Mark Niesse
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Past articles by Mark:
Georgia state Rep. Tish Naghise dies
State Rep. Tish Naghise, a first-term Democrat from Fayetteville, has died at age 59, according to Georgia House Democrats. → Read More
5 bills to watch in the final days of the Georgia legislative session
Now that many bills failed and some survived, the major issues facing the Georgia General Assembly have become clearer during the home stretch of this year’s legislative session. Lawmakers will turn their focus to topics including prosecutor oversight, elections and transgender treatments after a long day of voting Monday. → Read More
Sports betting, voter bills could see legislative action on Crossover Day
A barrage of votes will take place at the Georgia Capitol on Monday, a critical deadline for bills to stay alive on topics such as gambling and voting rights. → Read More
Georgia panel approves bill to restrict ‘Zuckerbucks’ elections money
A Georgia Senate committee voted Monday to make it illegal for local governments to take donations to help them run elections, a reaction to millions of dollars contributed in 2020 by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. → Read More
New wave of Georgia election bills target ‘Zuckerbucks’ and bar codes
Republican Georgia senators rolled out a package of bills Thursday that continue to focus on perceived flaws in the 2020 election, attempting to restrict outside money, eliminate votes scanned from bar codes and ban foreigners from being hired as election workers. → Read More
Georgia ‘religious liberty’ bill proposed that matches federal law
A “religious liberty” bill introduced Tuesday calls for greater legal protections for religious Georgia residents, a proposal that gay rights advocates say could be used to justify discrimination. → Read More
Proposed kratom ban stalls in Georgia House
Georgia legislators declined to move forward Monday with a bill that would have banned kratom, a mostly unregulated herb. Several people said it contributed to the deaths of their family members, while others in a packed hearing at the Georgia Capitol told lawmakers that kratom helps ease their pain and anxiety. → Read More
Medical marijuana rules approved in a ‘milestone’ for sales in Georgia
The Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to pass medical marijuana rules, one of the last hurdles before registered patients would finally have a legal way to purchase the medicine that state law has already allowed them to use since 2015. → Read More
Public weighs in on medical marijuana rules before Georgia sales begin
Medical marijuana companies urged Georgia regulators Wednesday to quickly approve rules for production and distribution to registered patients, while skeptics of the drug asked for stronger protections against illegal use. → Read More
Elections might move faster with new Georgia registration system
An upgraded Georgia voter registration system is finally ready to launch, an improvement that officials say will speed up elections, make it easier for voters to change their addresses and ultimately reduce lines. → Read More
Georgia legislators pass rules on shielding their speech
Rules that aim to shield lawmakers from being compelled to testify in court proceedings passed both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly along a mostly party-line vote, with nearly all Democrats voting against the change and nearly all Republicans voting in favor. → Read More
Lawmakers elect Georgia House Speaker Burns on quick first day
Georgia lawmakers elected a new speaker of the House and a leader of the Senate on the first day of the state’s annual legislative session Monday — without the kind of fights recently seen in Washington. → Read More
What you need to know about Georgia’s General Assembly
A regular session of the Georgia General Assembly is limited to 40 official days, but those days can be spread out over a longer calendar period. Here are some key dates for the 2023 session: → Read More
Runoffs targeted in latest effort to tweak Georgia elections
Georgia’s unusual system of requiring a runoff whenever candidates fall short of a majority could be changed by the Republican-run General Assembly during this this year’s legislative session after a third straight runoff win by Democrats, when U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock defeated Republican Herschel Walker. → Read More
Talk show host and Georgia House candidate accused of illegal voting
Conservative North Georgia talk show host Brian K. Pritchard, a candidate for state House who rails against election fraud, allegedly voted illegally nine times while serving a felony sentence in a $33,000 forgery and theft case. → Read More
Runoff for US Senate will cost Georgia taxpayers millions of dollars
The runoff for U.S. Senate is expected to cost taxpayers over $10 million in the Atlanta area alone and many millions of dollars more across Georgia. Critics of Georgia’s runoff system say it’s wasteful and unnecessary. → Read More
Georgians encouraged to vote in-person rather than by mail in runoff
Election officials and voting groups are urging most Georgia voters to go to the polls instead of returning ballots by mail in the U.S. Senate runoff. → Read More
BREAKING: Saturday voting upheld in Georgia U.S. Senate runoff
The Georgia Court of Appeals has denied an attempt to stop early voting on Saturday for the U.S. Senate runoff, a ruling that allows counties to open polling places two days after the Thanksgiving holiday. → Read More
Judge allows Saturday voting before U.S. Senate runoff in Georgia
A Fulton County judge ruled Friday that Georgia law allows voting on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022, in U.S. Senate runoffs between Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker. → Read More
Georgia elections chief picks his own race for an audit
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced Thursday that election officials will audit his own race to confirm the results were correct. This will be the first statewide election audit since a hand tally of all 5 million ballots cast in the 2020 presidential election. → Read More