Governor Kemp has called the Georgia General Assembly back into session, beginning on June 17. The amended proclamation calling the special session lists a few purposes:
Here, I'll focus on #1 and #2, with brief mention of #3 and #4. #5 is for the Senate and I will have no role.
Since the Louisiana v. Callais Supreme Court ruling was released, Republicans across the country - particularly in the South - have interpreted it to mean that any legislative district map that complies with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is illegal.
That is not correct. Some facts:
There is no reason for redistricting at this time. This is a nakedly partisan power grab from a party that is suffering from unpopular policies, desperate to hold onto power, and cannot win on their merits.
I will reserve judgment until I see maps, but I do not expect anything good to come from this effort. And I suspect that at least a few Republicans in the House agree.
Backstory: In 2024, as a result of unfounded election conspiracies, Georgia Republicans passed SB 189. It contained a collection of voting system changes, including Section 7, which says that by July 1, 2026 (this July), the state can no longer use QR codes for tabulating ballots. In the subsequent years, no funding was allocated to actually change voting systems to stop using QR codes, so we currently have no viable alternative to using QR codes for this year's elections, which will be a violation of law.
The fix for this is remarkably simple, though not what anyone really wants. We need to push the deadline back. After speaking with Elections Office officials in the district, I have been told in no uncertain terms that at this point, they cannot guarantee a smooth election in November using any other system. There is simply not enough time to order supplies, retrain staff, and retrain voters on how to use any new system.
Incidentally, this was also their position during the normal legislative session that ended in early April. Shockingly, the passage of time has not changed their position.
I do not plan to vote for any bill on this topic that doesn't leave the system as-is for the 2026 elections. That could take the form of repealing SB 189 Section 2 entirely, or simply extending the implementation date. If we are to extend the implementation date, I would like to see a provision added that automatically invalidates the changes if the legislature fails to fund a new system in time to meet any new date.
I have not been approached by any county leaders in either Athens-Clarke or Oconee county asking for either county to adopt the LHOST penny that was created in SB 33. Personally, I don't think it makes sense for either county, and I doubt it makes much sense for most counties in the state.
Tax bills like this require a 2/3 vote, but in general I don't see any reason to vote against another county adopting this change, provided local leadership is in favor. In general, I usually defer to local control in matters that effect local citizens.
As written, this proclamation only asks the legislature to ratify Executive Orders that the Governor executed outside of the legislative session. It does not appear to allow the legislature to re-suspend the gas tax. If that becomes a possibility, I will vote in favor of a gas tax suspension. Georgia citizens are suffering due to inept leadership in Washington DC, and the state still has a massive reserve fund, far above and beyond minimum reserves required by law. There is no reason not to provide this tax relief for everyday Georgians while we have the ability to.
As stated above, the House of Representatives has no role in this function. No comment.
