In some comments Bill, Grift and I have been arguing about the elections division. One arcane piece of argument has been about the Elections Division providing timely and easy access to absentee ballot request information. My contention is that in 2006, the Secretary of State made this data easily available online. Bill [...]

I got a press release from Karen Handel’s office earlier today about the Transparency in Government Initiative website going live:
“Responsible fiscal management begins with a commitment to transparency and accountability,” Secretary Handel said. “Georgia taxpayers deserve to know how their tax dollars are being spent, and I am pleased to provide them with that information.”
The [...]

This gets fun (and expensive)
Georgia’s secretary of state is continuing her fight to keep Public Service Commission candidate Jim Powell off the November ballot.
Karen Handel on Monday filed to appeal Fulton County Superior Court Judge Wendy Shoob’s decision that Powell could remain in the race. Powell is the Democratic candidate in District 4, running against [...]

See here:
A major voting machine maker has cautioned its customers in 34 states to look out for a programming error that may cause votes to be dropped.
At least 1,000 total votes were dropped in nine Ohio counties over the course of a handful elections back to 2006, including the March presidential primary, though the [...]

A real whodunnit.
A barrage of computer-generated phone calls left a trail of frightened voters from Carroll County to Commerce on election day last week, but the messages may not have broken any laws and officials may never know who’s behind them.
Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel’s office still is investigating the calls, and officials won’t [...]

They haven’t printed it, but I’ve obtained a copy of a letter to the editor at the AJC from Robert Highsmith:

Yesterday’s editorial accusing Secretary of State Karen Handel of “selective hearing” in the Jim Powell case itself selectively reads the law on candidate residency. Karen Handel should be applauded for her scrupulous and unwavering [...]

Nothing new here.
State and federal officials are probing complaints of “fraudulent voting practices” in Dodge County, said Greg Harvey, agent in charge of the GBI office in Eastman.
The Georgia Secretary of State’s Office requested the GBI to investigate following the July 15 primary, Harvey said. The FBI also is involved in the investigation, he said.

This is interesting. We’ll see what the Secretary of State does from here.

Low turnout.
Less than a third of Georgia’s registered voters are expected to go to the polls Tuesday for a primary election dominated by local races and a relatively low-profile statewide Democratic contest for the U.S. Senate.
“I think turnout will be driven largely by local races,” said Secretary of State Karen Handel, who projected turnout at [...]

See here:
A Fulton County judge ruled Friday that Georgia voters will have to present a photo ID when casting a ballot in Tuesday’s primary election, rejecting a motion by Democrats who argued the law could disenfranchise voters.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Tom Campbell ruled that the Democrats failed “to meet the legal standard” to block [...]

A reminder from the Secretary of State that you must be registered to vote by Monday, June 16th to vote in Georgia’s July 15th General Primary. From SOS media relations person:
You can download and complete a voter registration application by visiting the 2008 Elections Center on the Secretary of State’s website: http://www.sos.ga.gov/elections/ElectionCenter08.htm.
You can also contact [...]

The key with dominoes is that when you upset one domino, a series of subsequent events causes all the dominoes to fall thereafter.
With the imminent decisions by so many of Georgia’s Statewide Constitutional Officers to seek the Governor’s office, the domino effect is that it opens up a host of opportunities in our state. 
John [...]

Here is Karen Handel’s response to the DPG lawsuit on the voter ID. This was forwarded along to me this morning. I haven’t check to see if has appeared anywhere else.
On Friday, May 23, millions of Georgians were busy planning their Memorial Day weekends, writing letters and making phone calls to loved ones serving [...]

From the tip line comes word that the Democratic Party has filed suit against Governor Perdue and Karen Handel over the voter id matter. I guess they’ve digested the Supreme Court’s decision saying it is legal to have a voter ID requirement and they’ve found what they think is a way around the decision.
From [...]

From the Secretary of State:
Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel today announced that the Georgia State Board for General and Residential Contractors is mailing licenses to approved applicants.
To date, 17,248 applicants have been approved for licensure. The number of approved applicants for licensure by category is as follows:
General Contractor Company
1,192
General Contractor Individual        [...]