Georgia Today: Early voting begins; Ruling on election certification; Lowndes schools resume classes

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Tuesday, Oct. 15. I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode, Georgia voters turned out in record numbers today, on this first day of early voting. A state judge rules that election officials are required to certify the results of the upcoming presidential race. And students in one of the school districts hit hardest by Hurricane Helene return to class. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.

Story 1:

Peter Biello: Early voting is underway and Georgia has already broken a record for first-day turnout. Secretary of state chief operating officer Gabe Sterling says by midday today, more than 150,000 people had cast their ballots, shattering a 2020 record. We caught up with a few of those voters in Macon.

Shevonne Ross: I am Shevonne Ross. I'm with my granddaughter, Faith. I always vote early. Always. We got a — illegal immigrant, immigrants coming into our country, and the government has forgotten about the Americans that are natural Americans that have went through the process. Those who are that came here illegally, they went through the process and became legal. Now, you just letting all sorts of people come in here off of our backs, off of our dime, off of our hard work. And I don't appreciate it.

Maurice Curry: I am Maurice Curry.  As a Black man, I just want to — I want to see life change for us, you know? You know, some candidates are against us. I've been voting since I was 18 years old and I've always seen the importantance of going out here vote in, like, change, because you never know: Your vote might be the one, the one that could swing the race.

Brenda Curry: I am Brenda Curry. It's important any way to vote. Not only this race but every race. And for me as a Black woman, it's been put upon me to vote. I've watched my grandmother vote and I'm bringing my son and my grandson. Democracy, freedom and women's rights. That's important to me. I might not be of childbearing age, but I have daughters. Daughter-in-laws. Anything could happen.

Jimmy Joyner: I'm Jimmy Joyner. I think there's going to be a big voter turnout this year. The dangers? We've become a weak country. We're not respected by our — by our allies and we're not feared by the countries that — that oppose us. It's better to be strong and then nothing is going to — they're not going to mess with us. They're not going to intimidate us. They're not going to attack us or anything else. But when they know we're weak and we're not going to do anything. And I think it's proven that over the last three and a half years.

Emily Ard: I am Emily Ard. I have four nieces that I worry about. So when I make sure that women's rights are well-preserved and we're not scared to, you know, live and not be able to make decisions about our own bodies.

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Brad Raffensperger

Credit: Stephen Fowler | GPB News

Peter Biello: Absentee ballot requests appear to be on track to meet 2020 levels. That's according to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

Brad Raffensperger: So far, we have seen just over 250,000 voters request absentee ballots. Perhaps in the next week or so, we'll see that rise up to 300,000.

Peter Biello: Absentee ballot requests must be received by Oct. 25, and early voting continues until Nov. 1. The final vote tally today could exceed 200,000.

Story 2:

Peter Biello: Both the Harris and Trump campaigns are working hard to gain the trust of Georgia voters. Minnesota governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz spoke to Georgia media outlets today, including GPB, as part of an effort to reach voters in rural areas.

Tim Walz: These are high quality-of-life places to live. The problem is they've been neglected. They've been neglected in that infrastructure. They've been neglected in the things that hit the middle class. So I think when Vice President Harris talks about an opportunity economy aimed at the middle class, rural areas are the ones we're really focusing on.

Peter Biello: The Harris-Walz campaign today pledged millions of dollars for rural health care and technology. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump has two Georgia events scheduled today: a Fox News town hall and a rally, both in Atlanta's northern suburbs.

Peter Biello: You can learn more about how you can cast your ballot at MVP.SOS.GA.gov. And you can keep track of the latest Georgia news on the elections by visiting gpb.org/election.

Story 3:

Peter Biello: A state judge has ruled that county election officials must certify election results by the deadline set in law. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney's ruling today clarifies the certification role of local election boards as mandatory, not discretionary. A Republican member of the Fulton County Election Board argues that she has the option to refuse to certify election results if she believes they're inaccurate. McBurney ruling says local election board members may review documents and note concerns to authorities, but must certify results by the deadline set in law: That's 5 p.m. on the Monday after an election or the Tuesday if the Monday is a holiday, as it is this year.

Story 4:

Peter Biello: Students in Valdosta's Lowndes County are returning to school this week, and so are many others in Georgia districts hardest hit by Hurricane Helene. Education experts say the unexpected and challenging two-week break will require schools to adjust. That could mean reteaching classroom routines or rethinking performance expectations. Julianne Sergi McBrayer co-leads the National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Research Center at Georgia Southern University.

Julianne Sergi McBrayer: So I just don't think that we can return to school and just, you know, "Boots on the ground, let's get back to the academics. Let's open our books and let's move forward" because we've realized that students have these emotional and psychological needs.

Peter Biello: She says positive leaders, good communication and flexibility are key during the first days back.

Story 5:

Peter Biello: Fungus-related deaths have more than doubled over the last decade. But University of Georgia researchers are warning that they could pose an even bigger threat to humans in the future. GBP's Chase McGee has more.

Chase McGee: As the planet warms, fungi could start growing in new places. They're also becoming more resistant to preventative drugs. UGA's Dr. Marin Brewer says the effects from an increased number of people getting sick won't be felt evenly as the population ages.

Dr. Marin Brewer: Immunocompromised people are more susceptible to these infections and there are a growing number of immunocompromised people. So that's why fungal — one reason why fungal infections are increasing.

Chase McGee: Information on preventing infection is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And it's also recommended that those who are immune-compromised speak with their doctor. For GPB News, I'm Chase McGee.

Story 6:

Peter Biello: BioLab has opened a community assistance center for people in metro Atlanta's Rockdale County. The announcement today came from a unified command of federal, state and local officials responding to the chemical plant's fire and subsequent plume that began on Sept. 29. Area residents and business owners can use the center to make claims and reimbursement appointments, as well as get answers to general questions. The fire and plume have concerned local officials for weeks, and multiple agencies are investigating its cause and BioLab's response. A shelter-in-place order was in effect for residents near the facility as recently as last night.

Story 7:

Peter Biello: Florida, California and Texas will lead in migration to metro Atlanta over the next 25 years. The Atlanta Regional Commission yesterday released an analysis of recent U.S. Census data on state-to-county migration. It shows where an estimated 1.8 million new residents will come from. About a quarter of them are expected to come from the top three states.

Story 8:

Peter Biello: Georgia's fall foliage season has kicked off. Georgia State Parks posted their first photos of the changing leaf colors, and the Georgia Forestry Commission published its first Leaf Watch report of the season last week. Fall foliage is a key part of North Georgia tourism. An Appalachian State University study suggests, across 24 states in the eastern U.S. it could contribute upwards of $30 billion in annual economic value.

Story 9:

Peter Biello: In sports, it's official. Atlanta will host the Super Bowl in 2028. This comes following a vote of approval by NFL team owners today at the league's annual fall meeting. This will be the fourth time the NFL's championship game is played in Atlanta and the second in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which played host in 2019.

The 2025 game between Georgia and Georgia Tech will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets will face off on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, at The Benz. Following the 2026 game in Athens, the two teams will return to face each other at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Georgia Tech's campus in 2027. Georgia plays host to Georgia Tech on Dooley Field in the Sanford Stadium this season on Friday, Nov. 29.

And Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale and first baseman Matt Olsen are finalists for the Gold Glove Award, the coveted honor for defensive skill awarded by glove manufacturer Rawlings goes to one player in each position in each league. Former Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson was also nominated. Winners will be announced on ESPN on Nov. 3.

Peter Biello: And that's a wrap on this edition of Georgia Today. Hope you had a great, long weekend. Thanks for coming back to us. If you want to learn more about any of these stories, visit GPB.org/news. And if you haven't subscribe to the podcast yet, do it now. We'll be back in your feed tomorrow with all the top stories from Georgia. And if you've got feedback or a story idea for us, send it to us by email. The address: GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you tomorrow.

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For more on these stories and more, go to GPB.org/news