Political Rewind: Bill to ban drop boxes; Kemp flattens Buckhead cityhood; Student debt relief

Caption

In this Oct. 29, 2020, file photo, a person places a mail-in ballot in a drop box at the Clark County Election Department in Las Vegas. As Republicans roll back access to the ballot, Democratic lawmakers have been quietly moving to expand voting rights.

Credit: AP Photo/John Locher, File

The panel 

Greg Bluestein, political reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Emma Hurt, @Emma_Hurt, politics reporter, Axios Atlanta

Rahul Bali, @rahulbali, politics reporter, WABE

Stephen Fowler, @stphnfwlr, politics reporter, Georgia Public Broadcasting

The breakdown 

1. Gov. Brian Kemp's counsel questions the growing Buckhead Cityhood movement.

• This week, Senate bills 113 and 114 passed committee; they would help Buckhead separate from the city of Atlanta. 
  • Critics of the movement say it would prioritize the needs of a white and wealthy area in city limits.
• Kemp's counsel raises questions about land purchases, the mayor's salary, and local school boards. 

2. GOP lawmakers at the Capitol seek further control in local government this session. 

• The House has passed a bill that would remake the Ware County election board.
• Another bill leads to more oversight of local district attorneys.
• Republicans are also working to overturn the Cobb Commission drawing of a map that keeps Democrat Jerica Richardson in her seat.
• The governor is backing one bll that specifically preempts local governments from making certain design/building restrictions.
  • If you'd like to learn more about housing issues, visit last Thursday's Political Rewind episode about affordable housing. 

3. Georgia Senate committee passes bill that bans drop boxes.

• The Georgia Senate Ethics Committee passed a version of an elections omnibus bill Tuesday night.
• However, aspects of the bill might violate federal law.

4. Conservatives and liberals split at Supreme Court over Biden student loan plan. 

• President Joe Biden's plan would wipe away $400 billion in student loan debt. 
  • But he is using an executive power established during the Iraq war back in 2003.
• It is unlikely that the court sides with him on the measure. 
• 1 million Georgians have applied for Biden's relief plan, and 600,000 were already approved for debt relief.

5. Talking with members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee about the Sojourner Motor Fleet that SNCC organized in Atlanta in the '60s.

• Listen to a full interview with former SNCC members Freddie Greene Biddle and Judy Richardson about how the fleet was run from the civil rights group's Atlanta headquarters.

Thursday on Political Rewind: The AJC's Kevin Riley joins the show.