November 28, 2021 / Newsletter 252 |
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HELP US FIGHT JIM CROW 2.0!
Your donations help us in the fight for all eligible voters to be able to cast their votes & have them counted.
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The HCDP Committee will hold its quarterly business meeting on Dec. 18, 2021. Committee members will receive details soon.
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We will NOT have a general party meeting in December. Watch for information about our January 2022 meeting coming soon.
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Virtual Workshop: Resume and Job Hunt · Democratic Party ...
First time job needed? Rusty job hunting skills need refining? Resume needs to be polished? In this workshop, you will learn: - Build an effective resume - Spot job scams - Good online sites to find jobs - Prepping for the interview Come join us...
Read more
www.mobilize.us
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Make a commitment to help elect Democrats in 2022
As we approach the next election year, HCDP is at a crossroads. After the election of Trump in 2016, we saw a huge groundswell of engagement, which only increased during Stacey Abrams's 2020 gubernatorial campaign, and reached a peak in 2020 with the Presidential and 2 Senate races. We had a large group of active volunteers -- young and not-so-young -- who expended their time, energy and resources to bring about those 3 great victories.
Since the election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and the victories for both Ossoff and Warnock last January, things have quieted down significantly. Our monthly meetings have only a fraction of the attendance we've had in the past. We're hoping that this isn't a sign that Democrats in Hall County have retired, metaphorically speaking.
There are valid reasons that people aren't turning up in high numbers, of course: the waves of COVID infections and fear of exposure to new variants, the lack of high-profile elections in what is considered an "off" year, and a general feeling of burnout over the intensity of 2020. That Georgia Democrats haven't announced a run for Governor yet, waiting to see what Stacey Abrams will do, may have many Hall Democrats taking a "wait and see" approach too.
However, with attendance (and donations) down and the cost of renting space at the Civic Center higher than in past years, even for a smaller room, we have to reconsider our meeting location for the near future.
We're encouraging all of our readers to re-engage politically in 2022, When you hear that, once again, Democracy is on the ballot, understand this is NOT just a slogan. This is the reality of our political landscape for as long as the Republicans choose go down the path of authoritarianism, racism, misogyny, insurrection, and dark money rule.
So make one of your 2022 New Year's resolutions to come to a meeting, learn about the new voting law, work for Democratic candidates, help Warnock stay in the Senate, boot the GOP out of the governor's mansion--in other words, resolve to help elect Democrats in Georgia in 2022.
We do want to thank those faithful Democrats who haven't waivered in their engagement, showing up for meetings, writing postcards and fundraising letters, keeping up with the goings on at the Hall County Elections Office, and doing all the work it takes to keep the lights on at HCDP. We couldn't do any of this without YOU.
We also want to welcome those who who have come to our recent meetings for the first time. If you have questions, please reach out to us!
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Weekly Thoughts from the Chair:
A just verdict for murder of Ahmaud Aubrey
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On Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, eleven white citizens and one black citizen of Glynn County, Georgia, delivered a verdict. The McMichaels and Roddie Bryan were guilty. Many thought that such a verdict was a big ask, if not an impossible ask, for these jurors. Not so. The Glynn County jurors set aside their lives, reached a fair, just, and lawful verdict, and have now returned to their homes, families and friends. They did their duty. The defendants were given a fair trial, by a jury of their peers, and found guilty.
The video and audio recordings appeared to show that these three white men acted together to murder a young black man. It seems to me that the defendants were pretty much damned by the recordings of them, some of which they made. The defense lawyers were experienced and competent. The tactics that the lawyers employed were undoubtedly the tactics demanded by their clients. The jurors declined to embrace racial prejudice tactics and convicted the defendants. So much for the myth of impenetrable race prejudice in Glynn County – and the South.
The initial investigation appears to have been tainted by the relationship of one or more of the defendants with the prosecution – and the police. Still, the four month delay between the February incident and the June indictment is not particularly lengthy. On the other hand, there is a rumor that a grand jury “no bill” was obtained early on. I have been unable to verify that as a fact. What is not common knowledge is that, if the District Attorney had obtained two “no bills” there could have been no prosecution. Georgia law (Code section 17-7-53) provides in part: “Two returns of "no bill" by grand juries on the same charge or allegation shall be a bar to any future prosecution . . .”
Former Glynn County prosecutor, Jackie Johnson, has been indicted for showing favor to Greg McMichael, blocking the arrest of Travis McMichael, violating her oath of office, and, obstructing a police officer in connection with the investigation. It would appear that Glynn County is cleaning up its dirty laundry with the public prosecution of Ms. Johnson.
Regardless of the talking heads on television, it seems to me that full and complete justice in alive, well, and proceeding in Glynn County, Georgia. It makes me proud. We should all be thankful for those willing to do the right thing – even when it can be hard to do.
Mike
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The main way the new Georgia voting law suppressed votes in 2021 may surprise you! |
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Off-year municipal elections don't get anywhere near the turnout that mid-term and Presidential year elections do. So the highly-publicized part of the new election law, the one that forbids providing water or food to voters in long lines at the polls, didn't get tested this year.
The biggest impediment to voting in 2021 was the shortened timeframe for requesting absentee ballots. Contributing to this problem was the lack of getting the word out to voters.
According to the AJC:
"The top reason Georgia election officials rejected absentee ballot applications this fall was that they were submitted too close to Election Day, missing a deadline imposed by the state’s new voting law.
"Election data show about 52% of all absentee application rejections were caused by voters requesting ballots within the last 11 days before the election, too late to meet the requirements of a voting law passed in March.
"Few people voted after their absentee requests were rejected because of the deadline. About 26% of those who submitted their absentee ballot requests after the deadline went on to cast ballots in person on Election Day."
(full story in link below)
That means that nearly 3/4ths of the people who were late requesting an absentee ballot DID NOT VOTE. They intended to vote, they wanted to vote, they took steps to vote, but when their request was rejected, they didn't vote.
In this newsletter, we worked to lay out the deadlines for every phase of voting based on the strict time limits imposed by the new laws, but across the state, many didn't get that message. As Democrats committed to the idea that every eligible voter should be able to vote easily, we want to be sure that in 2022, Georgian's aren't disenfranchised because of these deadlines.
During all phases of the 2022 election, we'll publish key dates throughout the election cycle. For imminent deadlines, we'll SHOUT to get the word out. You can do your part by making sure all your family, friends and neighbors who are Georgia residents are aware of the deadlines and don't get caught short, by sharing the information we publish far and wide.
We anticipate absentee ballot request deadlines won't be the only obstacles to voting next year, and we'll stay on top of those issues too. Please do your part by helping educate Georgia voters.
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Georgia voting law drives rejections of absentee...
A new deadline for applying for absentee ballots in Georgia led to many requests being rejected this fall. About 52% of all absentee application rejections were for ballots requested within the last 11 days before the election, too late to meet...
Read more
www.ajc.com
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State & Local News (Some links may require a subscription)
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3 white men are found guilty of murder in the killing of ...
The three white men who chased down and killed Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man who was jogging through their Georgia neighborhood last year, were all found guilty of murder charges. The high-profile shooting - and the 10 weeks it took for...
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www.npr.org
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Ex-prosecutor charged in Ahmaud Arbery case booked at jail
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - The former prosecutor charged with misconduct for her handling of the Ahmaud Arbery case was booked at a Georgia jail on Wednesday and released. Former Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jackie Johnson turned...
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mynbc15.com
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Georgia teens become unlikely warriors in redistricting...
At 13 years old, DJ Horton can't vote or even drive a car, but that hasn't stopped him from becoming a prominent voice in Georgia's redistricting process. The middle school student and aspiring politician from Gwinnett County testified at two...
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www.nbcnews.com
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U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde announces run for re-election...
His home in Jackson County was drawn into District 10 by state legislators and the map was approved on Monday, Nov. 22. District 10 is currently represented by Rep. Jody Hice, who is vacating his seat next year to run for secretary of state.
Read more
www.gainesvilletimes.com
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Georgia public service commissioner says higher costs...
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) - Georgia Public Service Commissioner Tim Echols has always been a fan of the project to build two new nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle. Even though new figures indicate the project is once again over budget and behind...
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www.wsav.com
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National News (Some links may require a subscription)
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Jan. 6 Organizers Used Burner Phones to Talk to Trump...
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a "Save America Rally" near the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. (Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images) Organizers of the "Save America" rally where former President ...
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www.vice.com
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It Wasn't a Hoax
People with scant illusions about Trump are volunteering to help him execute one of his Big Lies. About the author: David Frum is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of Trumpocalypse: Restoring American Democracy (2020). In 2001 and...
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www.theatlantic.com
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Judge orders pro-Trump attorneys who brought frivolous...
Two lawyers who went to court to claim voter fraud after the 2020 election must pay nearly $180,000 to the defendants they sued, a federal magistrate judge ordered Monday, saying their lawsuit aimed to "manipulate gullible members of the public...
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www.cnn.com
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US added to list of 'backsliding' democracies for first time
The US has been added to an annual list of "backsliding" democracies for the first time, the International IDEA thinktank has said, pointing to a "visible deterioration" it said began in 2019.
Read more
www.theguardian.com
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Opinion | As two Fox contributors quit over Tucker...
It is fitting that two Fox News contributors have severed their ties with the network over Tucker Carlson's glorification of Jan. 6 at exactly the moment when more than 150 scholars are sounding a loud, clanging alarm about the future of our...
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www.washingtonpost.com
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