Introduction
Some voting laws working their way through the Georgia legislature could make it harder for local officials to cut down on long lines at the polls, according to an analysis from the Center For Public Integrity and Georgia Public Broadcasting News. GPB’s Stephen Fowler reports. (Courtesy Georgia Public Broadcasting)
Stephanie Lopez-Burgos stood in line about 35 minutes when she went to vote early in Georgia’s Senate runoff election and felt lucky it wasn’t longer. She saw social media posts from many Hall County residents who waited more than an hour some of whom had to leave without voting.
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Project Q s Matt Hennie (top left) with (clockwise) state Rep. Renitta Shannon, GALEO CEO Jerry Gonzales and New Georgia Project CEO Nse Ufot.
After a long election cycle that included record turnout, accusations of malfeasance, two consequential runoffs and a bluer Georgia, LGBTQ advocates have one message: Donât take your eye off the ball.
âPeople have a tendency after elections to say, âOK great, election season is over, we’re all done. We’re all good. Everything’s great,â said state Rep. Renitta Shannon, one of seven LGBTQ lawmakers in Georgiaâs legislature.
âYou must stay engaged, because there are many, many, many serious fights that are coming up,â she continued. âPeople should not underestimate how consistently their right to participate in democracy is being attacked. It is well coordinated, it is consistent, and it is well-funded.â
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State Rep. Renitta Shannon and Jerry Gonzalez, CEO of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials, join Q Conversations on Friday to discuss voter suppression efforts at the Gold Dome.
Georgians may face a raft of new voting restrictions as Republican lawmakers respond to the state turning politically blue. Join us Friday for a discussion about those efforts with LGBTQ lawmakers and voter engagement experts.
State Rep. Renitta Shannon, a Democrat and outspoken critic of efforts to restrict voting access in the state, and Jerry Gonzalez, CEO of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials, join Project Q Atlanta founder Matt Hennie to discuss the proposals and how they could impact LGBTQ voters.
“I’ve got the title for your next article!”
That was the first text I saw after my flight landed in Atlanta, Georgia when I turned on my phone. It was from a friend who’s plugged into Georgia politics who has a way with words. I planned on meeting with him during my 48 hours in Georgia to cover the Senate runoff elections and his excited text told me something interesting was brewing in the Peach State.
“Okay, what’s the title?”
It took him a while to respond, and I was increasingly curious. Having covered three elections in Georgia, the Senate races of 2021 probably had the greatest national implications if Democratic challengers