Mark Niesse

A squabbling State Election Board struggles after Georgia Supreme Court ruling The State Election Board is mired in squabbles and political advocacy even after the Georgia Supreme Court rebuked the board for exceeding its authority.

When it’s not busy bickering, the State Election Board keeps trying to insert itself into Georgia’s voting process even after the state Supreme Court reduced its power this spring. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...

Georgia Republican Party targets early and absentee voting in 2026 agenda The Georgia Republican Party is seeking broad reductions to early voting, absentee voting and voter registration through a GOP-led committee of state legislators.

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...

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

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

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...

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

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...

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

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...

Hand-marked paper ballots could be tested in Georgia's 2025 elections Lawmakers overseeing Georgia's election laws called for a test-run of hand-marked paper ballots this fall, a move away from touchscreen voting.

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...

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

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...

State Election Board's 'dysfunction' on display for Georgia lawmakers Georgia lawmakers witnessed a splintered and dysfunctional State Election Board as they consider stepping in to make changes.

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...

Fulton commission must appoint GOP nominees or face $10K daily fines Board of Commissioners must appoint two Republicans to the county Election Board or pay $10,000 daily fines.

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...

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

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...

Fulton commissioners reject GOP election board picks, defying court order 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 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 latest from the Georgia 2026 midterm election trail Get the latest updates and analysis on the Georgia races for U.S. Senate and governor — the battleground state's most hotly contested races.

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...

The latest from the Georgia 2026 midterm election trail Get the latest updates and analysis on the Georgia races for U.S. Senate and governor — the battleground state's most hotly contested races.

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

Mass voter registration cancellation in Georgia could affect eligible voters 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.

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...

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

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...

Georgia representatives open up debate over vast changes to voting laws 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.

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...

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...

Chris Carr suing Burt Jones over unlimited fundraising edge The Georgia attorney general's gubernatorial campaign claims a 2021 state law allowing Jones to raise unlimited cash is unfair.

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...

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.

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...

Husband campaigns while his wife on State Election Board criticizes officials 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.

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...

Georgia Election Board seeks DOJ aid to again investigate 2020 election 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.

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...

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

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...

I voted in the Georgia PSC runoff! I was voter 1901 at the DeKalb election office. Turnout wasn’t too bad—there was even a tiny line! Early voting ends Friday and Election Day is Tuesday.

Check whether your Georgia voter registration is on the cancellation list. @ajc.com created a tool where you can type in your name, birth year, zip code and county to find out: www.ajc.com/politics/202...

Nearly 500,000 inactive Georgia voter registrations planned for cancellation Georgia is notifying 478,000 people their inactive voter registrations could soon be canceled. It will be one of the largest mass removals in U.S. history.

One of the largest voter registration cancellations in history began Thursday with 478,000 letters mailed to Georgia voters whose registrations will be removed unless they respond within 40 days. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...

Georgia election audit searches for voters registered at business addresses Georgia election officials are trying to find inaccurate voter registrations of people registered at P.O. boxes or business addresses.

Georgia election officials are conducting an audit to find potential inaccuracies in the state’s voter list, an additional step along with this summer’s upcoming cancellation of nearly 500,000 inactive voter registrations. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...

Georgia election results must be certified, Court of Appeals rules The Georgia Court of Appeals ruled that election board members are required to certify election results even when they have concerns about fraud or errors.

Election board members are required to certify election results, even if they distrust the outcome, according to a Georgia Court of Appeals decision. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...

Early voting begins for low-turnout Georgia Public Service Commission runoff Early voting for the Georgia Public Service Commission Democratic primary runoff is underway for one week until July 11. Some counties closed precincts because of low turnout.

What if Georgia held an election and almost no one showed up? Early voting begins today across Georgia for the Democratic primary runoff for Public Service Commission, but turnout is expected to be low and many counties are closing polling places. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...

Republican state Rep. Tim Fleming plans run for Georgia elections chief Georgia Republican state Rep. Tim Fleming is planning to run for secretary of state, the first candidate seeking to replace outcoming elections chief Brad Raffensperger.

Republican state Rep. Tim Fleming, a former top aide to Gov. Brian Kemp, is planning to run for Georgia secretary of state, kicking off the race to become the state’s top elections official. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...