Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is renewing his push for a state constitutional amendment to ban noncitizens from voting, a prohibition already enshrined in Georgia law.
Meanwhile, a Republican-aligned polling firm is out with a new survey of Georgia voters that indicates broad support for key parts of Georgia’s current election infrastructure.
The two separate developments come as lawmakers prepare for a fresh legislative session in January that could revisit state election laws, one of the most divisive debates under the Gold Dome.
Raffensperger said Monday that the constitutional amendment would head off the remote possibility a court order that could pave the way for noncitizens to cast ballots in Georgia brought by those who would dilute “the power of legally registered voters” by trying to end citizen verification in the voter registration process.
“I’m calling on the General Assembly to take immediate action and pass a constitutional amendment ensuring that no liberal group can leverage the courts to add noncitizens to our voter rolls,” he said.
Raffensperger made unsuccessful bids for the legislation in the last two sessions. Democrats note that allegations of noncitizens voting are exceedingly rare.
But this time Raffensperger is positioning himself for a potential 2026 run for higher office amid ongoing criticism from hardline Republicans over his role overseeing state elections.
Meanwhile, a poll released Monday of 800 likely Georgia voters by the Cygnal research firm found roughly two-thirds of Georgians are confident that election results will be accurate for the upcoming 2024 election.
Notably, nearly 70% of respondents said they are confident Georgia’s election equipment is “accurate and reliable,” while about 10% are “not at all confident.”
Dive right into the crosstabs here.
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Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
ARSON ATTEMPT. U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock used a part of his Sunday sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church to call for prayers for the U.S. Navy veteran suspected of attempting to set Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth home on fire.
Authorities say fast-acting tourists, including two off-duty New York police officers, thwarted Laneisha Shantrice Henderson from burning down the Atlanta home. She was denied bond in a weekend hearing.
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
“You probably saw the news that an obviously very troubled young woman tried to set fire to the birth home of Martin Luther King Jr.,” Warnock told congregants.
“We’re not so much mad at her as much as we are praying for her. For she is obviously troubled. And so we want to lift up in church this morning the name Laneisha Shantrice Henderson. We know somebody who can reach her. Who can lift her. We know somebody who loves her.”
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THANKS, DUDES. The dust is still setting on the special redistricting session of the General Assembly that gaveled out last Thursday. While Republicans said they did their jobs in redrawing new legislative and congressional maps, more than a few members are smarting from the changes to their own districts.
Most have remained mum on the details until Judge Steve Jones issues his verdict on whether the new maps meet the Voting Rights Act standards that the old maps did not. But state Rep. Teri Anulewicz had plenty to say to the Marietta Daily Journal on the process itself. She was drawn into the same district as fellow Cobb Democrat Doug Stoner.
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
“The majority party values chaos and divisiveness and instability over the frankly, really, I think, very good representation that Doug Stoner and I have given our parts of the county for years,” Anulewicz, D-Smyrna, told the paper.
And when asked whether being a “rising star” puts a target on her back, she responded, “You’d have to ask them. … One thing I’ve heard through the rumor mill is that I am smart and I am effective. And if you’re targeting me because I’m smart and I’m effective and I happen to be a Democrat, like, thanks for writing my mailers, dudes.”
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FISHING EXPEDITION? State lawmakers will cast for new fishing regulations in the 2024 legislative session, and they’ll have a House study committee’s recommendations as a guide.
The committee wrapped up its look at freshwater fishing access last week. The probe was prompted by complaints from private property owners dismayed by a 2023 law that guaranteed the public the right to fish in navigable portions of the state’s rivers and streams.
The committee recommended the state next determine the navigability of individual waterways while also stiffening penalties for trespassing. Riverfront property owners cited concerns about fishermen leaving trash and creating other nuisances while passing through their land to access favorite fishing holes.
The study also encourages lawmakers to increase investment in the state’s public fishing areas to support activity there.
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Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
CLOSED FOR PALESTINE? It’s not often that local and international politics intersect, but they may today since South Fulton Mayor Khalid Kamau has announced that his office will be closed “in solidarity with the people of Palestine.”
In a post to his Instagram page, Kamau wrote, “In solidarity with the People of #Palestine, and those around the world calling not only for the end of this genocide but the establishment of a Palestinian nation, the #SouthFultonGA Mayor’s Office will be closed Monday, 11 December 2023. #FreePalestine”
Kamau, who calls himself a Christian socialist, has made waves as mayor since his 2021 election. He and the city council have clashed frequently, with five council members filing a lawsuit earlier this year seeking Kamau’s removal from office for recording closed-door executive sessions for his “personal benefit.” That was before he was arrested separately for criminal trespassing in what Kamau described as a misunderstanding.
According to Reuters, activists have called for a “global strike for Palestine” today to pressure Israel to agree to a ceasefire in the ongoing war in Gaza.
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LISTEN UP. The South’s first presidential primary is a little more than two months away, and the “Politically Georgia” team checked in on the GOP race in South Carolina on Friday’s episode. South Carolina-based politics reporter Meg Kinnard of the Associated Press joined the panel to discuss the improving prospects of the state’s favorite daughter, former Gov. Nikki Haley, heading into the Feb. 24 election.
Catch the podcast version at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.
“Politically Georgia” airs live every weekday at 10 a.m. on WABE 90.1 FM, at AJC.com and at WABE.org.
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PASSENGER RAIL. The federal government has awarded a $1.5 million grant to study the feasibility of new passenger rail lines that would pass through Atlanta.
The AJC’s David Wickert reports that the North Carolina Department of Transportation will receive up to $500,000 to develop a scope, schedule and cost estimate for a Charlotte-to-Atlanta high-speed rail project.
The Biden administration also announced funds to study two conventional passenger rail projects that would serve Atlanta.
The Georgia Department of Transportation would receive up to $500,000 to continue developing a service development plan for a traditional rail line on the Atlanta-to-Savannah route. And Chattanooga, Tennessee, would get a similar amount for work developing a line connecting Atlanta to Chattanooga and two other Tennessee cities, Nashville and Memphis.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden travels to Philadelphia for an announcement regarding federal grant funding for the city’s fire department. Later, he hosts a Hanukkah reception at the White House.
- The House and Senate have evening votes scheduled.
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EYESORE GOING BYE BYE? Savannahians’ long-running angst over the terminus of I-16 in the city’s downtown could be nearing an end. The Savannah City Council voted last week to approve grant money for a study into the removal of a flyover considered an aesthetic and economic divider since its construction in 1968.
The stretch of road was built where Savannah’s Historic District, laid out by Georgia founder Gen. James Oglethorpe, connected to the city’s first business and residential neighborhoods for Black residents. The overpass is often cited as contributing to the withering of those communities over the last half-century.
Urban planners and concerned citizens have been lobbying for the flyover’s removal for two decades. Savannah Council agreed to dedicate $180,000 to the $750,000 study.
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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
COMMUNITY OFFICE HOURS. U.S. Rep. Rick Allen, R-Augusta, is the latest member of Georgia’s Congressional delegation to launch a staff tour across his district. The community office hours allow constituents to receive help connecting with federal agencies without having to travel far.
The tour started last week, but dates continue through the end of this week.
Today, Allen’s staff will be in Wrightsville at the Johnson County Chamber of Commerce from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
On Wednesday, the mobile office will set up shop in Sandersville at the Washington County Chamber. And on Friday there are two stops, first in Springfield at the Effingham County Administrative Complex and then in Sylvania at the Screven County Courthouse.
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THE FULL JONES? You’ve heard of the “full Grassley” -- the annual tour by U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa’s 99 counties. Well, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones’ office has its own version.
The Republican said Friday that his aides have conducted mobile office hours in all of Georgia’s 159 counties over the year. Jones, a likely 2026 contender for higher office, said the program will continue next year, along with “additional services.”
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY. When choosing our Dogs of the Day, we look for a unique combination of looks, smarts and heart. Add the luscious locks of a long-haired dachshund like Newton Gibbs and you’ve got a winner.
Along with his coat of many colors, a reliable source tells us Newton also has a charming habit of digging as deep as he can, a lot like your “Politically Georgia” authors. Newton calls longtime AJC subscriber and former Bulloch County Democratic Party chairman Larry Gibbs his person.
These two former Georgians now live in Alabama, but still read the newsletter formerly known as the Jolt together every morning, like two good Dawgs.
Send us your dogs of any political persuasion and location, and cats on a cat-by-cat basis, to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, or DM us at @MurphyAJC.
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AS ALWAYS, “Politically Georgia” readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com, and adam.vanbrimmer@ajc.com.
