Georgia lawmakers are set to start redrawing the state’s political maps today to create a number of new majority-Black voting districts in conjunction with an Oct. 26 federal district court ruling. But their efforts could eventually be undermined by a more-recent federal appeals court decision barring individual voters and other private parties — including groups […]
Voting
Posted inVoting
Georgia’s Electoral Map Unfairly Dilutes Black Voting Power, Judge Rules
A federal judge on Thursday ordered members of the Georgia General Assembly to redraw the state’s electoral maps ahead of the 2024 election after determining the current maps unfairly dilute the political power of Black voters. The landmark ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Steve Jones is expected to increase the number of majority-Black districts […]
Posted inVoting
Group Accused of Targeting Minorities with Voter Eligibility Challenges Stands Trial
The federal trial against a conservative activist group accused of using mass voter eligibility challenges to discourage Black and brown Georgians from participating in elections began today. Fair Fight, the voting rights advocacy group founded by former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, filed a lawsuit that seeks to bar True the Vote from pursuing mass […]
Posted inVoting
Why Voting Rights for People with Felony Convictions Matters
Kareemah Hanifa is an Atlanta-based community organizer and activist who helps people with felony convictions restore their voting rights. She leads the Inner-City Muslim Action Network’s No Taxation Without Representation campaign, fighting state laws that bar many Georgians with criminal records from casting ballots. But Hanifa was advocating for people behind bars decades before she […]
Posted in2022 Midterm Election, Elections, Voting
Democrats Wary of Call to End Runoffs
Democratic lawmakers say they aren’t sure yet how Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s proposal to eliminate Georgia’s general election runoffs would affect Black voters, but they plan to find out before agreeing to support the move. State House Minority Leader James Beverly, a Democrat, said he was in Washington, D.C., preparing for a meeting with […]
Posted inElections, Voting
How Black Voters Turned the Tide in Warnock’s Favor
It’s been about two years since Buckhead resident Greg Weeks came out to vote for anything or anyone, but during Tuesday’s U.S. Senate runoff race, he felt compelled to cast his ballot for Sen. Raphael Warnock. Weeks was “frightened” by the prospect of his opponent, Herschel Walker, representing him in Congress. He says a conversation […]
Posted inVoting
Black Seniors at Cosby Spear Avoid Repeat of Voting Problems
The seniors at Cosby Spear Memorial Towers had a smooth runoff election experience on Tuesday. It was a welcome sigh of relief after residents in Building B at the apartment complex in Old Fourth Ward had issues voting last month during the general election. On Nov. 8, poll workers incorrectly redirected several of the mostly […]
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On the Last Days of Early Voting, Metro Atlanta Residents Aren’t Mincing Words
Before, during and after the Nov. 8 midterm election in Georgia, Capital B Atlanta has been speaking with Black voters to share their stories. From the campaign trail to local events, “What Black Voters Are Saying” wants to document the issues most important to you. Want to share your story? Hit us up at atltips@capitalbatl.org […]
Posted inVoting
So, Can You Vote Early on Saturday? We Explain.
In the lead-up to the U.S. Senate runoff election on Dec. 6, there has been a lot of debate about Saturday early voting in Georgia. As of right now, Saturday early voting in the matchup between Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock and GOP challenger Herschel Walker will take place this weekend in several Georgia counties, […]
Posted inVoting
Why These Black Seniors Are Worried About Voting in the Senate Runoff
Voting rights advocate James Davenport is worried about his community’s ability to vote in the upcoming Senate runoff. On Election Day, poll workers incorrectly redirected several of his mostly Black neighbors in an Old Fourth Ward senior apartment building to a voting precinct in Hapeville, 12 miles southwest of Atlanta, he said. The commotion started […]
