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Mark Niesse

@markniesse.bsky.social
1.4K followers 263 following 172 posts

Reporter covering the Georgia General Assembly and state government for Capitol Beat at capitol-beat.org

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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
The FBI got the ballots from the 2020 election in Fulton County. Agents will use them to look for double-counted, illegal and missing ballots. The election is long over, but Republicans' quest to find intentional fraud isn't. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Many conspiracy theories about the 2020 election have been debunked. But skeptics say the FBI's investigation of Fulton County could answer legitimate questions about double-counted or uncounted ballots. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...
ajc.com
Skeptics of 2020 election look for answers from FBI raid in Fulton
Allegations of fraud and mismanagement have dogged Fulton County since 2020.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
Several Georgia Republican senators are demanding that Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger comply with the Trump administration’s pursuit of the state’s unredacted voter registration list. #gapol capitol-beat.org/2026/01/geor...
capitol-beat.org
Georgia GOP senators target Raffensperger over voter registration lists |
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Lawmaking in Georgia this year could come with a healthy dose of campaigning. At least 16 Georgia legislators say they’re running for higher office during elections later this year. #gapol capitol-beat.org/2026/01/geor...
capitol-beat.org
Georgia legislators run for higher office while crafting new laws |
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
The Georgia Senate voted along party lines Tuesday to ban cities from requiring gun owners to lock up their guns in cars, the first bill approved in this year’s legislative session. capitol-beat.org/2026/01/geor... #gapol
capitol-beat.org
Georgia Senate bans local gun storage laws with first bill passed in 2026 |
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
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...
ajc.com
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.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 16/09/2025
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...
ajc.com
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.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
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...
ajc.com
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.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
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...
ajc.com
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.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 06/09/2025
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...
ajc.com
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.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
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...
ajc.com
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.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 02/09/2025
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...
ajc.com
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.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 01/09/2025
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...
ajc.com
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.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
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...
ajc.com
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.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
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...
ajc.com
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.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
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...
ajc.com
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.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
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...
ajc.com
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.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
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...
ajc.com
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.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
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
ajc.com
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.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
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...
ajc.com
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.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
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...
ajc.com
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.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
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...
ajc.com
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.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 08/08/2025
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 · 07/08/2025
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...
ajc.com
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.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
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...
ajc.com
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.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 03/08/2025
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...
ajc.com
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.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
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...
ajc.com
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.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
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...
ajc.com
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.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
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.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
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...
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
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...
ajc.com
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.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
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...
ajc.com
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.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
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...
ajc.com
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.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
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...
ajc.com
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.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
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...
ajc.com
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.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
A new report shows insights into turnout and voter behavior. Full report by the Election Administration and Voting Survey: www.eac.gov/sites/defaul... 🧵 * Turnout rose in just five states from '20 to '24: Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. Trump won all of those states.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
The Republican Party is pushing voter challengers and election critics for seats on election boards in Fulton and DeKalb counties in Georgia. The GOP sued after Democrats rejected its nominees in Fulton. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...
ajc.com
Republican Party nominates election critics to oversee Atlanta voting
The Republican Party is pushing for voter challengers and election skeptics to take over seats on election boards in Fulton and DeKalb counties in Georgia.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
What if they called an election and no one came? Turnout is low in Georgia's rescheduled, off-year, summertime primaries for the state's powerful utility regulators. Some counties might even close polling places if there's a runoff. www.ajc.com/politics/202... #gapol
ajc.com
Rescheduled summer elections for Georgia PSC draw low turnout
Turnout in Georgia's statewide elections for the Public Service Commission is so low that several counties might close polling places for the runoffs.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
Breaking: The State Election Board exceeded its authority by passing new voting rules last year, the Georgia Supreme Court unanimously ruled Tuesday, limiting the Republican-led board’s power. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...
ajc.com
Georgia Supreme Court rules against State Election Board voting rules
The Georgia Supreme Court ruled that the State Election Board didn't have the power to change several voting rules before last year's presidential election.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
A man falsely accused of voting fraud in the conspiracy film “2000 Mules” tried to hold its producers responsible Friday, asking a federal judge to rule in his favor. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...
ajc.com
False claims of voting fraud in ‘2000 Mules’ questioned in defamation case
A federal judge is deciding whether a defamation case against the producers of the election conspiracy movie "2000 Mules" should go to a trial.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
Who tinkered with a rural Georgia county border? Somehow, the line moved behind a powerful sheriff’s house, unleashing accusations of mapping manipulation that allow the sheriff to stay in office. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
I voted! These alternate art "I Voted" stickers in DeKalb County are cool. Turnout is low and no other voters were there for these important races for the Georgia Public Service Commission. Early voting lasts till June 13 and election day is June 17. www.ajc.com/politics/202...
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
The Georgia Supreme Court unanimously upheld a state law Wednesday that prohibits people under 21 years old from possessing or carrying handguns in public. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...
ajc.com
Georgians under 21 can't carry guns in public, says Supreme Court
A unanimous ruling by the Georgia Supreme Court upholds a state law prohibiting people under 21 years old from carrying handguns in public.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 27/05/2025
An administrative law judge on Tuesday recommended that Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger disqualify Daniel Blackman from running for a metro Atlanta district seat on the Public Service Commission. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...
ajc.com
Judge recommends metro area Democrat be disqualified from PSC race
An administrative law judge recommended that the secretary of state disqualify Public Service Commission District 3 candidate Daniel Blackman from running this year.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 27/05/2025
Early voting is underway in Georgia for the Public Service Commission! The PSC is important because it oversees Georgia Power rates, which have risen $43 since the start of 2023. Find your voting info at mvp.sos.ga.gov. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...
ajc.com
Elections restart for officials who will set Georgia Power rates
At long last, elections are resuming for Georgia's powerful board that sets electricity rates for customers. Early voting lasts from May 27 to June 13.
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Reposted by Mark Niesse
Greg Bluestein @bluestein.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
Lake Lanier has suddenly become a new symbol of President Donald Trump’s government-shrinking agenda just in time for the Memorial Day break. #gapol ajc.com/politics/202...
ajc.com
How Lake Lanier closures brought Republicans and Democrats together
Democrats publicly blasted the Trump administration. Meanwhile, Republicans worked behind the scenes to keep some parks open ahead of Memorial Day.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
Now election boards in two large Democratic-leaning counties — who previously rejected many Republican voter eligibility challenges — are taking on the task of reviewing voters who appear to be improperly registered at nonresidential addresses. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/202...
ajc.com
Election officials challenge thousands of Georgia voter registrations
Local Georgia election officials are starting to challenge voters' eligibility, taking over from Republican activists who sought to disqualify voters who might be ineligible.
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Mark Niesse @markniesse.bsky.social · 16/05/2025
Challengers on Thursday told a federal appeals court that Georgia lawmakers are still violating Black voters’ rights after redrawing the state’s congressional and legislative maps. by @jeffamy.bsky.social #gapol apnews.com/article/geor...
apnews.com
Challengers argue Georgia's new maps still harm Black voters
Challengers tell a federal appeals court that Georgia lawmakers haven’t done enough to end illegal harms to Black voters.
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Reposted by Mark Niesse
Greg Bluestein @bluestein.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
Just in: Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill that could allow President Donald Trump to recoup millions of dollars of legal costs in the Georgia election interference case. #gapol ajc.com/politics/geo...
ajc.com
Kemp signs bill that could allow Donald Trump to recover legal costs in Georgia election case
Gov. Brian Kemp Wednesday signed a bill that could allow President Donald Trump to recoup millions of dollars of legal costs in the Georgia election interference case.
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