400 Georgia voters lack ID, don't get ballot

State election officials report that 416 Georgians, who lacked photo ID, were turned away from polls during the February 5th presidential primary. Under the state’s new voter ID law, citizens who show up to a poll without ID can return within 48 hours to cast a ballot. However, only 120 Georgians of the 416 returned in time to cast a valid ballot. Critics have claimed the law disenfranchises the poor, elderly and minorities. Secretary of State Karen Handel says her office received no complaints about the new ID requirement on election day.

Obama, Huckabee win Georgia primary

Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee were the big winners in yesterday’s presidential primary in Georgia.

With 99% of precincts reporting, Obama won 66% of the votes from state Democrats; Hillary Clinton earned 31%.

On the Republican side, it was a much closer race with Huckabee earning 34% of the vote, followed by John McCain with 32% and Mitt Romney with 30%.

Columbus: poly-sci expert considers Obama-Clinton odds

Muscogee County

Barack Obama will have an edge over Hillary Clinton in Muscogee County, according to a Columbus State University political science expert.

When polling stations open in Georgia Tuesday morning, Columbus headquarters for the two Democratic contenders will have tried to outdo each other, for what one analyst calls the progressive, liberal voter.

Tom Dolan, who chairs the political science department at CSU, says over 4,000 voters cast their ballot in Early elections in Muscogee County so far; the highest the county has seen:

"I suspect Obama will do better in Georgia and I suspect he'll do better in Columbus."

Dolan says while Obama attracts younger voters, they were less likely to actually get to polling stations.

County voting officials are predicting a 25% local voter turnout in tomorrow's primary, and state officials put the overall numbers at about 30-percent.

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Mike Huckabee in Macon

Flanked by actor Chuck Norris, presidential hopeful and Former Arkansas Governor, Mike Huckabee spent Sunday afternoon in Macon for a rally that was decidedly Southern in nature.

The crowd of just over a thousand held signs reading, "I Like Mike" and "Us Against Them." They were there to show their support for Mike Huckabee who is running well in Georgia.

The candidate asked for people to vote for him on Super Tuesday saying that as a fellow Southerner he understands them.

"I know how to cook grits. I know how to fry catfish. I don't eat fried chicken with the skin off, with a knife and fork. A few things like that. But, I think most of us who grew up in the Deep South are only a generation away from poverty. We understand how hard we've had to work in the South to pull ourselves up by our own boot straps."

A Rasmussen survey, released on Sunday, shows John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Mike Huckabee within three points of each other in Georgia.

Barack Obama in Macon

After a decisive win in South Carolina, Democratic Presidential candidate and Illinois Senator, Barack Obama brought his campaign to Macon.

"Can I get an Amen on that?"

Sounding more like a preacher than a politician Obama addressed parishioners at Harvest Cathedral. The non-denominational church is one of the few in Macon that actually has a diverse congregation.

He quoted scripture and shared his own story of baptism and conversion at Trinity Church of Christ in Chicago. He also praised Harvest's diverse congregation, calling it a testimony of what is possible.

"Twenty years ago this wasn't possible. Ten years ago this might not have been possible. But we are a witness to what is possible because God makes all things possible."

Obama wasn't the only Democratic presidential candidate to visit Middle Georgia. Senator John Edwards spent Sunday afternoon campaigning in Dublin.

After S.C. Loss, Edwards Pushes Ga. Roots

Democratic presidential hopeful, former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., speaks to a crowd of supporters at a campaign rally at a farmers market Sunday, Jan. 27, 2008, in Dublin, Ga. (AP Photo/Stephen Morton)

Standing next to a patch of collard greens in Dublin, Ga., John Edwards told a crowd of voters Sunday that he is the presidential candidate who best understands them.

A day after his third place finish in the Democratic primary in his home state of South Carolina, the former senator from North Carolina stressed he would continue to run a campaign focused on progress not politics, pointing a finger at his feuding Democratic rivals, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

"I'm about doing the things that need to be done to improve your lives," Edwards said. "I've been watching a lot of time being spent tearing each other down. I'm about building you up."

Edwards also drew applause as he touted his rural and Southern roots, including his two-year stint in small town Georgia.

"I know everything that's happening in your community," he said. "This is where I come from. I understand it and I take it very, very personally. I don't treat Georgia as a place you fly over."

Edwards told the crowd they could continue the legacies of their working class parents by casting a vote for him in the state's Feb. 5 primary. "You can help ignite a wave of change that spreads across this country that is absolutely unstoppable," he said.

Cecil Lowther said Edwards' small town background appealed to him and will be a factor if he decides who will get his vote. "He's got a good feel for what middle and low income people are going through right now," Lowther said.

Ossie O'Neal said he likes Edwards but that Saturday's showing in the South Carolina primary was disappointing. "It kind of put a little doubt there," O'Neal said. "You kind of wonder whether he has the potential to win if he lost in his home state."

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(The Associated Press)

Edwards Stumps To Union Crowd In Georgia

John Edwards speaking at Georgia Southwestern State University, August, 2007. (File photo: Dave Bender)

Fresh off a disappointing third-place finish in Nevada, Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards braved a rare Georgia snowstorm on Saturday to tell a packed union hall that he's the best candidate for organized labor.

"I am not the candidate of glitz and glitter," Edwards told a cheering crowd at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers local headquarters. "I will be as strong a president for organized labor as has existed in the United States of America."

The swing through Georgia was part of Edwards' cross-country "Fight for the Middle Class" tour to some of the more than 20 states set to vote on Super Tuesday Feb. 5. Edwards also visited Oklahoma and Missouri on Saturday.

The trip came as caucus goers in Nevada handed the former U.S. senator from North Carolina his third third-place finish. Hillary Rodham Clinton won the state Saturday followed by Barack Obama. Edwards has trailed the two front runners in Iowa and New Hampshire

In Georgia, Edwards rolled out what has become a familiar populist speech, saying he would fight entrenched special interests.

"We need a president of the United States that will fight. Because nothing will change until we have a president who's willing to stand up to drug companies and insurance companies," he said.

He called for a hike in the minimum wage to $9.50 an hour, a repeal of President Bush's tax cuts and a national predatory lending law. Booming applause met Edwards call Saturday for strengthening the rights of workers to join a union.

Following his speech, Edwards told reporters that President Bush's proposed economic stimulus plan leaves out too many low-income Americans who desperately need help.

"It makes no sense," Edwards said.

After coming up short in the early contests, Edwards is hoping to do well in South Carolina, the state where he was born. But he said no matter what he would remain in the race until the end.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the presidential primaries.

(The Associated Press)

Voter Guidelines for Upcoming Primaries

Secretary of State Karen Handel today reminded voters that the deadline to register to vote and be eligible to cast a ballot in the February 5 Presidential Preference Primary is Monday, January 7.

Here are the rules, according to a statement released by Handel's office:

To register to vote in Georgia, you must be a citizen of the United States, a legal resident of Georgia and of the county in which you wish to vote, and at least 18 years old by Election Day. You may not register to vote if you are currently serving any sentence imposed by the conviction of a felony or judicially determined to be mentally incompetent.

You can download and complete a voter registration application by visiting the Secretary of State’s website at www.sos.georgia.gov/elections. You can also contact your local county registrars' office, public library, public assistance office, recruitment office, schools and other government offices for a mail-in registration form. Voter Registration is offered when renewing or applying for a driver's license at any Georgia Department of Driver Services office. College students can obtain Georgia voter registration forms from their school registrar's office or from the office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

Georgia law requires registered voters to show photo identification when voting in person. This photo identification requirement applies in the February 5 Presidential Preference Primary and all future elections. When voting absentee by mail, photo identification is not required.

Voters casting ballots in person, either through early voting or on Election Day, will be required to show one of the following forms of acceptable photo ID when they vote:

• A Georgia driver’s license, even if expired;
• Any valid state or federal government issued photo ID, including a free Voter ID Card issued by your county registrar or Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS);
• Valid U.S. passport;
• Valid employee photo ID from any branch, department, agency, or entity of the U.S. Government, Georgia, or any county, municipality, board, authority, or other entity of this state;
• Valid U.S. military photo ID; or
• Valid tribal photo ID.
  
  Voters who have questions are encouraged to call the Georgia Secretary of State’s Voter ID Hotline at (877) 725-9797 or visit www.GaPhotoID.com.
  
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Photo voter I-D has smooth election run

State elections officials by late Tuesday had reported no problems with the use of photo voter identification in local elections across 100 Georgia counties. It was another test run for the law, which was in effect for local elections in 22 counties on September 18th. The biggest workout yet for voter ID is expected on February 5th for the state's presidential primary. Turnout for that date could be higher than that of the local race voting.