What passed and what didn’t during Georgia’s 2023 legislative session
The District Attorneys Oversight Commission is in, school vouchers are out. Here’s a look at which laws passed, which didn’t, and who’s salty about it
2023 Atlanta 500: Government & Infrastructure
These are Atlanta's 500 most powerful leaders. We spent months consulting experts and sorting through nominations to get a list of the city's most influential people—from artists to chefs to philanthropists to sports coaches and corporate CEOs. In this section, we focus on civic leaders, government and politics, transportation, and utilities.
5 things to know as Georgia’s 2023 legislative session kicks off
It was a busy first week back for Georgia’s elected officials. Freshmen lawmakers were sworn in, new congressional leadership was elected, and Governor Brian Kemp was inaugurated for his second term. Now, with the 2023 legislative session in full swing, here are five new developments that will likely shape this year’s lawmaking agenda.
With Warnock’s win, seriousness trumps celebrity in Georgia’s protracted Senate race
Taking the stage around 11 p.m., Warnock thanked God, his congregants, his family, and supporters. “After a hard-fought campaign—or should I say campaigns?—it is my honor to utter the four most powerful words ever said in a democracy: The people have spoken."
Brian Kemp campaigned—and won—at a distance from Herschel Walker. What does that mean for Walker’s Senate runoff?
Despite a high-profile challenge from Stacey Abrams, Brian Kemp won re-election by seven points, a wider margin than in 2018. The rest of the Republican ticket rode his coattails to victory—everyone but Senate candidate Herschel Walker, who’ll head to a runoff against incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock, in a race that could, once again, decide party control of the Senate.
Georgia Democrats disappointed on Election Day, but Senate runoff looms
Tuesday night marked the second time Stacey Abrams had come up short in a bid to claim the state’s top job, after losing to Brian Kemp in 2018, and she lost this year’s election by a wider margin. Speaking to voters at her watch party, Abrams said, “While I may not have crossed the finish line, it does not mean we will ever stop running for a better Georgia.”
An Atlantan shares lessons learned while working the polls
One of the first things my mom had me do when I graduated from college was get registered to vote and sign up to work the election polls. I remember always going with her to vote. She made sure all her children—all nine of us—were exposed to the process.
Fact-checking Georgia’s election season mudslinging
As Georgia's Election Day nears, voters are bombarded with political ads making claims about why any given candidate's opponent is the enemy. We fact-checked some of the biggest claims making the rounds in these ads, including the claim that Raphael Warnock gave money to felons, Brian Kemp's official position on contraception access, and who's getting rich.
Georgia’s Gen Z voters prepare to step up to the ballot box
There are, at last count, more than 7 million registered voters in Georgia; roughly an eighth of them—more than 800,000—are between the ages of 18 and 24. The state’s youngest voting cohort, all members of Generation Z, is distinct from the rest of the electorate by several measures.
Why do Georgia’s voting stickers now say, “I secured my vote”?
In 2020, the stickers handed out at polling places across Georgia began showing signs of anxiety—relatable, for sure. Previously a cheery illustration of a peach beneath the phrase “I’m a Georgia voter,” the item acquired another sentence, in shoutier lettering: I SECURED MY VOTE! The update was introduced by Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger following a period of heightened attention to how Americans vote.
