Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
As Georgians cast their final votes on Election Day, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is dedicated to providing the latest, most essential coverage from the polls and beyond — and host a variety of opinions from vetted, influential contributors to help you contextualize the stories as Georgia — and the nation — makes its decision.
Follow along here through Election Day as AJC contributors Geoff Duncan, Carolyn Bourdeaux, John Eaves, Meagan Hanson, Corey Ryan Forrester and Sophia Nelson and guest Josh Levs, a former CNN fact-checker, give you can’t-miss analysis and takes on the news.
Have questions for our contributors? Email Opinion editor Jamie Riley at jamie.riley@ajc.com.
That's all for tonight. Check back tomorrow for more updates from AJC Opinion contributors.
Well, as usual, election day extends for quite a while in the United States. Obviously, the odds at this point are against Vice President Kamala Harris both in Georgia and nationally, but I've gone to bed on many an election night thinking one person won only to wake up to the opposite result.
I'm going to point out that it's not all bad for Democrats in the South. North Carolina had some good wins, not only for governor but also, so far, for attorney general. And Democrats are ahead in other statewide races. It looks like the Democrats will take the U.S. House. I am very familiar with the bitter of defeat and the joy of victory. Please know, regardless of the outcome, our task now will be to find a way into the future together, with strength, integrity and faith.
The Blue Wall is the Harris campaign’s final chance for victory.
In the final days leading up to the election, Vice President Kamala Harris focused on key battleground states such as North Carolina, Georgia, Nevada and Arizona, believing that a combination of wins in these areas could propel her to victory. However, as the results begin to trickle in, it is becoming clear that the campaign's hopes now hinge on Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan, part of what is known as the Blue Wall.
As the night progresses, all eyes will be on on these pivotal states, which could ultimately determine the outcome of the election and shape the political landscape of the United States for years to come.
A reader asked about the technical glitch in Gwinnett County I mentioned earlier. I saw an interview with the amazing Zach Manifold, the elections supervisor in Gwinnett. The way he explained it was that Gwinnett had a technical glitch in which the computers were hanging up on the write-in votes. Something similar happened in 2020 when the computer wouldn't scan ballots for the jungle primary when people voted for two candidates instead of only one.
Well, as I have done so often in the past, I'm spending election night waiting for Gwinnett County. Gwinnett dropped its early vote but really looks almost exactly like 2020, which is not great because the urban and suburban areas need to make up for Trump gains in rural areas. It could change with the Election Day vote, but currently not looking great.
Similarly, it's not looking like Democrats are improving much on prior gains in Forsyth County, though Election Day results are outstanding.
At Howard University in Washington, D.C., where Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to make an appearance, people are very nervous and restless, particularly as Virginia results come in. Virginia is in play, and it should not have been. Harris should be able to overcome what pundits are calling the "red mirage" because the D.C. suburbs and the Richmond area are where the outstanding votes are.
But, despite the worry, the crowd goes wild every time Harris claims another state. It is packed on the yard. The networks are there, world media is there, alumni are there, celebrities are there. It's like nothing you've ever seen.
In the latest episode of my podcast They Stand Corrected, I advised people to avoid watching TV breakdowns of every county. In general, only political operatives need to know that stuff. For most people it’s an unnecessary emotional roller coaster. But I’m hearing from people who say they can’t look away even though it’s making them stressed or even sick. If you’re feeling that way, take a break from TV news! The big picture: It’s past 10 p.m., and we don’t know the result in any of the battleground states, including right here in Georgia. We might not know a winner in some states until tomorrow — or, if it's incredibly tight, perhaps even later. When there's huge news, the AJC will tell you.
I also offer a piece of hopeful news from outside the United States — something that can move forward no matter who wins the presidency here.
Still waiting for Gwinnett County votes, which are delayed by a technical snafu. Seeing some initial analysis of county vote swings that show Republicans are running up the score in rural areas, but suburban/exurban areas are swinging the other way, toward Democrats (Douglas, Rockdale, Fayette). Note that this is movement toward Democrats but not necessarily winning the county. Cobb and Gwinnett counties should also swing somewhat more to the Democrats.
The energy is flowing at the Georgia Speaker of the House’s Georgia’s Future event, where House members and supporters heard from Gov. Brian Kemp and House Speaker Jon Burns. More than 250 people joined the speaker, who is cautious but very optimistic as the night is young. There are a couple House races in rural Georgia that were not on most people’s radar that have become competitive.
One thing to keep in mind when watching Georgia votes coming in on the Secretary of State's website is that the website will show partial results from a precinct as a "precinct reporting." This gets misinterpreted as the full vote count for that precinct when it is only a partial count.
Be sure to look at votes by type to make sure all vote types (election day, advance in person, absentee) at each precinct are reporting. Even CNN and some of the national news networks miss this. Be patient.