlanta dream.
As many players on that team, as well as several players within the WNBA, have openly been endorsing her rival, Rev. Raphael Warnock.
This came after she made several comments disparaging the Black Lives Matter movement as well as granting interviews to people with known white supremacist ties.
Many of these moves by Kelly Loeffler has been a result of her rebranding and repositioning herself from a Buckhead businesswoman to a rural Trump-supporting woman.
Doug Collins:
Current Georgia legislator running for the US Senate seat. Collins is positioning himself as a ‘practical’ conservative compared to the current US administration, Kelly Loeffler as well as someone who works across the aisle.
Collins left a relatively safe US Congressional district in GA09 in northeast Georgia to run for this senate seat.
In being a Senator, Collins would have a 6-year term versus 2-years as a Congressman as well as the potential to push legislation through a conservative-led Senate. That would include his proposed resolution to remove Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House.
Matt Lieberman:
Son of politician Joe Lieberman, less a full blue Dem than a purple candidate who has started his run in 2019. His insistence on continuing his run hurts every other candidate but especially Raphael Warnock.
He is positioning himself as a practical Democrat compared to the current branding of Democrats as “radical”.
There are 17 additional people also racing in this ‘jungle primary’
This is the biggest reason as to why this election is being seen as a potential runoff.
It also reflects the more tempered ad campaigns by the top-4 candidates, as the potential runoff election will require a lot of cash on hand.
This potential runoff benefits Republicans as Democrats typically show up big in elections but substantially less in runoffs.
What’s at stake in this race?
Whoever wins this race can immediately be sworn in as early as November 4th. This comes as the current Senate is trying to force the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett as the next Supreme Court Justice before the election.
But this election alongside the potential Arizona senate races could put two Democratic senators in play immediately.
This new Senator will likely have the opportunity to vote on not confirming Barrett as well as potentially reducing the Republican stranglehold on the Senate. Which is one of the reasons why the Republican-led Senate is pushing hard in advancing Barrett now.
They would have a 6-3 majority on the Supreme Court as well as the majority in the Senate, which will give Republicans enough remaining power to move on Trump’s behalf if there is anything to be disputed about this election.
The Second Race
The Jon Ossoff (D) vs David Perdue (R)
In one of the tightest races in Georgia history, Georgia could be electing its first or second, modern-era liberal Senator. The move would be closer to Georgia looks like in terms of age and political projections.
Jon Ossoff (D)
Running again for the first time since 2017, after what was then the most expensive non-Presidential race in US history against Karen Handel.
Ossoff for the last three years has maintained a presence in the state Democratic Party and is running against incumbent David Perdue.
Ossoff represents a growing wave of center-left candidates and a younger more liberal-leaning constituency in Georgia.
But Ossoff knows he needs a decent amount of swing and center-right votes, which can be seen in his television ad campaigns. Promising Dem pursued reforms such as reforms to healthcare but not trying to appear to ‘radical’ on issues such as defunding the police.
David Perdue (R)
He is trying to retain his seat by portraying as a gentler, practical Republican as compared to the ‘radical’ Democrats. Perdue is a former corporate executive turned lawmaker and routinely votes alongside corporate issues.
Including a very tenuous and ongoing debate waged by Jon Ossoff, on whether or not he improperly profited by investing in a PPE company after hearing on the pandemic.
He also has moved from a deeper entrenched Right-wing, Trumpist base to a more center-center television campaign.
His voting record says he’s still closer to the Trump campaign but his public-facing is much more palpable for metro Atlanta Republicans.
What’s at stake?
A position in moving nearly 300 Democratic passed bills that have been languishing under Mitch McConnell in the senate.
These bills range from reestablishing The Voting Rights Act of 1965, making lynching a federal hate crime, and pandemic relief to name a few.
The US Congressional races
Georgia has been growing and our increasing representation in Congress shows that. Georgia currently has 14 members of Congress and based on projections in the census*, that number may move as high as 16.
There are several key races and people to be on the lookout for, all of which factor into whether Georgia remains a Republican-controlled entity or closer to the purple state it’s been for the last decade or so.
Per the AJC:
It’s been 28 years since Georgia has voted for a Democrat in a presidential election. Republicans have won every statewide election since 2008, but their margins have been shrinking.
Polls show the state is a battleground.
Expert election forecasters rate Georgia a toss-up in the presidential election, and for the first time in years, the presidential campaigns are coming to the state not just to raise money but to try winning over voters.
The main bouts:
Nikema Williams (D) vs Angela Stanton-King (R) - 5th US Congressional District
*This is one of the more interesting races to watch as the death of John Lewis in July has caused a rather sudden rush by both Democrats and Republicans to vie for the 5th district.
The 5th district comprises most of Atlanta sans Buckhead, most of south DeKalb County, a large portion of South Fulton, and North Clayton. This gerrymandered district was at one point and time a way to keep all of the “Black” Atlanta cultural core corralled into one Democrat district.
The Republicans offering Angela Stanton-King, the niece of Alveda King, yes of that King family, is both a testing of the waters as well as a built-in Black Trump supporter in the heart of one of the Blackest districts in America.
Lucy McBath (D) vs Karen Handel (R) - 6th US Congressional District
This race is a re-match of 2018, in which Handel, who won her seat in 2017s highly publicized race against Jon Ossoff, to lose over a year later in an upset to Lucy McBath.
This has resulted in McBath pushing through progressive legislation on gun control in her first term and being one of the growing armies of women Democrats in Congress.
This race is primarily in Gwinnett County, the most diverse in the state but until 2018, has been one of the most white, conservative controlled regions, with a political leadership built on the legacy of white flight from Fulton and DeKalb counties from the 1970s-early 2000s.
Carolyn Bordeaux (D) vs Rich McCormick (R) - 7th US Congressional District
Underrated and needs to be looked at more closely. This race is open due to the retirement of outgoing Republican Bob Woodall who defeated Bordeaux back in 2018. This also takes place primarily in Gwinnett County in what effectively looks like what could be the future of the county Politik.
Marjorie Taylor Greene (R) (un-opposed) - 14th US Congressional District
There is a lot to say about Majorie Taylor Greene but here’s what you need to know.
She purposely did not run in the district that she lives but instead ran in the far northwest 14th district. She is a believer in the Q-Anon conspiracy and a very vocal Trump supporter.
Greene chose to run in that district instead of a more center-right/center-left GA06 district that would’ve had her face off against Karen Handel (who would’ve likely won).
The wrap sheet on Taylor Greenes bigoted, fear-mongering, racist, and outright weird comments are seriously too many to name.
Greene is quickly becoming a national figure and is also potentially a wrecking ball once she gets into Congress in January. And she has endorsed Kelly Loeffler as well.
The three amendments measures
There are three amendments on the ballot in Georgia this year, here’s what they mean.
House Resolution 164, Act No. 597
You can read the bill here: http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20192020/HR/164
This would keep the State of Georgia/Kemp from the ability to use the "fees" associated with taxes to address other issues.
Normally this would be fine but considering the Governor/State House’s penchant for not raising taxes, cutting government programs—including $950 million from education this year, there is no way this doesn’t get worse.
The other big issue is the lack of oversight regard expenditures on this legislation as well as the reality of what will happen if public taxes go to funding other endeavors.
A ‘No’ vote would be best BUT this would potentially Georgia extremely vulnerable during the pandemic, a natural disaster, and any additional means of rainy day funds.
This is a ‘yes or no’ vote.
House Resolution 1023, Act No. 596
You can read the full bill here: http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20192020/HR/1023
This amendment is about our ability to sue the state if they create laws we think are unconstitutional. While on paper this seems like a good idea to challenge the laws passed during the Kemp administration like the abortion ban, Blue Lives Matter bill, etc.
It will actually penalize the growing tide of liberal cities, county commissioners, and a potential liberal Democratic governor in 2022.
This is due to the stacking of the courts by former Governor Nathan Deal and currently still under Brian Kemp.
Think about Atlanta Mayor Keshia Lance Bottoms and DeKalb County not complying with ICE’s immigration policies, or their insistence on instituting local mask mandates, only to have the governor launch a lawsuit saying otherwise.
This is a way for local or state lawmakers as well as special interests punish progression.
This is tough, a ‘YES’ vote gives counties/cities/commissioners more powers against Kemp/GOP, but he could still use his outside political power as well as Republican-controlled state House, Senate, and courts to still get their way.
Again make more liberal-leaning cities more vulnerable as the Dems may soon control all 10 of the most populated cities and soon to be the 6 most populated counties in Georgia.
This is a ‘yes or no’ vote.
House Bill 344, Act No. 149
You can read the full bill here: http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20192020/HB/344
This bill would prevent the State from collecting property taxes on land/buildings owned by nonprofits who providing interest-free financing to those purchasing the land.
On paper, this will help out organizations like Habitat for Humanity but can also open the door for building affordable housing via community land trusts.
The potential backdoor can also be that it would allow for any non-profit that decides to jump into space like a private foundation, a family office, or a university like Emory/Georgia State University to begin to landbank properties on their own without having to pay taxes.
While the threat of a more well-capitalized and heavily politically supported entity like Emory/GSU or a more nefarious non-profit could capitalize on this.
A ‘yes’ would be a step in the right direction for developing affordable housing.
The next would be abolishing parking requirements, and/or taking city-owned properties off the market altogether.
For DeKalb County - The ethics board
This initiative has been on and off the ballot for a few years now, including 2018 which was later deemed unconstitutional. But here’s the backstory:
Almost exclusively for the last few years, DeKalb County has been seen as a pinnacle of crime, miss management, and corruption in metro Atlanta. When in reality it’s no different from any other county. DeKalb County is the mostly Democratic-led, mostly Black-led county in the state.
I know you don’t believe me but check out this video from 2016 from FOX5 Atlanta:
It is also been subject to a review board after instead of a group comprising local businesses, non-profits, civic/community leaders, and others from within the county, the state of Georgia ruled it unconstitutional.
A ‘YES’ vote would throw that away and give the Republican-led State House the picking of who goes on the review board—not those in DeKalb.
Which is an ongoing power and consolidation move that will eventually lead to a potential attack again on removing the county CEO position.
While an ethics board is needed, the current legislation is still not good, a ‘yes’ vote is a step in the wrong direction.
This is a ‘yes or no’ vote.
For Atlanta - Homestead exemption
For me this is seen as a potential for more affordable housing particularly in Metro Atlanta, what this actually does incentivizes nonprofit ownership of land use.
While on paper this benefits organizations like Habitat for Humanity bears the question of what happens if nonprofits like colleges or private foundations, or family offices start owning land.
For Gwinnett - MARTA expansion
For Gwinnett, the soon-to-be largest county by population in Georgia behind Fulton, there is no meaningful public transit system.
Gwinnett is currently the third-largest by population in the entire southeastern United States behind only Miami-Dade County (2.5m) and Fulton County (1.1m) or to put another way, roughly the population of San Jose, California, the 6th largest city in the US.
What makes this worse is that for over 50 years, this county has rejected mass transit over fears that it will cause crime. But voters once again can decide on mass transit.
This bill would’ve likely passed in 2018 but was moved at the last minute from the ballot by two anti-transit commissioners who lost their seats that same year.
But the March 2019 referendum also failed.
The problem is for Gwinnett's pre-pandemic, top employers had started to leave the county over related issues to sprawl, an overabundance of crowded roadways, no mass transit, and losing young people to urban centers.
For Brookhaven - Removal of mayoral term limits
For those in Brookhaven, this comes a pivotal time as the 8-year-old Northwest DeKalb city is seeking to continue its upward economic trajectory.
Currently, no mayor can serve more than two consecutive, four-year terms and this would immediately benefit incumbent John Ernst, keeping him in power to oversee this economic direction.
This drew controversy last year, as this was attempted to bypass voters to get approval from the state legislature only to be rerouted back so that voters may decide.
The Other Statewide Races
Per The AJC:
Republicans have controlled all three branches of state government for the past 15 years. In 2018, Democrats picked up 11 seats in the House and two in the Senate.
They’ll need to pick up 16 more seats in the House to grab control of the chamber. It won’t be easy because several of the seats they won in 2018 were close and the incumbents face Republican challenges.
Public Service Commission
What is a Public Service Commissioner?
per Ballotpedia:
The Georgia Public Service Commission is a quasi-executive, quasi-legislative state body responsible for regulating Georgia's public utilities -- that is, electric, gas, telecommunications and transportation firms.
The big controversy has been commissioners who have helped orchestrate higher utility bills for customers.
(*FWIW, all five commissioners are Republicans, two were appointed by former Governor Nathan Deal)
The current public service commissioners have also helped push for two new nuclear plants at the expense of taxpayers, as a result, the next two commissioners are all being challenged. Both from the left and from the right as 2 of the 5 public service commissioner seats are up for grabs this year.
District 1 - ALL of South Georgia
- Jason Shaw (R), Robert Bryant (D), Elizabeth Melton (L). This is a race between an 81-year-old public service commissioner in Jason Shaw vs a changing in the guard from both a liberal and Libertarian candidate.
District 4 - ALL of far north Georgia
- Lauren “Bubba” McDonald (R), Daniel Blackman (D) vs Nathan Wilson (L). This is another race in which the current Republican leadership is being challenged by liberal and Libertarian candidates.
Voter Registration
Can I get registered to vote?
Most states have already passed their deadlines to get registered to vote, including Georgia. But check anyway:
https://ballotpedia.org/Online_voter_registration
But some states have same-day voter registration, you can check here:
https://ballotpedia.org/Voter_identification_laws_by_state
How do I get registered to vote?
If Georgia, you have to go to the Secretary of State’s website. But the deadline to vote has already passed to vote in the 2020 election. Still get registered to vote.
If you don’t live in Georgia, you can check out the website I Will Vote to see what’s required for each state:
What are the voter ID requirements in my state?
Every US state, DC, and territory can be found here: https://ballotpedia.org/Voter_identification_laws_by_state
What other things should I know?
Do not take a selfie at the booth.
Get a receipt of your vote.
You can not be on the phone will in the booth.
If you see a discrepancy in your vote on the touch screen, contact someone immediately.
If you step out of line for any reason after 7 pm, your poll worker will tell you that you may not return.
Ballot Information
Absentee Ballots
To find your state’s absentee ballot policy click here:
https://ballotpedia.org/Absentee/mail-in_voting
Provisional Ballots
https://ballotpedia.org/State_by_State_Provisional_Ballot_Laws
Military
You will likely need to fill out the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA):
https://www.fvap.gov/uploads/FVAP/Forms/fpca.pdf
AND
visit your home state for requirements as well:
AND
View a sample ballot from your state
https://ballotpedia.org/Sample_Ballot_Lookup
-KJW
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