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Georgia Republican Party targets early and absentee voting in 2026 agenda

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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 25d

The Georgia Republican Party is asking legislators to get rid of a week of early voting, end no-excuse absentee voting and eliminate automatic voter registration. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...

The Georgia Republican Party is seeking broad reductions to early voting, absentee voting and voter registration through a GOP-led committee of state legislators.

Georgia double-voting cases bypass State Election Board backlog

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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · Sep 10

A huge backlog of cases at the State Election Board has, at times, prevented the timely prosecution of double-voting, allowing alleged wrongdoers to escape justice. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has begun sending allegations of double-voting to prosecutors, circumventing the backlogged State Election Board.

Georgia voting law's limits on mass-mailing absentee applications upheld

Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · Sep 9

A federal judge upheld a Georgia law restricting voting organizations from mass-mailing absentee ballot applications as they did during the 2020 election. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...

A federal judge ruled in favor of part of Georgia's 2021 voting law that restricts organizations from mass-mailing absentee ballot applications to voters.

Bipartisan support grows for using hand-marked paper ballots in Georgia

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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · Sep 6

In a rare show of bipartisanship in Georgia elections, a few prominent Democratic lawmakers are supporting a Republican effort to move toward hand-marked paper ballots. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...

A Republican effort to switch to hand-marked paper ballots in Georgia is gaining support from some Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson and state legislators.

Gabriel Sterling launches campaign for Georgia secretary of state

Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · Sep 4

Gabriel Sterling, a leading defender of Georgia’s voting system who famously called for President Donald Trump to condemn election threats in 2020, launched a campaign for secretary of state. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...

Gabriel Sterling, a Republican defender of Georgia's election system who called out President Donald Trump in 2020, is running for secretary of state.

Hand-marked paper ballots could be tested in Georgia's 2025 elections

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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · Sep 2

Key Georgia lawmakers Tuesday called for a rapid test-run of hand-marked paper ballots in this year’s elections, switching from touchscreens in some polling places. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...

Lawmakers overseeing Georgia's election laws called for a test-run of hand-marked paper ballots this fall, a move away from touchscreen voting.

Automatic voter registration comes under scrutiny by Georgia lawmakers

Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · Sep 1

Automatic voter registration — which has given Georgia one of the highest registration rates in the nation — might be endangered next year. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...

Georgia lawmakers will decide whether to roll back automatic voter registration, which has resulted in high numbers of voters but led to some criticism.

State Election Board's 'dysfunction' on display for Georgia lawmakers

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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · Aug 29

CLARKESVILLE — A divided, bickering State Election Board was on full display Thursday as Georgia legislators repeatedly heard about its deep “dysfunction.” State representatives were not impressed. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...

Georgia lawmakers witnessed a splintered and dysfunctional State Election Board as they consider stepping in to make changes.

Fulton commission must appoint GOP nominees or face $10K daily fines

Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · Aug 27

A judge held the Fulton County Board of Commissioners in civil contempt Wednesday, ordering $10,000 daily fines for defying a court order by failing to appoint two Republican nominees to the county Election Board. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...

Board of Commissioners must appoint two Republicans to the county Election Board or pay $10,000 daily fines.

Georgia cancels nearly 471K voters, one of the largest removals in history

Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · Aug 22

Georgia finished canceling nearly 471,000 voter registrations Friday, one of the largest removals of inactive voters in U.S. history. The cancellations shrink the state's number of registered voters from 8.44 million to less than 8 million. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...

Georgia election officials completed the canceling of 471,000 voter registrations this week, removing people who moved away or haven't participated in recent elections.

Fulton commissioners reject GOP election board picks, defying court order

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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · Aug 20

The Fulton County Board of Commissioners refused to appoint two election critics nominated by the county Republican Party on Wednesday, despite a court order requiring them to do so. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...

The Fulton County Board of Commissioners defied a court order and refused to appoint two election skeptics to the county elections board on Wednesday.

The latest from the Georgia 2026 midterm election trail

Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · Aug 20

Since the Georgia Supreme Court rejected several of the State Election Board's voting rules this summer, all sides have agreed to dismiss the rest of the case. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...

Get the latest updates and analysis on the Georgia races for U.S. Senate and governor — the battleground state's most hotly contested races.

The latest from the Georgia 2026 midterm election trail

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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · Aug 19

A judge threw out a lawsuit Monday over the 2020 presidential election, ruling against Georgia election critics who had demanded to review ballot images that don't exist. www.ajc.com/politics/202... #gapol

Get the latest updates and analysis on the Georgia races for U.S. Senate and governor — the battleground state's most hotly contested races.

Mass voter registration cancellation in Georgia could affect eligible voters

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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · Aug 19

Georgia’s mass cancellation of inactive voter registrations — one of the largest in U.S. history — targets people who likely moved away and didn’t vote recently. But it comes with a risk that eligible voters could get swept up in the process. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...

Georgia plans to cancel nearly 500,000 inactive voter registrations this month. Voting rights groups warn the cancellations include some voters who may still be eligible.

Federal appeals court considers food-and-water ban in Georgia's voting law

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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · Aug 13

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals questioned whether providing food and water to voters waiting in line is a form of free speech protected by the First Amendment or an intrusion on the protected space near polling places. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...

Federal appeals court judges questioned whether Georgia's ban on giving food and water to voters waiting in line is allowed or violates their free speech rights.

Georgia representatives open up debate over vast changes to voting laws

Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · Aug 11

A Georgia elections study has become a public venue for conservative activists to demand major changes, such as switching to hand-marked paper ballots, ending no-excuse absentee voting and getting rid of automatic voter registration. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...

A Georgia elections study committee has become a forum for advocates on the right and left to seek major changes to voting laws ahead of a heated election year in 2026.

Chris Carr suing Burt Jones over unlimited fundraising edge

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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · Aug 8

Investigations of election fraud and errors took a back seat to the State Election Board’s failed efforts to change Georgia election rules last year. Now there's a backlog of 315 cases that have already been investigated and are awaiting decisions. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...

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Reposted by Mark Niesse

Greg Bluestein @bluestein.bsky.social · Aug 7

Attorney General Chris Carr’s campaign for governor just filed a federal lawsuit challenging a 2021 Georgia law that allows his Republican opponent, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, to raise unlimited cash while imposing strict limits on his own fundraising. #gapol

ajc.com/politics/202...

The Georgia attorney general's gubernatorial campaign claims a 2021 state law allowing Jones to raise unlimited cash is unfair.

ajc.com

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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · Aug 5

The Fulton County Board of Commissioners must appoint election critics nominated by the Fulton County Republican Party to the county election board, a superior court judge has ruled. By @calebgroves.bsky.social #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...

Fulton County ordered to appoint Republican election board picks

A Fulton Superior Court judge ordered that the county's board of commissioners must appoint two critics nominated by the Fulton Republican Party to the county election board.

Husband campaigns while his wife on State Election Board criticizes officials

Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · Aug 3

He’s a candidate running to oversee Georgia elections. She’s a State Election Board member and media personality who appears on Fox News. Does Janelle King’s government position give a political benefit to her husband? #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...

Kelvin King is running for Georgia elections chief while his wife, Janelle King, used her platform as a member of the State Election Board to criticize the secretary of state.

Georgia Election Board seeks DOJ aid to again investigate 2020 election

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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · Jul 31

Three right-wing members of the State Election Board revived a fight over the 2020 presidential election Wednesday and called for President Donald Trump’s Justice Department to intervene. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...

Three Republicans on the State Election Board revived allegations about Georgia's 2020 election and asked for help from President Donald Trump's Justice Department.

State Election Board finds Lyft's ride-to-the-polls offer broke Georgia law

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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · Jul 29

The State Election Board found that Lyft violated a Georgia law against paying for votes when it offered discounted rides to the polls. Free rides are allowed, but the board's majority opposed Lyft's pro-voter offer. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...

In a 3-1 vote Tuesday, the State Election Board found that the company violated a Georgia law against paying for votes when it offered discounted rides to the polls in 2022.