Johnny Kauffman
90.1FM WABE
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Past articles by Johnny:
Why An Election Worker In Georgia Went Into Hiding
When Lawrence Sloan took a temporary job in the Fulton County elections department, he didn’t expect to be blamed falsely -- by a portion of the country -- for rigging the presidential contest. But that’s what happened earlier this month in the days after Election Day when a 30-second video of Sloan spread rapidly on → Read More
Done In By A Deadline
This story — the first in a two-part series on alleged voter suppression in Georgia — was reported in partnership with APM Reports. They knew it was going to be close. In 2018, Republican congressman Rob Woodall was running for reelection in Georgia's 7th Congressional District, a once reliably conservative slice of → Read More
Activists Wary As South Georgia County Moves To Close Three Polling Places
Voting in elections next year could be more difficult in one rural, South Georgia county. The Randolph County elections board plans to close three of its nine polling places nearly a year after it rejected a proposal months before the midterm elections in 2018 to close seven of the nine. At that time, the county drew → Read More
Georgia Governor Signs Law Addressing Some Criticisms Of Contested 2018 Election
Under the new law, polling places cannot be changed 60 days before an election, and it will take longer for people who choose not to vote to be removed from the state's voter registration list. → Read More
The Super Bowl Helped Atlanta’s Rep, But Future Hosts Can’t Count On The Same, Survey Finds
About 35 percent of Americans say they’re more likely to think of Atlanta as a good place to visit because of media coverage of the Super Bowl this year, while 28 percent said they were less likely to visit. These were the main findings of a national survey by the American Public Media (APM) Research Lab, which → Read More
Changes Coming To Ga. Solitary Unit Called One Of ‘Harshest And Most Draconian’ In US
People held in solitary confinement at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification state prison in Jackson, called the Special Management Unit (SMU), will be allowed more time outside. Limits will be placed on how long people can be confined, by themselves, in 7-by-13.5-foot cells that make up the Middle Georgia → Read More
Georgia Set To Remain A Battleground For Voting Rights Ahead Of 2020
Perhaps more than any other state in the last decade, Georgia has put new restrictions on voting, which became a central issue in the recently concluded governor's race. → Read More
Federal Judge: Elections Too Close For Georgia To Scrap Its 27,000 Voting Machines
Georgia should continue using its touchscreen voting machines ahead of the midterms despite security concerns about the technology, a U.S. District judge ordered late Monday. But Judge Amy Totenberg rebuked Georgia and state election officials over their handling of election security. Georgia is one of 14 states → Read More
Strands Of JFK’s Hair Set For Auction At Carter Center Fundraiser
For Ben Mair, the pair of Jimmy Carter’s well-worn running shoes up for sale, along with Abraham Lincoln’s autograph, didn’t have the same effect as the slim, brown hairs slightly curled up in the one-and-a-half inch compartment at the bottom of a framed portrait of John F. Kennedy. The hairs – about six of them → Read More
Sen. Isakson Concerned About Tariffs On Steel, Aluminum Imports
Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson says he's concerned about the fate of businesses and workers in Georgia, after President Trump on Thursday imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, Mexico, and the European Union. Isakson says the move may put a burden on auto manufacturers in Georgia and the → Read More
GDOT, State Contractor Sued Over Claim Of ‘Sexually Hostile Work Environment’
To Stephanie Crater, it was a trip with her wife to the movies about two years ago that led to months of harassment and threats at her job with the Georgia Department of Transportation. At the theater, Crater and her wife ran into a worker with state construction contractor C.W. Matthews. “I heard someone calling my → Read More
Breaking Down Georgia's Gubernatorial Primaries
Tuesday was a big day in Georgia politics, with primary elections held for a number of statewide and local offices. Stacey Abrams won the Democratic primary in the race for Georgia governor. That makes her the country's first black, female candidate for any state’s highest office. The Republican primary is headed to → Read More
Georgia Candidate For Governor Doesn't Plan To Use 'Deportation Bus' To Deport Anyone
This week Georgia state Senator and gubernatorial candidate Michael Williams released a campaign video featuring his "Deportation Bus." The side of it reads, "Fill this bus with illegals." → Read More
Candidates For Georgia Governor Woo Voters In Advance Of Primaries
Georgians will pick a new governor this year, and the primary elections are less than two weeks away. In advance of the May 22 primaries, candidates for governor are traveling around the state to share their messages with potential voters and are wooing them with television ads. WABE government and politics reporter → Read More
Gov. Nathan Deal Takes Action On 2 Controversial Measures On Veto Deadline
Tuesday was a big deadline for Gov. Nathan Deal. It was the last day for him to sign or veto measures sent to his desk by Georgia lawmakers during the 2018 legislative session. He waited until the last minute to act on a few controversial measures. One would allow residents to vote to create the new city of Eagle's → Read More
After Parkland, Some Republicans Try To Outdo Each Other On Gun Rights In Primaries
One campaign ad in Georgia, in which the candidate for governor points a gun at a young man, has spurred national outrage. Clinging to gun rights has been a strategy in some GOP primary races. → Read More
Progressive Groups Make Early Choices In Georgia Governor's Race
In Georgia’s Democratic primary for governor, it can be hard to find big policy differences between the two candidates: former state House Minority Leader → Read More
In Cybersecurity Industry, Calls For Veto Of Georgia Hacking Bill
A group of cybersecurity specialists, computer scientists, business owners, academics and students are calling on Gov. Nathan Deal to veto a bill that woul → Read More
Atlanta Activist Uses Russian-Backed Media To Spread Message
Anoa Changa is a progressive activist and political commentator in Atlanta. When I met her recently, Changa was preparing to record a segment for her own p → Read More
New Commission To Study Options For Georgia’s Next Voting System
After the state legislature failed to pass a bill that would have moved Georgia toward a paper-ballot voting system by 2020, the Secretary of State’s offic → Read More