This week on Georgia in Play, host Leah Fleming takes a look at two major pieces of policy in Georgia — our six-week abortion ban, and an omnibus voting bill that critics say limit access for disenfranchised voters. 

A Georgia federal court judge declined this week to temporarily block the state’s controversial election rules, which several voting rights and civil rights organizations claim will disenfranchise Black voters throughout the 2024 election.

Friday on Political Rewind: The Legislature is picking up steam. Bills that would block a federal website for insurance in favor of a state site, authorize sports betting, and approve a statue of Clarence Thomas are in the air. Meanwhile, a federal judge rules on the mass challenge of Georgia voters.

Georgia's 2022 election season ended dramatically this past week, but not because of any large-scale problems with voting. And that's prompting Georgia Republicans to say concerns over a 2021 law that imposed several new restrictions on voting were overblown.

“Vote by mail is a critical option that should be available to every voter to cast their ballots especially since this runoff coincides with final exams, the end of the semester and holiday,” a young voter said.

State officials say the law bars optional early voting the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Lawyers representing Democrats disagree.

So-called “poll chaplains,” or election-day volunteers from places of worship, will be at select polling places on Tuesday.  They plan to  support voters and help them navigate  changes in Georgia’s election law.

Thursday on Political Rewind: Over 2 million Georgians have already voted. Our panel weighs in on who has access to the polls. Plus, Georgia's U.S. Senate race could determine who has the majority. Meanwhile: Emails show Trump lawyers hoped Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas would assist in a voter fraud case in Georgia.

Georgia has more than 2,600 precincts, 159 counties and millions of eyes on its midterm election results. Here's what that means for vote counting.

“It is wrong to suggest that there is a correlation between voter turnout and voter suppression because suppression is about barriers,” Abrams said. “If those barriers are not completely successful, the credit does not go to those who erected the barriers. The credit goes to those voters who found a way to navigate, overwhelm and overcome those barriers.”

Voters in Georgia, Texas and some other states are facing new hurdles to cast a ballot during the midterm election under laws passed by Republican-led legislatures following President Donald Trump's false claims that voter fraud cost him re-election in 2020. The restrictions have prompted groups that assist voters to reorient themselves so they can avoid running afoul of new barriers.

A state elections office bulletin sent out this week further inflamed charges of voter suppression and showcased some of the confusion surrounding Georgia’s voter challenge rules that state that any person can question the eligibility of an unlimited number of voters.

ATLANTA – A federal judge has dismissed a voting rights group’s lawsuit, confirming VoteAmerica’s online tool that helps people obtain absentee ballots is legal under the terms of Senate Bill 202, the voting reform law the General Assembly adopted last year.

Monday on Political Rewind: Gov. Brian Kemp's Medicaid expansion with a work requirement has been approved by a federal judge. Sen. Lindsey Graham's order to appear in Fulton County has been temporarily blocked. And a judge refused to stay a ban on distributing food and water at polling places. 

Friday on Political Rewind: Attorney General Merrick Garland wants to unseal the warrant that led to an FBI search of Mar-a-Lago. Plus, a special panel of guests discusses voting in Georgia, including its history of discriminatory voting rules, Senate Bill 202, the experiences of election workers and more.