This story has been updated. Voting rights activists are celebrating record-high turnout for early voting this primary election season and pushing back against Republican operatives who argue that the influx of ballots disproves their concerns about voter suppression. More than 700,000 people have voted early as of Thursday, according to the Georgia secretary of state’s […]
Politics & Policy
Posted inCity Politics
‘Your Chance to Be Heard’: What You Need to Know About Atlanta’s Budget
It’s that time of year again! One of the most critical endeavors local government leaders engage in — finalizing the annual city budget — is about to begin. If you live inside the perimeter, it’s a process that can have a major impact on your quality of life. Atlanta’s fiscal year 2023 city budget is […]
Posted inState Politics
‘It’s Going to Be a Travesty’: Why Georgia’s New Gun Law Is Troubling for Black Residents
Georgia Second Amendment advocates have been celebrating for the past week. On April 12, Gov. Brian Kemp signed SB 319 — dubbed by supporters as the Constitutional Carry Act — into law. The measure, which took effect immediately, makes it legal for a “lawful weapons carrier” to carry concealed handguns without a permit anywhere that […]
Posted inState Politics
Black Voters Should Know About These Bills GA Legislators Passed in Their Last Votes of 2022
Georgia lawmakers worked through midnight early Tuesday to get a set of bills passed on Sine Die, the last day of the state’s 40-day legislative session. Several of the General Assembly’s most contentious proposed laws – including a measure giving the Georgia Bureau of Investigation greater authority to oversee elections – were passed by both […]
Posted inVoting
What Black Voters Should Know Ahead of Election Season in Georgia
Record turnout from Black Georgia voters in the 2020 elections and January 2021 runoffs helped secure a win for President Joe Biden and two Democratic U.S. Senate seats. The numbers — 4.9 million votes cast in the presidential election alone — are even more impressive when you consider the challenges voters experienced in 2020: hours-long […]
Posted inVoting
Georgia’s New Voting Law Makes it Harder to Register Black Voters
Getting Black Georgians registered to vote was already a daunting task for some local advocacy groups before state GOP lawmakers passed a law making it harder for many folks to cast their ballots. The full effects of Georgia’s Senate Bill 202 — the controversial Election Integrity Act of 2021 that Gov. Brian Kemp signed into […]
Posted inCity Politics
Black Leaders React to Dickens’ Crime Plan
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ recently unveiled plan to ramp up policing in an effort to crack down on crime is getting a stamp of approval from some of the city’s most prominent Black leaders. Less than two years after the controversial Atlanta Police killing of Rayshard Brooks, local Black politicians and civil rights leaders say […]
Posted inVoting
How Black Votes Will Shape the Congressional Race in Georgia’s 7th District
U.S. Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux has been cashing in recently on the relationships she’s spent years building with prominent Black community leaders in and around Gwinnett County as her May 24 Democratic primary showdown with fellow Georgia U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath for the 7th Congressional District seat rapidly approaches. Bourdeaux’s primary strategy in a growing, multicultural […]
Posted inNews Roundup, State Politics
Georgia House Approves Constitutional Carry Bill
Top of the morning! Here is Your AM Rundown, with news updates in 400 words or less. Get caught up on headlines and other developments you might’ve missed. Here’s what to know for today: Residents may soon be able to carry firearms in public without a permit. The Georgia House approved HB 1358 and the […]
Posted inState Politics
Georgia Senate Passes Bill on Limiting How Race is Taught in K-12 Schools
Black Georgia state senators and their allies made a last-ditch effort on Friday to stop passage of a bill that would limit discussion about systemic racism in the state’s K-12 classrooms. The Senate ultimately voted 32-20 in favor of Senate Bill 377 early Friday afternoon. Senators including Sonya Halpern (D-39th), Harold Jones II (D-22nd), and […]