Sec'y of State's Office: runoff turnout a wildcard

Muscogee Co. voters waiting at the Columbus Public Library to cast their ballot in the previous round of early voting. (Dave Bender/file)

Early voting for the December 2nd runoff election began today in Fulton Co., a day after polling stations opened across much of Georgia.

Fulton had ballot counting issues in the November fourth elections. Counties must start early voting as soon as their ballots are printed, have until Wednesday to open stations.

Fulton Co. elections officials were unavailable for comment.

Voters are casting ballots for the U.S. Senate race, Georgia State Appeals Court and the Public Service Commission's District 4.

Matt Carrothers with the Secretary of State's office says it's tough to predict turnout numbers in this runoff:

“Historically, turnout is lower in a runoff election. However, this is a unique situation with being in both a presidential election year, and with a us senate race, two other statewide races – we could have higher than usual [turnout].”

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Early voting for runoff races begins

Muscogee County voters during early elections at the Columbus Public Library. (Dave Bender/file)

Voters in most Georgia counties began casting ballots in several runoff races today. Dave Bender reports.

At the top of the list is the hotly-contested U.S. Senate runoff race between Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss and Democratic challenger Jim Martin.

Former presidential candidate John McCain and other senior Republican leaders have come out for Chambliss.

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee addressed voters in Duluth on Sunday.

Former President Bill Clinton is set to arrive for a Martin rally on Wednesday.

Also in the offing are races for the Georgia State Appeals Court and the Public Service Commission's District 4.

Early voting in Fulton County begins Tuesday.

Fulton County voters go to the polls in the previous round of early voting. (Dave Bender/file)

The runoff is set for December second.

Both Chambliss and Martin are looking for new ways to coax weary Georgia voters back to the polls next month in one of the nation's most hotly contested Senate races.

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Bill Clinton coming to stump for Martin

Chambliss and Martin squared off, along with Libertarian candidate Allen Buckley, at a Georgia Public Television debate on the Sunday before the Nov. 4th elections. (Dave Bender)

Former President Bill Clinton will headline a rally for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jim Martin in Georgia.

Clinton is the first big name Democrat to stump for Martin in his Dec. 2 runoff battle with Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss.

Republican U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss at a recent press conference at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. (Dave Bender)

Former Republican presidential candidate John McCain lent his star power to a Chambliss rally Thursday and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee will stump with Chambliss Sunday.

McCain claimed Georgia's electoral votes on Election Day and Huckabee won the state's Feb. 5 presidential primary.

Clinton won Georgia in his 1992 presidential bid, the last Democrat to carry the state in the race for the White House.

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jim Martin during a recent press conference at his headquarters in Atlanta. (Dave Bender/file)

Martin said Saturday that Clinton - who balanced the budget - would underscore the failures of Republican leadership in Washington when it came to the economy.

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(AP)

Chambliss, Martin rev up for runoff

Republican incumbent Senator Saxby Chamblis and Democratic Senate candidate Jim Martin and at the GPBTV pre-election debate. (Dave Bender/file)

Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss and Democratic challenger Jim Martin were in full campaign mode this weekend, trying to coax enough votes to prevail in a Dec. 2 runoff election.


Republican incumbent Senator Saxby Chamblis talking with reporters at a press conference held at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. (Dave Bender/file)

Chambliss’ camp is preparing for a visit from former GOP presidential candidate John McCain. Martin is meeting with Cobb County Democrats and planned to visit a party phone bank operation in Decatur.

Democratic Senate race candidate Jim Martin, talking to reporters at a press conference in downtown Atlanta. (Dave Bender/file)

With less than four weeks until they face voters again, neither campaign was waiting for Secretary of State Karen Handel to make it official when she certifies election results next week.

With 99 percent of precincts reporting throughout Georgia, neither Chambliss nor Martin accumulated enough ballots to pull above the needed 50 percent plus one of the vote. The Moultrie Republican is just short, with 49.8 percent. Martin, a former state lawmaker from Atlanta, has 46.8 percent. The race also included Libertarian Allen Buckley, who drew 3.4 percent.

Military and overseas ballots were among the last to be tallied by county officials. To be counted, they had to arrive by Friday.

The state’s most populous county had been set to certify its results Saturday. But a spokesman for Fulton County’s Board of Elections said problems with a faulty memory card delayed the effort.

Voters register to cast their ballot in advance voting at the Fulton Co. Government Center polling station in downtown Atlanta. (Dave Bender)

Fulton County Board of Elections spokesman Mark Henderson said the problem had been resolved but officials decided to audit the process before making the elections results official. The certification is now expected to take place Sunday or Monday, Henderson said.

Handel’s office has criticized Fulton County for being slow to count thousands of absentee ballots and her office is investigating. Henderson said county workers were exhausted after a marathon Election Day and were sent home for a few hours to rest.

The expected Chambliss-Martin contest is already drawing a national spotlight to Georgia.

The race is one of three unresolved Senate contests nationwide, along with Minnesota and Alaska. All involve Republican incumbents. If Democrats capture all three, it would give them a 60-seat majority in the Senate, a margin needed to block Republican filibusters.

Chambliss’ campaign said they’ve also been in touch with McCain’s running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, about a possible Georgia visit.

McCain carried Georgia on Election Day by 52 percent to President-elect Barack Obama’s 47 percent.

Nonetheless, Martin has asked Obama to help out, but no word yet on whether he’ll stump for Martin.

Then President-elect Bill Clinton came to Georgia to campaign for Democratic Sen. Wyche Fowler in his 1992 runoff race. But even with the high-profile help, Fowler went on to lose to Republican Paul Coverdell in what was the last U.S. Senate runoff in Georgia.

Martin and Chambliss arguing a point during the GPBTV pre-election debate. At bottom is Libertarian candidate Allan Buckley. (Dave Bender/file)

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Voter turnout--less than projected

Voter turnout numbers in Georgia were not quite as robust as what elections officials projected. Guesses of 80% or more were not seen in the state Tuesday. Numbers from the Secretary of State’s office indicate just under 67% of registered voters turned-out--that’s a slight increase from the mark of 66.3% for 2004’s presidential election. There was the big boost in voter registration this year, which added about half-a-million new voters to the rolls.

Election day voting underway in Georgia

Voting officials said they expected some 2,000 voters throughout the day at the polling station at the Intown Community Church in the Toco Hills neighborhood, Dekalb Co., Nov. 4, 2008. (Dave Bender)

The polls are open across the state, and turnout has already been reported as heavy in many areas. State elections officials expect well over two-million, perhaps near three-million registered Georgians will cast their ballots today by the time precincts close. Officials remind voters that if you’re in line by 7pm, you will get to cast a ballot.


Advance voting at the Columbus Public Library, Friday, Oct. 31, 2008. (Dave Bender)

Georgia has 15 electoral votes that will go to the top presidential choice in the state. Also to be decided by voters--the hotly-contested U.S. Senate battle, various district races, and other contests in the state.

Stay with GPB for complete coverage of the election. Check for updates anytime by going to gpb.org/election. In addition, GPB Radio will provide comprehensive coverage starting at 7pm. Along with NPR's national coverage, GPB will have reporters fanned-out across the state to cover all the major Georgia races.

Election Day marks 101st birthday for Ga. man

As Americans flock to the polls for a historic Election Day, Ellis Joel Daniel of Snellville will make a bit of his own history.

The World War II veteran and former U.S. postman turns 101 on Tuesday, and he knows a thing or two about voting in presidential elections.

Daniel, who voted absentee a month ago, has cast ballots in every race since 1928.

In 1932, Daniel threw his support to Franklin Roosevelt. That support ended because he believed Roosevelt allowed the Russians to take control of eastern Europe after World War II.

Daniel grew up in the small town of Millen in east Georgia. He served 24 years in the Army Reserve and three years of active duty during World War II.

Daniel says despite Sen. Barack Obama's lead in the polls, he thinks Sen. John McCain will pull out a victory.

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(AP)

Officials: few problems in final days of early voting

Muscogee Co. voters line up outside the main branch of the Columbus public library, Friday, Oct. 31, 2008. (Dave Bender)

Voters throughout Georgia lined up under sunny skies on Friday and Saturday to cast a ballot on the final days of advance voting.


Voters patiently waited an average of 40 minutes to 1.5 hours to cast their ballots in one of the libraries' reading rooms, Friday, Oct. 31, 2008. (Dave Bender).

In Columbus, long, but fast moving lines greeted some 5,000 Muscogee County residents casting early ballots at the Columbus Library, according to election technician Tamika Booker:

“We’ve been having about 1,200 a day here at the library, as well as at one of our other voting sites. Two of our other ones have had a little bit less than that – maybe about 800.”

Jimmy Morris, a security guard at the Troup Co. Government Center assists voters waiting to cast their ballots, Friday, Oct. 31, 2008. (Dave Bender)

Further to the north, at the Troup County courthouse in Lagrange, Chief Registrar Donna Williams reports a similar turnout:

“It’s been a tremendous, great turnout. We’ve voted almost 13,000 people so far, and we’re steady going.”

Officials say that statewide, the longest wait times during the past week have averaged two to three hours.

In Coweta County, polls were open on Saturday from 9 to noon at the county administration building in downtown Newnan. Some 200 residents cast their ballot, according to the Associated Press.

Residents got a federal ok to hold Saturday voting there, in 1986.

State elections officials say over a thousand lawyers will oversee Tuesday’s voting. The attorneys will represent the parties, the state and federal government, special interests and voting rights groups.

Polls for the presidential election open across Georgia at 7 a.m. Tuesday.

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Al Sharpton visits coast

The Reverend Al Sharpton visits Savannah today to encourage Georgia residents to vote. Sharpton, a 2004 presidential candidate and civil rights activist, speaks at 7 tonight at Conner's Temple Baptist Church. He is participating in the "Not This Time" campaign to prevent a repeat of the 2000 and 2004 elections when there were widespread complaints of voter obstruction and vote manipulation.

(Associated Press)

Chambliss: fed bailout crucial for Georgians, country

Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss said his vote for the Wall Street bailout was crucial for Georgians. Chambliss was speaking at a press conference in Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Oct 2, 2008. (Carl Zornes)

Chambliss says his Senate vote okaying the 700-billion dollar funding measure is in line with public sentiment:

“The overwhelming majority of the american people, and certainly the majority of Georgians, I know, support the Congress as policymakers, making sure that we don’t slide down into a financial depression.”

While Chambliss voted for the measure, all of Georgia's Republican House members opposed it in a vote on Monday. Chambliss says he hopes they will now throw their support behind the hotly debated bailout.

Sen. Johnny Isakson voted for the bill, as did both presidential candidates, Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain.

Chambliss says Georgia's economy could take a hit without it's passage. The House is expected to vote on the measure on Friday.

Talking to reporters at the Senate, Chambliss said:

"We’ve got Georgia banks who are crimped from a credit standpoint and aren’t even able to make automobile loans today,"

"We have major employers who are having their lines of credit cut or in some cases cancelled. And it's going to start costing us jobs.”

Addressing reporters at a press conference at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport the morning after the vote, Chambliss said:

"Taking no action is simply not an option. We simply can't afford for the stock market to have losses of one point two trillion dollars on any kind of regular basis."

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Lewis urges N. Ga. Democrats to vote

Lewis making a strong point to the audience in his address at a rally held at the Georgia Mountains Center in Gainesville, on September 23, 2008. (Dave Bender)

Democrats called on north Georgians to get out the presidential vote, at an afternoon rally held in Gainesville's Georgia Mountains Center.

Taking the stage, Fifth District Congressman John Lewis exhorted nearly 300 of the party faithful:

“As Democrats in this part of the State of Georgia, with other Democrats all across this state, we must get out and vote like we never, ever voted before – and elect Democrats. We can do it!”

Lewis, U.S. Senate candidate Jim Martin, and several local Congressional candidates also addressed the crowd.

Martin said one of the rally's aims was to get the new candidates out in front of the public, and build a voter base in the region:

"Stand up for the people -- this is what this rally's has been about: Democrats from this part of the state and other people come to hear what Democratic candidates have to offer."

Abbot Hayes, an organizer at the event, says he had expected a turnout of about 1,000 people, although far fewer filled the floor seats when the event commenced after two p.m.

Sign on the stage. (Dave Bender)

All of the party officials say that Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama can still win Georgia, despite recently moving numerous party activists to other hotly-contested states.

Georgia Republicans held a similar rally last weekend.

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Polls close as Georgia chooses

Polls closed across Georgia Tuesday as voters selected which Democrat will take on Republican U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss in November.

DeKalb County Chief Executive Officer Vernon Jones is facing off against former state lawmaker Jim Martin in what has been bitter three-week runoff race.

Both candidates predict the contest will hinge on turnout, which was sparse across the state.

Just 18 percent of registered voters made it to the polls in July's primary and elections officials say fewer than half of those voters were expected to return to the ballot box for the runoff.

The last U.S. Senate Democratic primary runoff, in 2004, posted 6 percent turnout.

Jones and Martin were the top vote getters in the five-man Democratic primary three weeks ago. Jones won 40 percent of the vote in that contest and Martin earned 34 percent.

The runoff race has featured a duel over voting histories.

Jones accused Martin of voting against presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. Martin voted for John Edwards in Georgia's Feb. 5 presidential primary even though the North Carolina Democrat had already withdrawn from the presidential race.

Martin has hammered Jones for voting twice for Republican George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004.

Tuesday's winner will face an uphill climb against Chambliss, who has $4 million in his campaign warchest even after a massive media buy to blanket television airwaves statewide with his first re-election ad. The ad will debut after Tuesday's runoff.

Chambliss on Tuesday sent letters to both Jones and Martin saying he looks forward to debating whoever emerges as his opponent.

"After today's vote, the people of Georgia have a right to know what distinguishes their United States senator from the other candidates," Chambliss wrote. "A crucial part of that process for Georgians will be public debates."

He did not commit to specific debates.

Chambliss sent a similar letter to Libertarian Senate candidate Allen Buckley, also on the ballot in November.

Runoffs are also being held Tuesday night in six legislative races. Three of them are incumbents facing challengers.

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(The Associated Press)

Voter drive misinformation alleged

A national voting rights group accused some Georgia counties of violating national laws by giving out false information to organizers of voter drives. Now the Georgia Secretary of State’s office has stepped-in to ensure registration runs legally.

The group Advancement Project works to protect voting rights for people in low-income and minority communities. Brad Heard is senior attorney for the group. He says they’ve received complaints from organizers of drives in Georgia:

"The information suggested anything from the fact you had to get a deputy registrar assigned to your drive and permission for the drive. In another case, registrars were saying it was a felony to conduct a voter registration drive without permission".

That in fact is not true. Two years ago, a federal consent order struck down these restrictions.

A letter sent by the voter watchdog group to Georgia elections officials mentions a handful of counties that it says was providing misleading information. One was Ware County--its elections supervisor is Betty Gillis:

"We did get a letter from them, but we’re in compliance so we’re good".

Some erroneous information was supposedly on county elections websites. One county did admit to wrong information on its 'frequently asked questions' page, which has since been corrected.

With this being a presidential election year, groups like Advancement Project are pushing to remove real and perceived barriers. Heard says they want to get as many people signed up to vote:

"We don’t want to discourage that process by the misperception that registering these folks is going to be an onerous process so that you have to jump through so many hoops at the county level before you’re authorized to do it".

State elections officials say in a statement they have contacted the counties in question, and are sending clarification letters to all local elections officials in Georgia’s 159 counties.

Final debate for U.S. Senate Dem candidates

A final debate was held yesterday between the two Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate, ahead of next Tuesday’s primary runoff. DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones and former state lawmaker Jim Martin sparred over each other’s votes in recent presidential elections and the February primary. The two also questioned each other’s ability to challenge Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss in November. Tuesday’s Senate debate was hosted by GPB.

Primary voter turnout expected near 30-percent

State elections officials expect voter turnout to be around 30-percent for tomorrow’s primary. But that projection could vary depending where the hotly-contested races are in Georgia.

The 30-percent turnout projection would come-in lower than the over 40-percent of registered voters that cast ballots in February’s presidential primary.

But Deputy Secretary of State Rob Simms says high profile races should get a higher bump in turnout--such as perhaps primary voting in the 12th and 10th districts, and statewide interest in the U.S. Senate Democratic primary race:

"I think what you'll see is you'll see in some areas where you've got some real contentious and competitive races you may see some spikes in turnout in those areas. And other areas of the state where you may not have anything going on, you may see a little bit lower".

Simms says the advance and absentee voting has come-in at a "pretty good number"--so far 150,000 through Friday.

Obama campaigns in suburban Atlanta

Senator Barack Obama was in Georgia for a fundraiser and a town hall meeting to highlight his plans to spur the US economy.

A crowd of 2700 supporters greeted the Senator at a suburban Atlanta highschool before he launched into a speech about a failing US economy that is squeezing middle class America.

He laid out his plan to rebuild what he calls the American dream: working hard for a living wage with healthcare and retirement.

"That’s what we’re fighting for that’s the choice in this election and Georgia," he said. "If you stand up with me and vote for me I promise you we will not just win here in Georgia, we’ll win this gernal election."

While in Georgia, Obama also held a $2300 a plate fundraiser. The state has been staunchly Republican for the past three presidential elections. Analysts say it’s too early to tell whether Obama has a chance to carry Georgia.

Voter registration up in Georgia

State elections officials say just over 210-thousand Georgians have been added to the voter-rolls. The Secretary of State’s office reports there has been a seven-percent jump in registration in the last year. Since the 2004 presidential election, that rise has been nine-percent. The big gains have been recorded among black and Hispanic voters.

Obama supporting Barrow in state race

Presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama is throwing his support behind Georgia congressman John Barrow in his race against a state lawmaker.

Experts say Obama’s support could prove crucial for Barrow, a white incumbent from Savannah, who is running against black legislator, state Sen. Regina Thomas.

Black voters are a solid majority in the 12th Congressional District, which includes large portions of Savannah and Augusta.

Obama will soon begin airing his first TV ad in the state since clinching his party’s nomination.

The spot, which will also run 17 other states is a biographical sketch called, “Country I Love.”

Georgia has voted heavily Republican in recent years. The GOP believes the state will give its 15 electoral votes to John McCain, the GOP nominee in waiting, in November.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the July 15th state race, and here for the presidential elections: http://gpbelectionnews.blogspot.com/

Columbus: GA GOP unites behind McCain

Sen. Chambliss addresses a sparse crowd of convention delegates at the Columbus Civic Center, on Friday, May 16th, 2008. Many more arrived for Saturday's session. (Dave Bender)

Georgia Republicans united behind likely GOP presidential nominee John McCain on Saturday and fired up their faithful members at the party's annual convention Saturday.

Delegates were selected to represent the state at the national GOP convention in September, and a steady stream of elected officials who took the podium said the party needs to come home to its bedrock conservative issues from taxes and immigration to military might and gun rights.

"We've got some work to do. We've got some proving to do,'' said U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland of Sharpsburg. "The base didn't get lost. We got lost.''

Governor Sonny Perdue urged Republicans to avoid poll-driven "gimmicks'' and suggested there was a damaging disconnect between party leaders in Washington and conservative states like Georgia.

Recent contests in the Bible Belt that have elected Democrats "ought to be a warning around the South and around the United States,'' Perdue said. But, he later told reporters, "I feel very good about Georgia.''

Democrats made gains in 2006 by winning control of the U.S. House and Senate, but Georgia bucked the trend by electing Republicans to a couple of statewide posts that had been held by Democrats.

However, Republicans said they were not taking anything for granted, especially after Democrats cast more ballots in this year's Feb. 5 presidential primary than the GOP.

The main order of business Saturday was to select delegates who will attend the national GOP convention. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee won Georgia's presidential primary with strong support from religious conservatives and independents. But on Saturday, John McCain stickers were everywhere and nearly every speech plugged the Arizona senator.

The slate of 30 delegates and 30 alternates selected included prominent supporters of Huckabee, as well as other former GOP contenders including former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani; Fred Thompson, the one-time senator from Tennessee; and ex-Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Among the delegates were supporters of U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas. A vocal group of Paul supporters were also in the stands, according to the Associated Press.

Bickering on the floor turned caustic at times. One delegate demanded a resolution condemning abortion as "prenatal murder.'' Another participant had his microphone turned off when he criticized the war in Iraq.

"I've never seen debate stifled that much,'' said state committee member Brian Laurens, of Ellijay, who said he's been involved in state conventions since 2002.

Turnout by delegates on Friday afternoon's 2 p.m. opening session was light; many arrived later in the evening, and on Saturday. (Dave Bender)

U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss on Friday said he'd warned President Bush that vetoing the farm bill could hurt presumptive GOP nominee John McCain in reliably Republican states this fall.

"If they get turned off by Republicans it's going to make it tough for John to get those votes," Chambliss told reporters following his speech.

Chambliss, a loyal Bush ally who is running for re-election, said he told the president that that with his low approval ratings he should avoid alienating voters in agriculture-rich states in the South and the Midwest that have supported him.

White House officials have suggested Bush will veto the bill.

Chambliss, the top Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee, defended the recently adopted bill from critics who said it is heavy on rich subsidies to wealthy farmers.

"That's ridiculous," Chambliss said. He said the bulk of the farm bill spending went to nutrition programs, like food stamps and school lunches. And he argued that individual farmers earning more than $750,000 a year don't qualify for federal aid, under the bill.

Chambliss was asked about the five-year $300 billion farm bill by reporters but he made no mention of it in his speech to the party faithful at the Columbus Civic Center for the kickoff of the state party's convention. Also missing from the speech: Any reference to President Bush.
Bush's dismal approval ratings have many election-bound Republicans steering clear.

Chambliss did talk up McCain and urged Georgians to unite behind the Arizona senator. Georgia went for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in the Feb. 5 primary. Huckabee drew strong support from independents and religious conservatives.

Chambliss made a case for his own re-election to a second-term by issuing a dire warning about what the nation will be like if Democrats win a handful of additional seats in the U.S. Senate. Under Senate rules, Republicans will lose the ability to block the Democrats' agenda.

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(The Associated Press)

GOP convention comes to Columbus

Georgia's Republican Party convention meets this weekend in Columbus. Some 5,000 GOP faithful from across the state are expected to pack the Columbus Civic Center.

They'll pick half the state's delegates to the national convention, to be held this fall in St. Paul, Minnesota. And, convention-goers will choose two representatives to the Republican National committee.

Josh McKoon, who chairs the party's Muscogee County branch expects over 1,100 delegates to attend. And, he says, factional politics could provide some surprises:

"I think there will certainly be a move by those that support Ron Paul to get some of their supporters on the delegate list representing Georgia. I know that's happened on the local level at earlier stages of this process, so that potentially could be something that could cause a little bit of a stir."

But McKoon predicts a straightforward event, rallying behind presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Arizona Senator John McCain.

There is one stumbling block however.

McKoon says the elected delegates are pledged to former Arkansas governor and former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee:

"...and unless he releases them from that, when they go to the convention, they'll be bound to vote for Huckabee on the first two ballots. Huckabee will have the lion's share of delegates coming out of Georgia..."

This is the second time in four years the event has been held in Columbus, and is expected to boost the local economy.

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