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Career GOP politico tries to strip Athens, GA of democracy by abolishing local Board of Elections [1]
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Date: 2025-04-02
The MAGA cult hates democracy. Nowhere is immune to their loathing, and their vicious idiocy. Athens, GA has long felt the ire of the state GOP through redistricting. In a very liberal city, the proverbial island of blue in a sea of red, Athens has one, single Democrat representing the city (which is also a county, by virtue of the city of Athens occupying almost the entire county) at the State or Federal level, although GA does have 2 Democratic US Senators.
Recently a young man who has never had a job other than being a politician or political attaché, Houston Gaines (MAGA) introduced bills (HB851 and HB852) that would have first abolished the city's Board of Elections, and then reconstitute it by appointments from the Western Judicial Circuit of GA which includes judges from not Athens-Clarke County. These bills were introduced so late in the session that it appears that the purpose of it was to sneak them in under the radar, so that they could pass without notice. Fortunately, the local Democratic Party caught wind of the scheme and let us know. So i called all 5 of the State Reps and Senators who are not Democrats (5 of them) to oppose this, and i quote myself, "trash legislation".
I can't say as to whether my, and other local Democrats', phone calls made the difference, but yesterday was the last day of the legislative session, and the bills did not get a vote. This may not be the end of the saga, as Gaines has lied about the rationale for the legislation and if we know anything about MAGA it's that they will double and triple and quadruple down on a lie if it helps further their political objectives. In this case the objective is to erode the electoral power of Democrats in a liberal stronghold, and that is something the GOP, and now MAGA, have been hard at work at for decades.
This, coupled withe great news from Wisconsin, indicate that regular people can in fact overcome unconscionable greed and lust for power.
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