Early voting for the win
Happy Wednesday, y’all! Expect another crisp, sunny day with highs in the low 60s.
There is a lot to get to, as yesterday was jammed with breaking news.
- In sports: Georgia Tech-UGA announced they are taking their rivalry in 2025 to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which will also officially play host to the 2028 Super Bowl.
- Donald Trump: Ex-GOP rivals gathered together in Cobb County for the former president’s rally, where he painted a dark picture of Democratic policies. Meanwhile in Washington, former Fulton County special prosecutor Nathan Wade defended his work investigating Trump, telling a congressional panel that Georgia’s criminal case against him and his allies was driven by facts — not politics.
- Plus a judge stopped a planned hand count of ballots on election night in Georgia, ruling Tuesday it would create “administrative chaos” if poll workers were required to conduct the manual review without being trained.
And on top of all that, Georgians apparently got the message about voting.
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THE RACE IS ON
Chase Oliver, the Libertarian Party’s nominee for president, finally had a chance to cast a ballot and vote for himself yesterday at the Tucker-Reid H. Cofer Library precinct in DeKalb County. He waited in line for about a half-hour.
Others waited even longer.
Georgia voters shattered a first-day record for early voting Tuesday as the state prepared to play a critical role in the hotly contested presidential election. At the end of Day 1:
- More than 300,000 Georgia voters had already cast ballots. In 2020 and 2022, the numbers were 136,000 and 134,000 voters, respectively.
AJC reporters in the field brought back some of the enthusiasm. Here are a few of the voices:
- DeKalb County resident Denise Holliday: “This election is critical to the democracy of our country. I’m still traumatized by Trump’s last presidency.”
- Richard Mullis, a retired barber in Macon: “The Democrats are so desperate. I think they will do absolutely anything and everything to hold onto their power.”
- Stephanie Moses, who voted at the Buckhead Library: “I just pray that once everything is confirmed and final, there will be peace.”
Keep up with all of our election coverage here, and check out the 2024 AJC Voter Guide, where you can check out the issues and sign up for alerts on races that interest you most.
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BUILDING BACK
Manufacturing isn’t the dominant sector it was in Georgia several generations ago, but it is growing again following the COVID-19 pandemic recession. Foreign-owned firms are a significant part of the boom.
The AJC’s Michael Kanell reports on the bounce back through the lens of Saint-Gobain, which has invested more than $100 million on an expansion of a plant in Peachtree City, done a $28 million investment at its facility in Dublin and built a new factory in Conyers — in addition to facilities in Norcross and Athens.
- Stat of the day: Georgia has about 433,000 manufacturing jobs — about 30,000 more than in early 2020 and 63,000 more than at the height of the pandemic, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
More Business News
» Georgia’s data center campuses keep getting larger as more join the fray
» Delta is revamping its aircraft cabins with new seat colors, mood lighting
» SK Battery agrees to pay $31M to settle Georgia recycling center fire case
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SUPER BOWL RETURNS
With a lot less acrimony in the process than in the past, the NFL ownership group awarded Atlanta the fourth Super Bowl in the city’s history – the latest in a string of major sporting events set for Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The announcement was made at the Whitley Hotel in Buckhead while NFL owners were in town for their annual meeting.
- More primetime events coming to MBS: The SEC Championship (December 2024), Georgia vs. Georgia Tech (2025), FIFA World Cup (2026), NCAA Men’s Final Four (2031)
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COULD WE GET FRIES WITH THAT BEEF?
Cobb County Sheriff Craig Owens has largely kept out of the limelight. That is, until he decided to call in to his office to send some deputies to help in a dispute — over a mistaken order at Burger King. You’ll want to read what the AJC’s Bill Torpy has to say about this “Whopper of stupidity.”
More Opinions to Chew on
» Faith leaders call for unity and respect in Georgia in election season
» A hidden cost of hurricanes in Georgia
» John Tien: Trump is a danger to Georgia — and America
» Nedra Rhone: The trad wife trend is both fun and unsettling
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BYE-BYE, T.I.?
T.I. has revealed plans to retire from performing. The rapper, actor and comedian told 96.1 The Beat last week that he’s officially done with live gigs. One of his last performances will be the station’s Jingle Ball concert Dec. 19. When asked to clarify his decision, T.I. quipped that he no longer wants people to pay for him to “hop and sweat for their entertainment.”
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MORE TO EXPLORE
» ‘Unfortunate that we’re here’; Atlanta water chief addresses system neglect
» MARTA to rethink weekend service cuts after Pride weekend delays
» Man found guilty of murdering trans woman in her Brookhaven apartment
» After Hurricanes Helene and Milton, bacteria and chemicals may lurk in flood waters
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ON THIS DATE
Oct. 16, 1991
Tiny Pin Point, Georgia, (and Clarence Thomas’ mother) celebrated as their son earned confirmation as a Supreme Court justice.
“No matter how difficult or painful, this is a time for healing in our country,” Thomas said.
Thomas’ confirmation hearings, of course, included allegations of sexual harassment by attorney and former colleague Anita Hill. He’s found himself in hot water more recently, too.
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PHOTO OF THE DAY
AJC photographer Arvin Temkar captured Forgiato Blow rapping for a video before Trump’s rally at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center on Tuesday.
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ONE MORE THING
Swifties, unite! Devon Goss, a Sociology professor at Oxford College of Emory University, launched a new course for freshmen focused on Taylor Swift. In “Sociology: Taylor’s Version,” students talk about things like “race and class and hierarchy, and what makes somebody a fan or authentic,” Goss said. “So it’s kind of a lens to get at these deeper issues that really help us with critical thinking.” That also means exploring various eras of Swift’s career, from being a teen country star to a cultural phenomenon — which also happens to be the theme of the bachelorette party my wife just attended.
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Thanks for reading to the bottom. It’s not worth any college credit, but you might be smarter for it. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at eric.mandel@ajc.com.
About the Author
Eric Mandel is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, native and University of Iowa alumnus. The award-winning journalist moved from Seattle in 2017 to Atlanta, working as a writer and editor for American City Business Journals. He joined the AJC in June 2024.
