Political Rewind: Georgia Poll Closures, U.S. Census Changes And Digital Disinformation

Caption

Voters wait in line outside State Farm Arena in Atlanta on the first day of in-person early voting in Georgia. The venue is the state’s largest voting location, with 300 machines in use.

Credit: Stephen Fowler, GPB News

Monday on Political Rewind: A new investigation from Georgia Public Broadcasting and ProPublica shows the number of polling locations dropped since 2012 despite Georgia’s voter rolls increasing by nearly two million. GPB reporter Stephen Fowler joined our panel to discuss the changes at play.

His reporting suggests that while the decrease in polling locations occurred statewide, it appears to have had the biggest effect on wait times for voters in predominantly black precincts.

Also, Sen. David Perdue continues to face condemnation after he appeared to mock the pronunciation of the name of vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris at a rally for President Donald Trump in Macon. Sen. Perdue insists it was an accident, but the incident sparked a wave of fundraising for his Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff.

Panelists:

Jim Galloway — Lead Political Writer, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Dr. Audrey Haynes — Professor of political science, University of Georgia

Rene Alegria — CEO of Mundo Hispanico

Stephen Fowler — Politics Reporter, Georgia Public Broadcasting