Georgia Today: 2 million have voted early in Georgia; FEMA opens more disaster centers; The Stitch

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Wednesday, Oct. 23. I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode, 2 million people have cast ballots so far in Georgia's election. FEMA opens three more disaster recovery centers following this year's devastating tropical storm season. In Atlanta, officials give an update on the project known as The Stitch. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.

Story 1:

Peter Biello: More than 2 million Georgia voters have cast their ballots in early voting for the November election. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger praised the turnout at a news conference this morning. He also announced that 20 noncitizens out of 8.2 million people registered have been removed from Georgia's voter rolls. GPB's Chase McGee has more.

Chase McGee: The secretary of state credits ERIC, or the Electronic Registration Information Center, with helping state officials spot 20 noncitizens who were registered to vote.

Brad Raffensperger: All 20 of these voter registrations have been canceled and all of them are being referred to local prosecuting law enforcement.

Chase McGee: Raffensperger also noted his office was investigating 156 more voters on current rolls. Chief operating officer Gabriel Sterling says the 20 non-citizen voters were spotted when they attempted to get out of jury duty in metro Atlanta counties.

Gabriel Sterling: They signed affidavits to get out of jury duty, basically saying "I am a noncitizen." And they were in seven different counties. And those are the jurisdictions to which they will be referred for investigation and prosecution.

Chase McGee: For GPB News, I'm Chase McGee.

Story 2:

Peter Biello: Georgia Supreme Court is rejecting an attempt by national and state Republicans to reinstate new election rules immediately. The justices unanimous decision yesterday means none of the rule changes will be in effect for the November elections. Among other changes, the rules would have required counties to hand count ballots at polling places on election night and allowed local election officials to delay the certification of vote tallies if they suspect fraud. The high court could pick up the case again, but likely months after the election.

Story 3:

Peter Biello: Billionaire Elon Musk is offering cash prizes to registered voters who sign a petition related to his political action committee. Some experts say that move may violate the law. The petition is limited to registered voters in seven key swing states, including Georgia. It asks voters to show their support for the Constitution, namely the First and Second Amendments. David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Integrity and Research, says that by requiring signees to be registered voters, Musk's PAC could be in violation of federal law.

David Becker: It is a crime to offer payment in exchange for voters registering or voting, and it's also a crime to accept payment for those things.

Peter Biello: Becker also notes the contest's key dates mirror those in states like Pennsylvania, including the voter registration deadline, something that could hurt the PAC's case should the petition become the subject of a lawsuit.

Caption

A rendering of The Stitch over the Downtown Connector.

Credit: File

Story 4:

Peter Biello: Atlanta is moving forward with the project to create a 14-acre greenspace on top of Interstate 75 and 85 in the heart of the city. City leaders and developers provided an update today on the project known as The Stitch. GPB's Amanda Andrews has more on the plan.

Amanda Andrews: The Stitch is being designed to connect Atlanta's Midtown, downtown and Old Fourth Ward neighborhoods. During 2025, project leaders will establish a nonprofit to oversee the park, seek more public and private funding, and continue community engagement. Michael Green is the CEO of Sophy Companies and Atlanta Development Group. Green says they're intentionally incorporating mass transit options like Marta to keep housing affordable near The Stitch.

Michael Green: And as you build more parking, that makes the overall cost of the project go up, which therefore makes the price that you must charge for residents to stay there — that makes that go up as well.

Amanda Andrews: Walking tours of The Stitch are available through Dec. 14. For GPB News, I'm Amanda Andrews.

Story 5:

Peter Biello: The Federal Emergency Management Agency is opening four more disaster recovery centers in South and East Georgia for people affected by this year's devastating tropical storm season. That makes nine centers in the state for now. FEMA spokesperson Deanne Swaine says the first form of relief that people can apply for at the centers is $750.

Deanne Swaine: It's an initial payment that people can use for emergency supplies like food, water, baby formula and other storm-related expenses.

Peter Biello: So far, the agency has approved more than 320,000 applications from people in Georgia and distributed $160 million in disaster relief. Speaking in Augusta, FEMA director Deanne Criswell says more is needed.

Deanne Criswell: We are here for the long haul. We are here and going to be with everybody in this community as we think about what the future can look like. We see these tragic incidents, but as I mentioned to the mayor, we also have an opportunity to build back stronger and build back more resilient as well.

Peter Biello: Applications for aid can also be filed online.

Story 6:

Peter Biello: New York City-based insurance giant AIG is expanding its workforce in metro Atlanta. The company said today it's consolidating its Alpharetta and Buckhead operations into a new innovation center in Dunwoody. The move will add 600 new employees in various roles across AIG, including underwriting claims, operations and technology. The Dunwoody hub is expected to open in 2026.

Story 7:

Peter Biello: Georgia lawmakers decide important questions in a small complex of buildings at the state capitol. The most iconic of these buildings is the Gold Dome, built in 1889, where the public can watch their elected representatives in the state House and Senate chambers. But one important question related to the Capitol complex itself is being decided out of public view. GPB's Orlando Montoya reports.

Orlando Montoya: The Capitol complex is getting a new eight story legislative office building. The question is how should the historic Gold Dome connect to it? Historic preservationists and some state lawmakers are sounding alarm bells about one proposed answer: a skybridge. David Mitchell is executive director of the Atlanta Preservation Center.

David Mitchell: I do not wish to see the symbol of our legislative process being altered by something that looks like a paper towel roll sticking out of the side.

Orlando Montoya: The skybridge would allow people to walk from the Gold Dome to the new tower without going outside or impeding vehicular traffic. But another opponent of the idea, Wright Mitchell, president and CEO of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, compared how it might look to a, quote, "gerbil tube." The plans are part of a nearly $400 million renovation project at the Capitol complex. Most of the plans, including security improvements and the celebrated rebuilding of the dome itself, are already underway and generating positive reviews. State Rep. Debbie Buckner is a Democrat who serves a House district in West Georgia.

Debbie Buckner: During the session last year, we were all excited about how well it looked. I think the only thing that I've heard a lot of concern or questions about is, is what's coming next.

Orlando Montoya: Historic preservationists and their allies in the General Assembly helped to quash a similar skybridge plan in 1983. And in the present case, there are other options. The state agency overseeing the Capitol renovations, the Georgia Building Authority, also is considering connecting the old and new buildings through an underground tunnel. A subterranean walkway would have its own set of challenges, but Mitchell suggests they could be solved. And Buckner says the alternative, the skybridge, would be impossible to blend with the historic structure.

Debbie Buckner: I'm not an architect and I cannot imagine anything in my wildest dreams of how a skybridge connected to that side of the Capitol would be in keeping with the original architecture of the building.

Orlando Montoya: The SkyBridge opponents also object to what they characterize as opaque communication about the process that will guide whether an above ground or below ground connection will be constructed. Again, here's David Mitchell.

David Mitchell: I don't think there have been any discussions, to my knowledge. I've certainly attempted multiple times to have communication with the representative of the governing parties from the Georgia Building Authority along with the state.

Orlando Montoya: Buckner said she didn't know much about the proposal, even though she sits on the House Committee on State Properties.

Debbie Buckner: I did call the building authority and was told that — I asked what was the process, and they told me that they did not know what the process was at this point.

Orlando Montoya: The deputy executive director and chief of staff of the Georgia Building Authority, Gerald Pilgrim, declined requests to be interviewed for this story, but indicated through a staff member that no decision has been made on how to connect the new legislative office building to the Gold Dome. The new building is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026. For GPB News, I'm Orlando Montoya.

Story 8:

Peter Biello: In sports: in soccer, Atlanta United eliminated CF Montreal 5 to 4 in a penalty kick shootout last night in the opening game of the MLS Cup playoffs after the two clubs played to a 2-2 draw. It was Atlanta's second road playoff game in club history and the first in nearly six years. United will start a best-of-three series on Friday against Miami, which is hosting a playoff game for the first time in its club history.

Peter Biello: And that's all we've got for this edition of Georgia Today. Thanks so much for tuning in. If you want to learn more about what's happening in Georgia, you can always check GPB.org/news. And subscribing to this podcast is a great idea. It'll help you stay on top of the news and there is a lot of it. So subscribe now and we will pop up automatically in your podcast feed tomorrow afternoon. If you've got feedback, we'd love to hear from you. Send us an email. The address is GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. I'm Peter Biello. Thanks so much for listening. We'll see you tomorrow.

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