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A federal jury returned a verdict on July 26th in a lawsuit going back to 2002. Corey Airport Services won a decision in which the City of Atlanta was ordered to pay the company a total of $17.5 million in damages for steering an advertising contract to a competitor with deep political connections to old guard Atlanta politicians. One of the most damaging pieces of testimony came from former Airport Commissioner Angela Gittens, who told the court that former Mayor Campbell had ordered her not to put the advertising contract out for bid because Clear Channel's minority partner Barbara Fouch was a his friend and he didn't want her to get hurt. Clear Channel and Ms. Fouch hold the indoor advertising contract today. Common Cause has long been critical of contracting practices at the airport where well-connected individuals and campaign contributors seem to get a major piece of the action. This decision validates our position. Click here to read the AJC story on the federal court decision. The results of the primary election are in. While the Governor's race and other statewide contests give the appearance of robust competition, the place where the laws are made is headed toward another performance by essentially the same cast. The reason? Despite rumblings of discontent, the challenged incumbents in the General Assembly easily won re-nomination on their way to re-election yesterday. Only one challenged incumbent Representative and one Senator failed to recapture their party's nomination yesterday. Click here to read more. Primary Day is here. On July 20th, Georgians will cast their ballots for party candidates in a variety of races across the state. Gubernatorial hopefuls and others will be asking the voters to entrust them with public office. Run-offs are likely in many races, as we see more open offices this year. Unfortunately, the flow of big money into the key races defines who is and who is not considered viable. Common Cause Georgia is up to date through June with tracking of contributions for all statewide races and most legislative races. Check out our Money Watch site. Also see who has responded to our candidate poll asking two simple questions in support of basic ethics reform. As the 2010 legislative session fades into history, it will be remembered as a missed opportunity for taking major steps to change the ethical climate under the Gold Dome. The Glenn Richardson scandal shone the light on the cozy relationship between lobbyists and lawmakers, making it hard for the average Georgia citizen to have a high opinion of their legislators. SB 17, sponsored by Speaker Ralston, was a very modest bill, seemingly crafted to stiffen punishments, increase reporting fequency, and make defendants in ethics complaints more comfortable. The late fee penalties and maximum fines were raised, which should boost compliance, but as far as holding themselves to a higher standard, there was nothing new this year.
Reporter Jim Walls, in an AJC article, summed up the shortcomings of the bill pretty well - posing winners and losers. Ralston claimed that more transparency would allow the voters to decide if they were doing a good job (meaning we assume - the chance to vote them out), but that's rather hard to do, when there are are no other choices on the ballot. 23 Senate incumbents (out of 56 seats) and 93 House incumbents (out of 180 seats) have no opponents in 2010 according to the latest qualifying reports. This, despite the fact that an unprecedented 20 Senators and Representatives are leaving their seats to run for higher office this year. One of the 113 skating through the primary and general elections with no opponent - David Ralston. As the 2010 legislative session fades into history, it will be remembered as a missed opportunity for taking major steps to change the ethical climate under the Gold Dome. The Glenn Richardson scandal shone the light on the cozy relationship between lobbyists and lawmakers, making it hard for the average Georgia citizen to have a high opinion of their legislators. SB 17, sponsored by Speaker Ralston, was a very modest bill, seemingly crafted to stiffen punishments, increase reporting fequency, and make defendants in ethics complaints more comfortable. The late fee penalties and maximum fines were raised, which should boost compliance, but as far as holding themselves to a higher standard, there was nothing new this year.
Reporter Jim Walls, in an AJC article, summed up the shortcomings of the bill pretty well - posing winners and losers. Ralston claimed that more transparency would allow the voters to decide if they were doing a good job (meaning we assume - the chance to vote them out), but that's rather hard to do, when there are are no other choices on the ballot. 23 Senate incumbents (out of 56 seats) and 93 House incumbents (out of 180 seats) have no opponents in 2010 according to the latest qualifying reports. This, despite the fact that an unprecedented 20 Senators and Representatives are leaving their seats to run for higher office this year. One of the 113 skating through the primary and general elections with no opponent - David Ralston. A quick look at the 1Q 2010 campaign reports confirm that new House Speaker David Ralston and his team are continuing the fundraising practices of former Speaker Richardson and the Democratic Speakers before him. That explains the strong resistance to proposed 2010 reforms that would curb the use of campaign dolars that flow into the accounts of powerful legislative leaders who seldom have competitive races. Here's how it works: Starting at the top of the chain, legislators solicit campaign donations from parties with interests before the General Assembly. Those in leadership positions and key committee chairs always get the most, often going well into six figures. In 2009, Richardson had raised around $115K before his demise. He also carried over $282K from the end of his 2008 campaign cycle. Since Richardson had no opponent to run against, he could use this $397K war chest to help other candidates, donate to the party, and for other expenditures unrelated to gaining office. On his last day in office, Richardson transferred over $200,000 to a PAC controlled by him. Fast foward to 2010. Members of the General Assembly cannot receive contributions during the session. However, they can raise money the first few days of January. In that ten day period, Ralston brought in $131K, Speaker Pro-Tem Jan Jones $46K, and Majority Whip Edward Lindsey $52K. Many of the donors are the same ones who gave to Richardson whe he was Speaker. It is hard to see these contributions as a clear action to facilitate access. None of the three representatives are likely to have opponents, but will use this money for purposes of mainaining the power base. Sadly, as the cast changes, the plot remains the same. This money has a corrosive effect on the entire legislative proocess, and is at the heart of what needs to change if we are to learn from the Richardson scandal. To see the donations to these campaigns, go the CCGA's Money Watch site and view GA House 2010. A quick look at the 1Q 2010 campaign reports confirm that new House Speaker David Ralston and his team are continuing the fundraising practices of former Speaker Richardson and the Democratic Speakers before him. That explains the strong resistance to proposed 2010 reforms that would curb the use of campaign dolars that flow into the accounts of powerful legislative leaders who seldom have competitive races. Here's how it works: Starting at the top of the chain, legislators solicit campaign donations from parties with interests before the General Assembly. Those in leadership positions and key committee chairs always get the most, often going well into six figures. In 2009, Richardson had raised around $115K before his demise. He also carried over $282K from the end of his 2008 campaign cycle. Since Richardson had no opponent to run against, he could use this $397K war chest to help other candidates, donate to the party, and for other expenditures unrelated to gaining office. On his last day in office, Richardson transferred over $200,000 to a PAC controlled by him. Fast foward to 2010. Members of the General Assembly cannot receive contributions during the session. However, they can raise money the first few days of January. In that ten day period, Ralston brought in $131K, Speaker Pro-Tem Jan Jones $46K, and Majority Whip Edward Lindsey $52K. Many of the donors are the same ones who gave to Richardson whe he was Speaker. It is hard to see these contributions as a clear action to facilitate access. None of the three representatives are likely to have opponents, but will use this money for purposes of mainaining the power base. Sadly, as the cast changes, the plot remains the same. This money has a corrosive effect on the entire legislative proocess, and is at the heart of what needs to change if we are to learn from the Richardson scandal. To see the donations to these campaigns, go the CCGA's Money Watch site and view GA House 2010. We regret to report that the ethics bill presented by new Speaker of the House David Ralston (SB17 substitute) doesn’t do nearly enough to set a new climate for ethics at the State Capitol. Common Cause
A copy of the full analysis report on SB17 substitute is available here. Long awaited 2010 ethics reform in the Georgia House took an unexpected turn last week. Rep. Wendell Willard's House Bill 920, which was dropped early in the session with over 40 co-sponsors, will not be the vehicle for reform. A new bill is expected to emerge tomorrow from the Speaker's office, and early reports suggest that none of the provisons of Houise Bill 920 will be in it. Expected to be missing are any limits on lobbyist gifts and several peovisions that would have reined in the huge flows of cash into campaign accounts of powerful leaders who run unopposed. These "slush funds" came into practice under Speaker Murphy when the Democrats were in power, and they grew in size under former Speaker Glenn Richardson and the Republicans. Common Cause believes that these key changes in the way business is done at the Capitol are the needed reforms if the new leadership wants to truly change the climate that was exposed in the Richardson scandal. For a recent news story on latest developments, click here. To e-mail Speaker Ralston and ask him to stand behind strong ethics and campaign finance reform this year, click here. Common Cause invites you to join us and our co-sponsors at The US Supreme Court announced its long-awaited decision in the Citizens United case on January 21st. The 5-4 ruling overturns a 63 year-old law and two previous court decisions that barred corporations and unions from weighing in directly to campaigns. Going forth, there will be no limits on what corporations and unions can spend to elect or defeat candidates. Contributions directly to Federal campaigns will still be limited, but those limits will matter less, given the wide-open nature of this new landscape. Georgia already allows corporate and union contributions to campaigns, so the impact may be felt less here than elsewhere, but the decision definitely portends more money in the system from big donors, and that's not good news for the average citizen. To read the Common Cause perspective on the Citizens decision, click here. To read the news story, click here.
The first week of the 2010 Georgia General Assembly Session focused on Ethics Reform to a degree not seen in many years. Several bills relating to good government were dropped during the week of January 11. The legislation getting the most attention was HB 920. Primary sponsor Wendell Willard introduced HB 920, which reins in much of the loose money in the election process and imposes a gift limit on lobbyists. At last count the bill had between 35 and 40 co-sponsors, evenly split between the parties. To see the contents of HB 920, click here. Democrat Mary Margaret Oliver and freshman Independent Rusty Kidd introduced other reform bills. Others are coming, and we are doing our best to keep up. To see more on the Oliver and Kidd proposals, click here and pull up new House bills 890, 891, 892, 893, 913, and 919. To read press articles on the 2010 reform movement around the state, click Brunswick News, Dalton Daily Citizen, Atlanta Unfiltered, and Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
In the wake of a wave of ethics challenges at the Capitol, Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver has written an Op-Ed article, published in the Fulton Daily Report, which details several bills she has filed addressing ethics reforms. Prominently among these is HB 892, which creates the Georgia Fund for Judicial Campaigns to assist statewide judicial candidates, who demonstrate sufficient popular support, to run a viable campaign without accepting campaign contributions greater than $500. Modeled after similar successful programs such as North Carolina’s, it will provide candidates for the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of Georgia a way to spend their campaign time educating and reaching out to everyday citizens, and avoid spending time on large-donor fundraising. The article appeals to citizens and members of the Bar Association to engage the issue, and consider the far-reaching benefits of their public financial support. To see the text of the article written by Rep. Oliver, reprinted with her permission, click here.
On December 17th, the Georgia Republican House Caucus nominated Blue Ridge native David Ralston as the next Speaker of the House. Jan Jones of North Fulton and Edward Lindsey of Atlanta also became new members of the House leadership team. Common Cause congratulates the new leadership, and welcomes the change as a hopeful sign that long-delayed ethics reform legislation will now get a hearing in 2010. Representative Wendell Willard has already drafted legislation that tackles some core issues of reform, including limits on campaign-to-campaign and campaign-to-party contributions, a rolling back on contribution limits to campaigns and PACs, and a $100.00 limit on gifts from lobbyists to legislators. See the full text of this legislation here. At this time of great opportunity, Common Cause has also issued a call to arms to pass long-needed, significant ethics reform. To see the full story, read the Op-Ed written by Bob Irvin, former Minority Leader and present Chair of the Board of Common Cause, published in the Atlanta Journal-Consitution, here. Common Cause welcomes the news that the Jekyll Island revitalization partner Linger Longer has backed out of the controversial partnership with the State's Jekyll Island Autority. We stood with the opponents of the extensive development of Jekyll as pushed by the JIA board, and we salute the decision to back off from the aggressive plans in the Linger Longer partnership. We can revitalize Jekyll Island and maintain its special quality as a resort for all the people of the state without selling out to private partners. We hope this decision puts to rest the notion that "what's good for developers of oceanfront property is good for Georgia." To paraphrase Churchill's characterization of Americans, the Jekyll Island Authority is finally dong the right thing, after first exhausting every other possibility. While this issue will requre continued monitoring, the news this week is greatly welcomed. Kudos to Dave & Mindy Egan, Jeff Chapman, Ed Boshears, and the scores of others who worked so hard bring about this result. See the report by the Initiative to Protect Jekyll Island...
As expected, Speaker Richardson has resigned, to be succeeded by Mark Burkhalter. It is a sad commentary on the political system that it takes a TV interview with an ex-wife to accomplish something that probably should heve been addressed earlier. This incident points out a serious flaw in the laws that govern disciplinary action when a member of the legislature is suspected of engaging in inappropriate or unethical behavior. We have always held the position that the self-policing concept doesn't work, especially when the allegations are directed at those in powerful positions. It's just too easy to intimidate the members of the panel charged to investigate. Even with the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee established in the 2005 reform act, current law does not offer a realistic means of checking abuse by leaders in the legislature. The General Assembly should revisit that issue in 2010 and enact laws which give the authority to investigate to an independent body. That provision was in Governor Perdue's ethics reform package in 2005, but was stripped out by the House, under Richardson's direction. For more on the interview that lead to the resignation, click here. For more on the "unreported scandal" on the extent of lobbyists' influence in high places click here.
In light of recent public statements by Susan Richardson, former wife of Georgia's Speaker of the the House, Common Cause Georgia calls for the Speaker to resign. This latest development confirms that he has violated ethical standards. We feel that he is now in a position that he cannot effectively carry out the duties of the 2nd most important job in state government. The right thing to do is to step aside. We trust that the caucus will find a way to handle that. More important than Richardson's probems is the long term solution. This incident points out a serious flaw in the laws that govern disciplinary action when a member of the legislature is suspected of engaging in inappropriate or unethical behavior. We have always held the position that the self-policing concept doesn't work, especially when the allegations are directed at those in powerful positions. It's just too easy to intimidate the members of the panel charged to investigate. Even with the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee established in the 2005 reform act, current law does not offer a realistic means of checking abuse by leaders in the legislature. The General Assembly should revisit that issue in 2010 and enact laws which give the authority to investigate to an independent body. That provision was in Governor Perdue's ethics reform package in 2005, but was stripped out by the House, under Richardson's direction. For more on the story, click here.
Georgia's cities held municipal elections yesterday. We congratulate the winners and thank all candidates who stepped up for public service. You are the backbone of our representative democracy! Atlanta's mayoral race is headed to a runoff between Councilwoman Mary Norwood and former State Senator Kasim Reed. Common Cause Georgia strongly invites these two candidates to embrace our call for pay-to-play reform in City contracting. Public safety and financial responsibility are certainly important issues. However, we also need to rebuild trust, and signaling that the City is ready to depart from its patterns of cronyism in contracting would go a long way. City Council candidate Amir Farokhi (in the December runoff) has endorsed our pay-to play proposal. Common Cause will continue to build support for pay to play reform to be introduced when the new Council sits in January. To see the highlights of the Common Cause proposal: Pay-to-Play reforms. To read the full text: model legislation.
Common Cause Georgia co-sponsored a Mayoral Candidate Forum along with the League of Women Voters of Georgia, Druid Hills Presbyterian Church, and others on October 1st. Candidates Lisa Borders, Mary Norwood, Ralph Reed, and Jesse Spikes attended. Questions for the candidates included their stand on our proposed Pay-to Play ordinance. While none of the four candidates officially signed on the CCGA pay to play ordinance there was general agreement that money has no business determining who gets city contracts. Candidate Norwood gave an opening that she could support a variation of the proposal we put forth. Two City Council candidates Wesley Knapp and Amir Faroki have endorsed our pay-to play proposal. Common Cause will continue to build support for pay to play reform as the election nears. To see the highlights of the Common Cause Georgia Pay-to-Play reforms. To read the full text of the model legislation. Governor Perdue has just appointed David Nahmias to the Supreme Court of Georgia, as successor to Chief Justice Leah Sears. Justice Sears resigned early, continuing a common tradition which allows Judges’ successors to be named by appointment rather than by way of contested election. It appears as if retiring judges are telling us that they seek to avoid creating contested elections, perhaps because the contentiousness and spending for judicial races has increased exponentially, and campaign donations to judges often create public sentiment that judges are biased. However, we can create a system of public financing for judicial elections that promotes access to candidacy, removes reliance on large campaign donors, and focuses on accountability to Georgians, not accountability to politicians or campaign donors. Public financing for judicial campaigns remains A newly released study of official state websites focusing on the federal stimulus program ranks Georgia 23rd when compared to other states in a report titled Show Us the Stimulus, released today by Good Jobs First, a non-profit research center based in Washington, DC. Common Cause Georiga reviewed the study which compared the quality of information available on Georgia’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act website, stimulus.georgia.gov, with other states’ ARRA websites. "At this point Georgia’s website is an excellent resource for inquiring about the allocation and distribution of ARRA funds throughout the state. Unfortunately that’s as far as it goes. We feel strongly that the website should also be a resource for the public to see who is receiving ARRA funds, how the money is being used, where it is being spent, the progress made and results achieved,” said Jayne Watson of Common Cause Georgia and member of GSTAC. “With a few additions to the website, Georgians will have the information they need to judge the effectiveness of ARRA in the state and their community.”
>See Georgia's scorecard here. Learn more about our Stimulus Oversight here. State and local governments are currently confronting serious budget shortfalls and that has raised concern over the use of tax break incentives for developers, that had been so popular over the last few years. Common Cause
Development Authorities typically consist of individuals appointed by the
The intent of these structures is a good thing in principle. We believe most Georgians support the spurring of economic development to create jobs and recover blighted areas. But as we see it, there are places in the state where it has become commonplace for projects with no hardship case to receive a tax break that was created to reward risk takers.
Every County, City, and School Board in the state is short of revenue and facing cutbacks. Citizens of On June 8, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Caperton v. A.T. Massey Coal Co., the case where Massey’s Chief Executive Don Blankenship spent approximately $3 million to help Brent Benjamin get elected as Justice to the highest Court of West Virginia. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that when Benjamin then overturned a $50 million verdict against Massey, and refused to recuse himself, it was a violation of due process. This landmark decision of judicial election law has clear implications here in Common Cause has criticized Georgia's General Assembly for what it didn't do last session, and we also took positions against some of the things they did do. One bill that passed which we opposed was SB 86, which imposed a proof of citizenship requirement for newly registering voters in Georgia. We spoke against the bill because there are very few cases of non-citizens deliberately seeking to register, and thousands of Georgians who would have found it more difficult to register, even citizens whose US citizenship would never be in question. We need to be seeking ways to increase voter participation, not setting up more hurdles that discourage people from participating in the electoral process. Among the other arguments against the new law is that the new requirement would have difficulty achieving clearance from the US Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, which enforces section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. On May 29th, that was confirmed when the DOJ took a position against the new Georgia law. That means that for the time being, the changes to the voter verification system dictated by SB 86 are unenforceable. (They would have taken effect July 1.) Secretary of State Karen Handel, who is running for Governor, is pressing for the state to mount a legal challenge. It would seem to us that in these tight economic times, the state has much better ways to spend its money. To read more about the DOJ decision and reaction in Georgia, click here. 2009 Georgia Legislative Session a big disappointment
This year's Legislative Session was dominated by the State's budget crisis, but that doesn't let them off the hook for failing to address other important issues. It seems that the Chamber of Commerce, transportation interests, and others, are giving the General Assembly F’s on their 2009 report card for not taking care of business. We must unfortunately agree with that assessment.
In these times when government dollars are more scarce than ever, the need to hold government accountable is greater than ever. With the opportunity to take action on six good bills to foster more responsible and accountable government, the legislature failed to pass any of them.
We salute the legislative sponsors from both parties, who are committed to making Georgia’s government rank with the best in the nation. We ask the same enlightenment from the legislative leaders and our Governor, who must take responsibility for no movement forward on ethics reform in four years.
Looking forward to next year, there are rich opportunities to enact many items on our Top Ten List including Independent Redistricting (HR 229), Judicial Election Reform (HB 601) and local non-partisan races (HB 130) all in play for 2010.
For a full list of 2010 Legislation we support click here. For more details on 2009 legislation read our weekly updates- The Cause at the Dome. The 2009 Georgia Legislative Session ends April 3rd.
April 15, 2009
This year's Legislative Session was dominated by the State's budget crisis, yet Common Cause continued to press hard for good government reforms on a number of fronts. Ultimately six bills were introduced that addressed these important issues. The bill which made it the farthest, SB 96 , would mandate ethics boards in local governments throughout the state. The Bill passed the Senate, but was never heard in the House Ethics Committee.
All the Bills we supported will have another opportunity for passage in the 2010 session. Looking forward to next year, there are rich opportunities to enact many items on our Top Ten List including Independent Redistricting (HR 229), Judicial Election Reform (HB 601) and local non-partisan races (HB 130) all in play for 2010.
For more details on legislation read our weekly updates- The Cause at the Dome. Let's get Ethics Reform passed in Georgia!
Februray 7, 2009
Common Cause Georgia has been working hard for several years to help make it easy for citizens of Georgia to file a complaint when a local elected official acts in a conflicted manner. In
Having the legislators in control of their own redistricting has lead to a history of each party manipulating the demographics to gain electoral advantage and reduce competition.
After the 2010 census,
Read more about the bill for a Citizens’ Redistricting Commission here. Independent Redistricting is one of Common Cause Georgia's Top Ten Reforms for 2009.
February 6, 2009
Is you Sheriff a Democrat or a Republican? Do you really care?
Many Georgians ask why sheriff's, surveyors, district attorneys, and even county commissioners must run with a party label, and this issue is gaining traction this year in the Georgia General Assembly. Republican Buddy Carter of Chatham County has introduced HB 130 a bill that would allow counties to make any or all of their elected positions non-partisan. The time is right to allow counties to set aside expensive primaries, and
Read more about Rep. Carter's efforts an article in the Savannah Morning News. Non-Partisan elections are one of Common Cause Georgia's Top Ten Reforms for 2009. January 28, 2009
On Sunday, the AJC published a list of Top Ten recipients of lobbying gifts in 2008. The article, The General Assembly’s most-gifted members identify's the top recipient as Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers of Woodstock, with many other Republican leaders not far behind.
Our analyst of reports from the Ethics Commission show Sen. Rogers receiving benefits from lobbyist ranging in value from $904 in lodging from Apple Inc. to a $1.67 meal from the Georgia Association of Realtors. For the full calendar year of 2008 Senator Roger's gifts from various lobbyist equaled $15,709. Gifts to Senator Rogers are just an example of the large flow of money that goes into a pay-for-access system at the state capitol.
Georgia places no limits on what a lobbyist can give a candidate or office holder. To curb the influence of the special interest spending spree each year, Common Cause has been fighting for Lobbying Reform with limits on gifts to lawmakers. In 2005 Governor Perdue proposed a $25 limit in his ethics reform package, but the General Assembly removed that provision. We are working with the general assembly to pass legislation in 2009 to finally put lobbyist gift limits into Georgia law. January 16, 2009
Our answer: Why should reform wait until our judicial system is again threatened upon the campaign auction block? In fact, it's a time of great significance for judicial election reform.
For starters, Common Cause recently contributed to, and signed onto, an amicus brief for a judicial election reform case that is now before the United States Supreme Court. This case was so dramatic that John Grisham fictionalized it into "The Appeal". Click here to read more.
Also, Common Cause recently testified before the Georgia House of Representative's Study Committee on Judicial Election Reform. The Study Committee's final recommendations to the House of Representatives included reforms that addressed the core of Common Cause's concerns. Click here to read the full story. December 12, 2008
Recent news stories about slowdowns in commercial development in Buckhead and elsewhere brought some interesting facts to light. High-end projects such as the Mansion on Peachtree and the InterContinental Hotel Buckhead are getting help from a Fulton County agency to ease them through the hard times.
In an article in the Nov. 30 Atlanta Journal-Constitution, reporter Kevin Duffy describes how developers work through the Development Authority of Fulton County to arrange bond financing for their projects.
The developer of the St. Regis Hotel was quoted as saying the project would have been difficult to pull off without Development Authority help. What few people realize is that "Development Authority help" essentially equals taxpayer subsidy. We have the equivalent of our own local bailout going on here in Atlanta for the real estate and construction industry.
Read the full column by CCGA Executive Director Bill Bozarth here. November 24, 2008
The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that outside groups have spent $3.4 million on the Senatorial race between Saxby Chambliss and Jim Martin. In the AJC article, Bill Bozarth, executive director of Common Cause Georgia, that he’s not surprised by the amount of money involved, but was taken aback by the size of the third-party involvement. The ability of independent groups to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money, Bozarth said, “makes sort of a mockery to attempt to limit what an individual can give. It’s dwarfed by what these other groups are going to give.” Individuals are allowed to contribute up to $2,300 per election cycle per candidate, and candidates can accept up to $5,000 from a political action committee. But independent political groups, can raise and spend as much as they wish. The statewide and local elections will be held on December 2nd. Advanced voting is available a select polling locations on November 24th and 25th. To find an advance voting location in your county, click here. To learn more about the candidates on the ballot the League of Women Voters has a complete Georgia Voter Guide available online at AJC.com. The guide covers statewide races and customizes your local elections. October, 7 2008
As the nation gears up for a hotly contested and much anticipated presidential election, our election administrators have the daunting task of preparing for the highest voter turnout in history. The federal Election Assistance Commission has rightly urged election administrators to plan for an unprecedented number of voters at the polls by preparing extra voting materials and recruiting extra poll workers. The record-breaking voter turnout will test our election system in the best circumstances, but should voting machines malfunction on Election Day, we could see long lines, harried poll workers and frustrated voters. Machine failures can happen, and any system is only as good as its backup. By taking the simple common-sense precaution to preprint backup paper ballots we can guarantee that no voter will lose his right to vote should voting machines fail on Election Day. |
Cronyism in contracting confirmed So much anger, so little change Primary Day is Here Money Watch Tracks Donations To Judicial Races Georgia Legislature - no reform, no price to pay House Ethics Bill falls short of expectations Early report contributions to new House Leaders reveal same pattern Common Cause Georgia provides studied response to House Ethics Bill 2010 Ethics Reform stalls in House Citizens United v. FEC Panel Discussion Citizens United decision a game changer First Week of 2010 session Public Funding for Judicial Elections New Speaker, New Opportunity for Reform Linger Longer lingers no longer Speaker steps down. Now what? Speaker should step down Atlanta mayoral runoff needs a real ethics focus - Atlanta mayoral runoff needs a real ethics focus - November 4, 2009 Atlanta candidates should support pay-to-play reform Governor Appoints Nahmias to Supreme Court of Georgia Georgia Needs to Improve Its Website on Stimulus Spending Fiscal Accountability- Development Authorities The Supreme Court rules on Caperton Georgia's Citizenship Proof to Register Law Rejected by DOJ 2009 General Assembly session falls short - May 6, 2009 The 2009 Georgia Legislative Session ends April 3rd. - April 15, 2009 Let's get Ethics Reform passed in Georgia - February 7 2009 Who Draw's the Lines? - February 7 2009 Is your Sheriff a Democrat or a Republican? Do you really care? - February 7 2009 Top ten recipients of lobbying gifts Why pursue judicial election reform in Georgia now? - Our answer: Why should reform wait until our judicial system is again threatened upon the campaign auction block? Homeowners pay for high-end tax breaks - Recent news stories about slowdowns in commercial development in Buckhead and elsewhere brought some interesting facts to light. Georgia’s run-off election drawing $3.4 million from outside groups - The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that outside groups have spent $3.4 million on the Senatorial race between Saxby Chambliss and Jim Martin. Georgia must ensure every vote counts - As the nation gears up for a hotly contested and much anticipated presidential election, our election administrators have the daunting task of preparing for the highest voter turnout in history. |