Morning, y’all! Hope you scored some extra weekend sleep. Expect temperatures to linger in the mid-60s today.
News wise, we have columnist Bill Torpy’s take on the Young Thug saga, the skinny on the Falcons’ latest win and a chance to buy some “Gone With the Wind” history.
- You should also know that music industry titan Quincy Jones died overnight. He was 91.
Now. With Kamala Harris and Donald Trump both making their final pitches in Georgia over the weekend — and Election Day just a day away — let’s take a closer look at what else is on your ballot.
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BALLOT BREAKDOWN
We’re almost there, folks.
And while more than half of active Georgia voters already cast their ballots ahead of Election Day, that means millions still haven’t — and will, hopefully, head to the polls tomorrow.
So let’s take a quick stroll through what’s on the ballot and other important things to know.
The basics: Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Visit the state’s My Voter Page to find your precinct and peruse the AJC’s interactive Voter Guide before heading out.
Ballot questions: Voters statewide can weigh in on three ballot questions. The one of interest to most folks is labeled “Constitutional Amendment 1” and involves property taxes.
- If approved, the measure would cap home property assessments at the inflation rate of the previous year. That, in turn, would limit year-over-year property tax increases.
- Supporters see relief for homeowners. Opponents see the burden shifting to poor residents and a decrease in public school funding.
Transit: Two of metro Atlanta’s largest counties are voting on transit expansion — and neither initiative involves rail. Or MARTA.
- In both Cobb and Gwinnett counties, a “yes” vote would commit residents to a new 1% sales tax for 30 years. Each county’s plan involves dramatically expanding bus rapid transit, the frequency of “regular” buses and the availability of on-demand rideshares.
State Legislature: Every seat in the General Assembly is up for grabs and a handful are pretty interesting. More here, but take a sample:
- Senate District 48 in parts of Forsyth, Fulton and Gwinnett counties, where things have gotten ugly between incumbent Republican Shawn Still, a co-defendant in Donald Trump’s election interference case, and his Democratic challenger.
- House District 56 on the western side of Atlanta, where former Democratic Rep. Meisha Mainor is running as a Republican.
- House Districts 105 and 108 in Gwinnett, where Republicans are campaigning hard to reclaim seats in a former GOP stronghold.
Know Your Stuff: AJC experts spent the last several months answering reader questions about important issues like crime, the economy, health care and immigration. Get caught up here.
Conspiracy theories: No, “illegal Haitians flown into the U.S.” are not voting in the Atlanta suburbs. And yes, despite escalating GOP attacks, a judge ruled it perfectly legal for counties to accept absentee ballots in government offices.
- Various election fraud claims from 2020 have been repeatedly debunked, too.
Your rights: Voter intimidation can be reported to election workers, local police departments, sheriff’s offices or the secretary of state’s office at 877-725-9797.
- Voters can also call or text nonpartisan Election Protection at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683).
Quick returns: We may not know which presidential candidate won Georgia on election night, especially if it’s super close. But the lion’s share of ballots should be tallied by about 8 p.m.
Stay tuned to AJC.com and Politically Georgia for all the latest before, during and after the election. You can also shoot me an email if you have voting questions — I’ll try to get you an answer.
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THE WEEK AHEAD
🏀 Today: The Hawks, who snapped a four-game losing streak last night, host the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics.
✅ Tuesday: Election Day! You may have heard of it!
- We’ll also find out where Georgia, which beat rival Florida 34-20 in Jacksonville on Saturday, lands in the first College Football Playoff rankings. And the NFL trade deadline hits at 4 p.m.
🧘 Wednesday: National Stress Awareness Day, apparently. Which checks out.
🎶 Thursday: Singer-songwriter Clairo, an Atlanta native, plays the Fox Theatre. Grammy winner Rosanne Cash stops by the Buckhead Theatre.
- The Federal Reserve likely cuts interest rates again.
🏈 Friday: The last day of the regular season for high school football.
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WAS THAT IT?
Over the weekend, the AJC offered you exclusive insight into how Atlanta rapper Young Thug’s guilty plea came together, plus looks at how his music career might play out from here and District Attorney Fani Willis’ use of state RICO laws.
- Now it’s columnist Bill Torpy’s turn to weigh in, and he can’t help but wonder: Was that really all Fulton County prosecutors had?
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CRIME WATCH
The GBI arrested and charged an 18-year-old in the homecoming weekend shooting that left an Atlanta teen dead at Albany State University.
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APPLY FOR FREE!
More than 60 Georgia colleges and universities are waiving application fees this month. Get on it, teens!
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ANOTHER ONE
The Falcons and quarterback Kirk Cousins kept on rolling, this time with a 27-21 win over the visiting Cowboys. Their 6-3 start feels a bit like the Super Bowl season of 2016, columnist Michael Cunningham writes.
“We are hungry, man,” head coach Raheem Morris said. “We just want to go out there and keep getting it.”
- United: The same seemingly goes for the Five Stripes, whose dramatic home playoff win pushed them to a winner-takes-the-series match in Miami on Saturday.
- Braves: Pitcher Chris Sale won a Gold Glove. Next up: a Cy Young Award?
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FRANKLY, MY DEAR …
… I’m not a huge fan of “Gone With the Wind” and its whole vibe. But if you are, there’s an online auction starting today that includes props, costume sketches and scripts from the classic (and controversial!) film.
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
» Black artists address Gaza, election, Diddy and other controversies
» Billie Eilish hits Atlanta hard and soft with synth beats, ballads
» Arrested Georgia funeral home director had history of financial problems
» Atlanta renters feel the squeeze as metro faces 100K housing shortage
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ON THIS DATE
Nov. 4, 1992
Democrat Bill Clinton claimed the presidency — and Cynthia McKinney (pictured at bottom) became the first Black woman elected to Congress from Georgia.
She’d go on to have an … eventful political career.
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PHOTO OF THE DAY
AJC contributor Nathan Posner caught R.E.M. front man Michael Stipe (left) and rocker Jon Bon Jovi performing at a Cobb County rally for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
More photos here — and check out images from Donald Trump’s rally in Macon, too.
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ONE MORE THING
MARTA now has a merch store, where you can buy all kinds of transit-related stuff. Because nothing says “I’m a normal person” like a shower curtain with a rail map on it!
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Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.
Until next time.
About the Author
Tyler Estep hosts the AJC Win Column, Atlanta's new weekly destination for all things sports. He also shepherds the Sports Daily and Braves Report newsletters to your inbox.
