Wife, mother, lawyer, and Chair of
@GASenateDems
. Everyone deserves a high-quality education & healthcare. Investing in people affords opportunities to all.
Why is my colleague
@NikemaForSenate
being arrested for asking to
#CountEveryVote
and not leaving the Capitol Rotunda? She doesn’t have to leave — it’s her office! She is elected by the people of the 39th to represent them here!
@GeorgiaDemocrat
The "political storm" in
#Georgia
was created by
@realDonaldTrump
& his enablers. The results? I've received death threats. But the loser, here, isn't me. It's our democracy. We must continue to raise our voices and fight for what we know is right.
#gapol
The
@GaSecofState
’s office just explained to Senators and the public how the election was run and that Biden won. Now we are being forced to listen to bonkers conspiracy theories out of Rudy Giuliani’s team. What a disservice to the public!
@realDonaldTrump
Republicans only think the election was rigged because you keep saying it was, and they believe your lies. This is why it is important to not have a liar of low moral character in the White House.
@BrianKempGA
I made this point to
@RudyGiulianli
& my fellow GA State Senators last week: the results of the 2020 election are clear. The
@GaSecofState
, the U.S. Attorney General and 46 lawsuits have found NO evidence of widespread fraud. We can't continue to give oxygen to conspiracy.
#gapol
SOME Georgia Democrats said the new voting systems were a bad purchase?? Try ALL. We listened to the data and experts who told all of us they were $$$$, complicated and hackable.
Even though the Senate Education Committee refused to hear public comment on HB 1084, we refuse to let Georgians be silenced. Here are the testimonies of citizens who oppose this educational censorship bill (1/4) -Team Parent
Fact Check: Video From Georgia Does NOT Show Suitcases Filled With Ballots Suspiciously Pulled From Under A Table; Polls Watchers Were NOT Told To Leave.
As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I am releasing our Minority Report on the elections "hearings." Despite claims made in testimony and the Majority Report, there is no evidence of actual fraud or any significant irregularities in the Presidential election in Georgia.
Reminder that Georgia Republicans, led by Kemp & Raffensperger, insisted—absolutely insisted! —we pay way too much for these not-awesome GA voting machines. Wouldn’t listen to a word I said.
And THIS is why it matters to demand meaningful reform. Even when it doesn’t pass. I’m glad so many Democrats stood for the right thing on election security. The GOP did the opposite and should STFU.
We have multiple students from Savannah crying in the hall because they drove 4 hours to testify on the classroom censorship bill
#HB1084
and testimony was not permitted.
#gapol
@GovKemp
I was required to be tested twice a week during the legislative session as a member of the state Senate (which I supported and was glad we had because we caught a ton of positives). Was that also “unlawful overreach”within the state Capitol building you work in?
The suspect in yesterday's shootings at 3 Atlanta-area Asian-owned businesses bought his gun mere hours before killing 8 people. Lax Georgia gun laws are a problem. Hate crimes against Asian-Americans are a problem. Male supremacy is a problem.
#gapol
And yes,
@GaRepublicans
bought them because the purchase made $$ for companies that had donated thousands to them and had well-connected lobbyists that were staffers for
@GovKemp
& others. I believe my exact quote was “The whole thing reeks of corruption!”
It’s runoff day, Georgia, and the polls are open!
@SenatorWarnock
has been an excellent Senator for Georgia and I am looking forward to seeing what he will do with with his full six-year term!
#gapol
BREAKING:
@GASenateDems
just filed SR 393. A resolution to amend the GA Constitution to require ‘Free and Equal’ elections - missing from our Constitution today. This would add us to the list of 30 states with similar clauses. Our democracy is under attack – we must protect it.
OMG, Herschel Walker’s wife committed voter fraud in the last election while he was spreading wild and false conspiracy theories that I committed voter fraud in PA.
#gapol
Potential U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker and his wife live in Texas, but she voted in Georgia’s election for president last fall. Herschel, meanwhile, has called for prosecutions of voter fraud ...
#gapol
#gasen
Domestic incidents are dangerous for cops to respond to, and gun possession makes many lethal. In GA felons with DV convictions can’t have their weapons removed. And now Republicans want even more DV abusers to have guns by eliminating required permits.
I am honored to announce that my colleagues have elected me to serve as Chairman of the
@GASenateDems
!
I’m grateful for their support and confidence and am excited to get to work.
Pictured below is the 2021-2022 Leadership Team!
#gapol
I alerted everyone in the alternate-universe crowd yesterday that
@GaSecofState
and
@GabrielSterling
investigated the claims in Trump's "new" video weeks ago and debunked them.
Now I'm hearing from thousands who can't, or won't, distinguish truth from fiction and it's WILD.
The 90 second video of election workers at State Farm arena, purporting to show fraud was watched in its entirety (hours) by
@GaSecofState
investigators. Shows normal ballot processing. Here is the fact check on it.
This morning’s Ethics hearing to vet some of the
#votersuppression
bills is NOT being live-streamed, despite being at 7 am with attendance restrictions due to COVID and despite earlier statements it would be. This gamesmanship is totally unacceptable.
#gapol
On Thursday, I publicly questioned the validity of
@realDonaldTrump
's fraud allegations. Since then, I've received a torrent of abuse, attacks & death threats. It's time to ask ourselves, "Is this who we are? Is this who we want to be?"
#gapol
#Georgia
The Governor's Deputy Chief of Staff, Charles Harper, is still listed as a lobbyist for ES & S on the State Ethics Commision website. ES & S is widely considered the favored vendor under
#HB316
.
There is no evidence of fraud in the recent Georgia elections.
@JoeBiden
,
@ossoff
and
@ReverendWarnock
won fair & square. Now, GA Senate Republicans introduced bevy of bills to try to stop multi-racial, multi-age coalition that elected them from voting. Desperate & shameful.
Today, GA Senate Republicans hid their anti-democratic effort to end no-excuse absentee voting by holding the committee hearing at 7 AM and refusing to livestream the event, after failing to answer my repeated inquiries about video access beforehand. This is unacceptable!
Takeaways: 1. Don’t attack the religious teachings of the pastor carrying on the tradition at MLK Jr.’s church. 2. Don’t pitch yourself as mindless mouthpiece for someone trying to steal an election. 3. Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. 4. Don’t underestimate
@staceyabrams
With an active shooter on the run, I am as determined as ever to work on gun safety legislation. Thank you
@MomsDemand
for the support and encouragement. I hope my Republican colleagues will join me to address this urgent issue in 2024.
#gapol
Kemp is proposing refunding money to taxpayers in 2022. Yay for this election ploy, but did you know we have a $500 million hole in our education budget and state taxes in GA are not high? Future prosperity is not built on this.
#EggsIssues2022
#gapol
#kidsmatter
My Republican colleagues want to end no-excuse absentee voting. This method of voting is safe, fair & efficient. Voters of all political stripes can use it. It provided a lifeline for democracy during a pandemic. It’s clear voter suppression to end it and we won’t stand for it.
The signature audit ordered by
@GaSecofState
found a 99.99% accuracy rate in signature matches and no fraud. So why is he calling to end no-excuse absentee voting in Georgia, which provided a lifeline for elections in a pandemic?
#gapol
The unprecedented review of signatures on absentee ballot envelopes found that the Cobb Elections Department had “a 99.99% accuracy rate in performing correct signature verification procedures” and no fraudulent absentee votes, Georgia’s top elections official says.
#gapol
#gasen
Legislation purporting to ban teaching of
#CRT
in GA has been introduced. It's a 18 page mess micromanaging teachers, students and professors. It's vague because State Code isn't the place for this- should be left to teachers, administrators and local Boards of Education.
#gapol
.
@realDonaldTrump
should not be allowed to use the $250 million he has bilked his supporters out of since Election Day on anything other than paying the back taxes he owes.
Major punt by
@GovKemp
on how-hard hit Georgia has been by COVID: “The community, not the government, pulled together to stop the spread.”
I would not list that as an accomplishment if the people had elected me to be their chief executive.
The President inspired the events of January 6. But, many others – including GA Senate Republicans – used their names & positions to give credence to his lies. The complicity of some, and the silence of others, allowed the doubts that fueled this
#insurrection
to grow.
@realDonaldTrump
@BrianKempGA
@dougducey
Trump’s Twitter feed is like the dying throes of a rabid animal, but it’s kind of hard to feel sorry for the Republicans he is attacking when they eagerly (and regrettably) hopped into bed with him years ago.
UPDATE:
@CocaCola
says they now OPPOSE the voter suppression bills in the Georgia legislature.
This is a big change from 24 hours ago, which is the last time I heard from them
Of note: the Redistricting committee in the Georgia House is comprised of FIVE Democrats and THIRTEEN Republicans. In the Senate, it's ten and five. So, spare us the platitudes about "fair" hearings.
#gapol
Herschel Walker can pay for as many abortions as he likes without losing Kemp’s support, but women can’t make their own decisions in this state under Kemp’s leadership.
“Under this governor women are in danger … He refuses to defend us, and, yet, he defended Herschel Walker.”
— Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams (D) slams Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) for refusing to answer whether he would sign a more restrictive abortion ban.
Waiting on the Atlanta redistricting hearing to start. Lots of people are out in the hall as well. Representing for
#fairdistricts
@AuforGA
@merritt4ga
These two superstars brought down the house at an event tonight and I’m just glad I got to stand with them! Less than a month until we elect them Governor and Secretary of State!
#gapol
@BeeForGeorgia
@staceyabrams
As elected officials, our job is to encourage the public's faith in the democratic process. Continuing to engage w/ baseless allegations of fraud (
#SuitcaseGate
&
#StopTheSteaI
) is irresponsible and immoral.
Join me & stand up for our democracy:
#gapol
Republicans have decided that voter suppression will help them hold onto power in a changing Georgia. But voters see their actions for what they are – an attempt to pass anti-democratic legislation based on a lie – and they’re justifiably outraged.
#gapol
To the dozen plus House Republicans who withstood immense pressure and days of arm-twisting from the GA GOP’s top leaders, and even national Republicans, all I can say is wow. You have my admiration, and thanks.
In case you missed it: last night the Georgia House rejected discriminatory private school vouchers via SB 233. Considering the national headwinds, intense lobbying and Georgia Republican leadership pressure, this result is nothing short of incredible.
#GaPol
At today’s Senate study committee on retirement conditions for GA employees, I learned that the food service workers at Juvenile Justice make $17K annually and often are on food stamps. Shameful that we treat state employees that way.
@marceelias
In the Thursday
#GeorgiaSenateHearing
, I pushed back against these debunked allegations of fraud. Since then, I've received a torrent of abuse, attacks & death threats. We need to take a step back & ask, "Is this who we are? Is this who we want to be?"
It’s been a rough week in the GA Senate, but I’m thinking about my friends in the
#FloridaSenate
fighting the Gov. DeSantis regime, which goes farther off the deep end daily.
On the other end of these laws are real people. I stand with
#LGBTQIA
students.
#DontSayGay
Strange. Hand-marked paper ballots are 1/3 the cost, recommended by all of the voting and cybersecurity experts, and demanded by the public.
But what they don't have is a lobbying team in-house in the Governor-Elect's office, the way another vendor does.
#gapol
A panel tapped by
@BrianKempGA
recommended that Georgia replace its electronic voting machines with computers that print out paper ballots, over opposition from critics who said paper ballots are more secure and less expensive.
#gapol
If this were a real fact-finding mission, we would have the
@GaSecofState
and officials from
@FultonInfo
here, not at 2 separate hearings. Such a sad sham.
Senator
@elenaparent
: since this was debunked by the Secretary of State, what evidence can you give to us that counters what our elections officials have presented us with?
Giuliani team: they didn’t have the video
(???)
Star "witnesses" have no idea that Buckhead, Georgia in Morgan County is not the same place as Buckhead, a neighborhood in Atlanta, Fulton County.
Thank you, sir, for clearly proving that these "hearings" are a whole lotta crap.
This may be one of the absolute dumbest things I have seen since this whole shitshow started. This is a screenshot from a presentation at the Senate hearing happening now. Buckhead, GA in Morgan County is not the same place as the Buckhead community in ATL. I mean FTLOG.
#gapol
As I said yesterday: this "bombshell" video rolled out by the Trump campaign showed nothing new. These are claims of fraud that were debunked weeks ago.
The people of Georgia have voted, and the votes have been counted. And counted. And counted.
No, there's no "suitcase" full of suspicious ballots. No, poll watchers were not told to leave. No, you shouldn't believe the latest attempt by Trump's campaign trying to undermine the integrity of Georgia's vote.
#gapol
Georgia Sens.
@kloeffler
and
@Perduesenate
both back the Texas lawsuit seeking to overturn Georgia’s election results - a lawsuit that Republican Attorney General Chris Carr’s office says is “constitutionally, legally and factually wrong.”
#gapol
#gasen
Heard at the Joint Redistricting Hearing this am: “Whether maps are fair is in the eye of the beholder.” Umm, no. If you have Democrats winning 50% of the vote statewide and GOP has over 60% of the State Senate seats, that violates any understanding of fair maps.
#gapol
Trump must be removed as President. That he is a mendacious political arsonist was evident before his election.
As President, he rampaged our institutions and his followers have now rampaged the Capitol at his behest. He is unfit to serve; he has always been unfit to serve.
Today I qualified to stand for re-election to Senate District 42! It is an honor to represent my constituents at the state Capitol. I remain committed to being a voice for equality and expanding opportunity for all Georgians if I’m re-elected.
@realDonaldTrump
@BrianKempGA
Fewer GA ballots were rejected in 2020 than in 2018. Because of fraud? NO! As I reminded
@RudyGiulianli
& my GOP colleagues in the GA Legislature, we passed a law that gave voters the opportunity to cure their ballots, rather than disenfranchising them outright on a whim.
Congratulations to my Senate seatmate
@NikemaWilliams
who now will be my Congresswoman! Godspeed my friend, I know you will make us and
@repjohnlewis
proud.
#gapol
Other states have made the switch to paper ballots in even less time than GA has before the November election. Since it’s feasible, it’s a must. The public has lost confidence in GA’s outdated, unsupported and hackable voting machines.
#gapol
Attorneys for Georgia voters asking a federal judge to junk the state’s electronic voting system in favor of paper ballots say the switch is feasible on short notice since Maryland did it in 2016
@GAVotesPaper
@VoterGa
#votingrights
#gapol
#galegal
Behold, the multi-headed monster of
#VoterSuppression
.
Between
@mtgreenee
and this all-out assault on voting by GA Senate Republicans, things are off the rails in GA and headed for the abyss. Help
@GASenateDems
marshal the troops to fight back 🙏
This morning I was proud to honor Ira Katz, owner of Little 5 Points Pharmacy, for his heroic efforts saving the life of a young man overdosing outside his store.
This was not the first time he has saved a life.
He distributes Narcan from his store for free.
The only way to stop this anti-woman extremism in Georgia: vote for
@staceyabrams
for Governor and a Democratic legislature. If they did it in Kansas, I know the Peach State can deliver.
#gapol
Tonight’s result in Kansas is one of the biggest political stories of the year. If the GOP can’t sell their anti-women b.s. in Kansas, they can’t sell it anywhere.
If Mitch McConnell hadn’t stolen the Supreme Court seat from Merrick Garland, abortion access would still exist in Texas and women all across the US could breathe.
No filibuster impeded that move. Democrats- use the power you have in DC.
This election meltdown was 100% predictable even before COVID. But we could make some changes - like passing my bill allowing voters to continue to receive absentee ballots without requesting them each time & allowing voters to vote at any precinct in their county.
Of course GA Republicans are actually suing to prevent debt relief for first-generation and lower income college students. They sure don't mind government spending when it's for their friends, though.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr has signed onto a lawsuit with six other states in an attempt to stop another federal effort to provide student loan debt relief to millions of borrowers nationwide.
#gapol