ATLANTA – Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is referring the cases of 17 Georgians suspected of having voted twice in 2022 to district attorneys in nine counties where those voters live.

These voters are suspected of voting once in Georgia in the November 2022 general election and again in another state.

“One illegal vote cast is too many,” Raffensperger said Tuesday. “Georgians deserve to have their voice heard fully, not have it diluted by bad actors.”

The allegations came to light as a result of Georgia’s membership in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), a network of 24 states and the District of Columbia that share data on voters.

The cases of double voting came from Barrow, Chatham, Cobb, Douglas, Fannin, Forsyth, Fulton, Morgan, and Tift counties.

Voter turnout in Georgia has been on the upswing in recent election cycles. Georgia saw the largest increase in turnout of any state in the 2018 midterm election, and set turnout records in 2020 and 2022.

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ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp is talking up Georgia to foreign business and political big wigs for the second January in a row.

Kemp is spending the week in Switzerland attending the World Economic Forum, meeting business executives and political leaders and taking part in discussion panels.

“We get a lot of value being able to see, talk to, and pitch a lot of people in one place,” Kemp told Capitol Beat Tuesday in an exclusive interview from Davos, Switzerland. “The exposure we get is really helpful selling the state.”

The trip includes meetings both with executives from companies with an existing presence in Georgia and those that might be interested in setting up shop in the Peach State.

On Tuesday, the governor met with officials from Korean automaker Hyundai, which is building a massive electric vehicle manufacturing plant west of Savannah, and multinational technology company Cisco, which has offices in Midtown Atlanta. Tomorrow, the state will host a luncheon reception for 25 companies.

Kemp also participated in a panel discussion on the EV industry, which has become a major player in Georgia with both the Hyundai plant and a manufacturing facility Rivian is building east of Atlanta along the Interstate 20 corridor.

The governor will lead Georgia’s delegation to meetings elsewhere in Switzerland later this week before heading back home on Saturday.

Kemp, a potential candidate for the U.S. Senate after his second term as governor expires in 2026, dismissed the notion that he’s out to burnish his own national and international profile by going to Davos.

“My No.-1 goal is selling our state,” he said. “That’s the reason I came to the forum.”

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ATLANTA – A federal judge has ruled in favor of a Texas-based conservative group in a lawsuit over its effort to lodge more than 364,000 challenges to Georgia voters’ eligibility.

U.S. District Judge Steve Jones, the same jurist who upheld state’s new congressional and legislative district maps last week, declared Tuesday that True the Vote’s actions did not constitute illegal voter intimidation as alleged by Fair Fight Action, the voting rights group founded by Democrat Stacey Abrams.

True the Vote filed challenges in December 2020 ahead of two runoff elections that vaulted Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock into the U.S. Senate, claiming the affected voters appeared to be ineligible to vote because of changes in residency. Local elections offices rejected most of the challenges.

Jones found that the groups’ actions did not rise to the level of violating the Voting Rights Act.

“This decision is monumental,” said Jake Evans, lead attorney for True the Vote in the case. “It vindicates True the Vote in totality and establishes that eligibility challenges under Section 230 (of the federal law) are a proper method to ensure voter rolls are accurate.”

But other portions of Jones’ ruling criticized the organization’s process for challenging voters.

“As the federal court weighed the evidence presented about True the Vote’s tactics in the 2021 runoff elections, it did not hold back its criticisms of the Texas group’s methods,” said Cianti Stewart-Reid, Fair Fight’s executive director. “To the contrary, the 145-page opinion expressly states the court ‘in no way is condoning (True the Vote’s) actions in facilitating a mass number of seemingly frivolous challenges.’ “

A sweeping overhaul of state election law the General Assembly passed in 2021 after the Senate runoffs and after the lawsuit was filed allows individuals to file an unlimited number of voter eligibility challenges.

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ATLANTA – The General Assembly’s Republican majorities gave final passage to new legislative district maps Tuesday over objections from minority Democrats that the state House and Senate maps violate the Voting Rights Act.

Voting along party lines, the Georgia House of Representatives adopted a new state Senate map senators had passed late last week. A short time later, the Senate approved a new state House map House lawmakers had passed last Friday.

Tuesday’s votes completed action on revisions to two of three 2021 redistricting maps U.S. District Judge Steve Jones ruled out of compliance with the Voting Rights Act in a decision handed down in October. The two legislative maps now head to Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk for his signature.

The third map containing new congressional district lines cleared the state Senate Tuesday in another party-line vote. The House will vote on the congressional map later this week, wrapping up a special redistricting session Kemp called following the judge’s ruling.

As ordered by Jones, the new House map creates five additional Black-majority districts, two in the southern end of metro Atlanta, one in the western portion of the metro region, and two in and around Macon.

“It fully complies with Judge Jones’ order,” said Sen. Bo Hatchett, R-Cornelia, vice chairman of the Senate Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee.

But Senate Minority Leader Gloria Butler said Republicans went beyond the areas the judge identified as in need of redrawing to reduce Black voting strength in several other districts.

Sen. Tonya Anderson, D-Lithonia, accused Republicans of “partisan gerrymandering” aimed at maintaining the House’s GOP majority.

“Georgia Republicans thumbed their noses at a federal court order,” she said. “This map weakens the power of Black voters. It exists only to entrench the power of the majority party.”

Democrats also complained that the House maps pair four sets of incumbents who would have to run against each other, including three pairs of Democrats but only one pair of Republicans.

Similar arguments divided House Republicans and Democrats during Tuesday’s debate over the proposed state Senate map.

Rep. Rob Leverette, R-Elberton, chairman of the House Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee, said Republicans complied with Jones’ order that they create two additional Black-majority Senate districts in the southern end of metro Atlanta. Unlike the House map, the Senate map did not pair any incumbents, he said.

“This plan complies with the order and fulfills our obligation as a General Assembly,” Leverette said.

But Rep. Saira Draper, D-Atlanta, said the Senate map accomplished the goal of complying with the court order by moving almost as many Black voters out of existing Black-majority districts as into the two new Black-majority districts. A net of only 3,000 Black voters were moved into Black-majority districts, she said.

“This proposal is nothing more than an effort to maintain the status quo,” Draper said.

The Senate map the House adopted Tuesday is expected to allow Republicans to maintain their current 33-23 majority in the upper legislative chamber. Democrats had put forth an alternative map likely to help them gain two seats.

But Leverette said scoring political gains is not the purpose of the Voting Rights Act.

“The Voting Rights Act doesn’t protect political parties,” he said. “It protects voters.”

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ATLANTA – With the federal government barreling toward a shutdown later this week, Georgia Democrats are warning of lost paychecks for service members and federal civilian employees, interrupted Social Security and welfare benefits, and closed national parks.

While the U.S. Senate is moving forward with debate on a bipartisan stopgap funding bill aimed at keeping the government open after the end of the federal fiscal year at midnight Saturday, a small group of far-right House Republicans is blocking attempts by Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to get a floor vote on a short-term spending bill.

The group of GOP holdouts includes two Georgia Republicans: U.S. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Rome and Andrew Clyde of Athens.

If the government shuts down at midnight Saturday, nearly 64,000 Georgia service members could be forced to work without pay, according to a news release from the Democratic Party of Georgia. More than 167,000 Georgians who are federal civilian employees in jobs considered essential also may have to work without being paid.

Georgia seniors could see a delay in Social Security checks, while more than 220,000 low-income Georgia mothers, infants and older children could lose monthly food benefits.

“It’s shameful that while Georgia Democrats are working in lockstep to deliver for Georgia families, Georgia Republicans … are risking Georgians’ livelihoods with a devastating government shutdown in pursuit of their extreme agenda,” Georgia Democratic Party spokesperson Ellie Schwartz said this week.

“Republicans are forcing families to brace for two extremes: a government shutdown that would devastate Georgians or extreme cuts that would raise costs and slash funding for child care, schools, veteran services and more.”

For their part, the Republican holdouts are looking to use the budget impasse as leverage to force spending cuts upon reluctant Democrats and push other priorities.

For Greene, it’s cutting off further U.S. funding for Ukraine. President Joe Biden is seeking another $24 billion in additional security and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

“For weeks, I’ve been asking for Ukraine funding to be a standalone vote, not cash hidden inside of other bills. For a moment, it seemed like that would happen. But it didn’t,” Greene said this week in a statement aimed at her Northwest Georgia constituents.

“This means billions of your hard-earned money will be at the disposal of Joe Biden, his State Department, and his [Defense Department] to be spent on his proxy war against Russia.”

Congressional Democrats and some Republicans argue Ukraine must prevail in its war against Russia or Russian President Vladimir Putin will set his sights next on one or more NATO countries, forcing the U.S. to commit American ground troops.

Clyde has pushed for eliminating all federal funding for the prosecutors who have obtained indictments charging former President and 2024 Republican frontrunner Donald Trump with attempting to interfere with the results of the 2020 presidential election.

“These bogus charges are undoubtedly intended to smear and take down President Trump, as well as hinder his ability to campaign effectively,” Clyde said late last month. “This overt election interference continues to undermine both our republic and our fair system of justice.”

Democrats and Republicans not committed to Trump say the former president must be held accountable for his efforts to subvert the U.S. Constitution by defying the will of the majority of American voters who supported Biden in 2020.

Other GOP holdouts are objecting to the budget process itself, the perennial 11th-hour scramble in Congress to pass a single omnibus bill each year that covers the vast majority of spending, rather than the more orderly system of taking up the 12 annual appropriations bills that fund federal agencies one at a time.

But Democrats say such qualms aren’t worth shutting down the government. “Make no mistake: If the government shuts down, leaving thousands of Georgians without the paychecks or services they rely on … Republicans will be squarely to blame,” Schwartz said.

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ATLANTA – Georgia’s unemployment rate held steady at 3.1% last month for the ninth consecutive month, three-tenths of a point below the national jobless rate of 3.4%, state Commissioner of Labor Bruce Thompson reported Thursday.

Georgia’s labor force increased for the seventh straight month to nearly 5.3 million, an all-time high. The number of employed grew to just more than 5.1 million, also a record.

Jobs were up a slight 0.2% in April from March but have risen 2.3% compared to April of last year to almost 4.9 million, another all-time high.

“The state’s economy continues to soar with low unemployment and job growth in virtually every sector,” Thompson said.

Job numbers in the private education and health services sector grew to 655,900, followed by an increase of 518,400 in the leisure and hospitality sector.

Initial unemployment claims last month were up by 15% over March to 25,407. Over the year, initial jobless claims rose by 46%.

More than 154,000 job listings were posted online last month for Georgians to access. The top industries for openings included health care with 32,300 openings, retail trade with 18,400, and accommodation and food services with 13,300 openings.

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ATLANTA – Georgia’s 2024 presidential primaries will place next March 12, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced Thursday.

“Georgia is a bellwether state,” Raffensperger said during a news conference at the state Capitol, acknowledging the Peach State’s relatively new status as one of a handful of swing states in national politics. “If you can win in Georgia, you will win nationally.”

In announcing the mid-March date, Raffensperger – a Republican – rejected a recommendation by the Democratic National Committee late last year that Georgia’s presidential primaries be moved up to February, which would have made Georgia the fourth state to vote.

Democrats argued an early primary date in Georgia would have added to the diversity of the electorate during the early primaries. Iowa and New Hampshire, currently the first states to hold party caucuses or primaries, are majority white.

Emory University finance professor Thomas More Smith released a study in February that showed early primaries in Georgia could generate nearly $220 million in economic impact.

But Raffensperger said holding the Georgia primaries in mid-March, a week after multiple states vote on Super Tuesday – would work to Georgia’s advantage both politically and economically.

“We believe a March 12 date maximizes Georgia’s influence and has the greatest economic impact,” he said.

Two weeks of early voting will take place prior to the primaries.

Democrat Joe Biden easily won the party’s Georgia primary in 2020 with 75% of the vote, building on momentum from his first primary win in South Carolina. Biden then went on to become the first Democrat to carry Georgia since Bill Clinton in 1992 when he narrowly defeated Republican President Donald Trump to win the state’s 16 electoral votes.

As an incumbent, Trump was unopposed in the 2020 Georgia GOP primary.

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ATLANTA – Gov. Brian signed bipartisan legislation Tuesday establishing a mental health support program grant for veterans and their families.

House Bill 414, which the General Assembly passed unanimously, will provide matching grants to nonprofits that serve veterans, subject to the availability of funding.

“This important legislation provides support and resources for the brave men and women who have worn a uniform for our country, and Georgia is proud to be a state that honors and values its veterans,” Kemp said during a signing ceremony inside the state Capitol.

The Georgia Department of Veterans Service will run the program, with grants to be awarded to applicants based on certain eligibility criteria. To be considered for funding, applicants must provide behavioral health services using evidence-based practices, train staff members in military culture, and connect veterans or members of their families with needed community-based mental health services in a timely manner.

Applications for grant funds will be available soon. Nonprofit community behavioral health-care providers with experience in treating military service members and veterans are encouraged to apply.

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ATLANTA – Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law Tuesday a bill that increases the penalties for business owners who fail to post required notices about resources for human trafficking victims.  

Kemp was joined by his wife, Marty Kemp, who has used her time as first lady to work on stopping human trafficking in Georgia and assisting victims of the crime.  

The new law increases the penalty for business owners who fail to post notices that explain how victims of human trafficking can reach national and state hotlines to get help.  

“This common-sense measure imposes minimum fines for failing to post required notices by public entrances, where they will be easily seen by the public, and in restrooms where victims of trafficking may be able to see the notice while away from their trafficker,” Marty Kemp said at a bill signing ceremony at the Governor’s Mansion.  

“It may not sound like much, but the reality is this simple step could save lives if the notice reaches the right person. This is especially critical in busy areas where traffickers often hide in plain sight.” 

Business owners who fail to post the notices in both English and Spanish can be fined $500 to $1,000 for a first conviction and from $1,000 to $5,000 for a second conviction. The law allows business owners up to 30 days to post the notices after being notified by law enforcement that they are in violation of the law. 

Georgia law requires the notices to be posted in certain types of businesses, including truck stops, bars, adult entertainment businesses, hospitals, airports, rail and bus stations, hotels, and government buildings.  

State Sen. Mike Hodges, R-Brunswick, sponsored the bill and it was carried in the House of Representatives by Rep. Will Wade, R-Dawsonville. Both served as floor leaders for Kemp during the 2023 legislative session and attended the bill signing along with other GOP legislators. 

The measure passed with only one “no” vote in the state Senate and unanimously in the House of Representatives.  

The bill signing ceremony was preceded by a meeting of the GRACE Commission, which is chaired by Marty Kemp. The commission is made up of government and business leaders as well as representatives of non-profit and faith groups that work to end human trafficking and help victims of the crime.  

Attorney General Chris Carr is a member of the commission and has made fighting human trafficking a priority. His office assisted 116 victims, led or assisted 33 investigations, and secured six convictions in 2022, Carr said during the meeting.  

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ATLANTA – The General Assembly moved closer Thursday toward putting a framework in place to accommodate the growing popularity of electric vehicles in Georgia.

The state Senate Regulated Industries Committee unanimously approved legislation that would pave the way for a planned network of public EV charging stations across the state. The bill passed in the Georgia House of Representatives early this month, also unopposed.

Under House Bill 406, EV drivers would be charged by the kilowatt-hour for the electricity they purchase to power their vehicles, rather than the current system based on the length of time charging takes. The change is necessary in order for Georgia to qualify for $135 million in federal funding to build the public charging stations.

The legislation calls for the state Department of Agriculture to inspect the charging stations for accuracy, as they do now with gasoline pumps.

To offset the loss of revenue from the state’s sales tax on motor fuels as more motorists switch to EVs, the bill would impose an excise tax of 9 kilowatt-hours on purchases of electricity to power electric vehicles.

Two speakers at Thursday’s committee hearing complained that’s too much. Mark Woodall, legislative chairman for the Georgia chapter of the Sierra Club, said the proposed excise tax would be the highest in the nation, while the flat annual fee of $217 EV owners now pay is the nation’s second-highest.

“We think we ought to be incentivizing EVs,” Woodall said.

Doug Teper, policy manager for Georgia Conservation Voters, said the proposed tax would send the wrong message at a time Gov. Brian Kemp’s goal is make Georgia a leader in electric mobility.

“We don’t want to be known as the state that taxes the most,” he said.

But Sen. Steve Gooch, R-Dahlonega, who co-chaired a legislative study committee that helped develop the legislation, said the proposed rate is designed to be equivalent to what Georgians pay in taxes on a gallon of gasoline. 

“We’re not trying to increase the cost of an electric car more than gasoline,” he said.

Gooch said the General Assembly needs to pass the legislation this year in order to make Georgia eligible for the federal funding.

Committee Chairman Bill Cowsert, R-Athens, suggested there will be time later to make adjustments in the tax if necessary because it wouldn’t take effect under the bill until 2025.

The measure now moves to the Senate Rules Committee to schedule a vote of the full Senate.

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