Fair Count

House, Senate advance bills critics say could curb right to protest • Georgia Recorder Two bills that could heighten penalties for protestors passed the House and Senate in separate contentious votes Tuesday.

Story from @mayahoman.bsky.social: Georgia House, Senate advance bills that critics say could curb ability to protest

Bill allowing Georgia property owners to sue over homelessness, immigration clears House • Georgia Recorder The bill targets local governments that decline to enforce some state laws, allowing property owners can sue for financial harm from lost property value.

The Georgia House of Representatives passed a measure Wednesday that could allow property owners to sue city and county governments if they fail to enforce state laws related to homelessness, public safety and immigration.

Story by @alander.bsky.social.

How a handful of states and districts could decide who runs Congress • Georgia Recorder WASHINGTON — Republicans and Democrats will spend billions of dollars and countless hours campaigning throughout the country ahead of November’s midterm elections, even though control of Congress like...

Despite billions spent, control of Congress rests on just four Senate races and 18 House toss-ups. These are the only contests where candidates have even odds—the rest due to redistricting have effectively been decided before voters cast ballots.

[+] bit.ly/3N5X8mG

The Politics of Judicial Elections 2023-24  Spending hit new highs, fueled largely by interest groups and battles over abortion rights. 

Our new report on the latest state supreme court elections finds:
• $157 million spent nationwide
• 7 states set records
• Interest groups accounted for 54% of spending (also a record)
bit.ly/4b7GIn7

Bill would curb public access to police footage depicting death • Georgia Recorder HB 1223 has prompted criticism from First Amendment advocates, who say the bill would restrict the public's access to government records.

Lawmakers are contemplating a measure that would prevent the public from accessing law enforcement audio and video recordings that show a person’s death after the bill’s sponsor argued that new restrictions are needed to preserve the dignity of the people depicted in the footage.

It's All on the Line! MS Primary Election Phone Bank with SPLC · Fair Count Voters in Mississippi need someone like YOU. On March 10th, primary elections will shape communities—but only if people show up to vote. Fair Count and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) are hosti...

Fair Count and SPLC are hosting a phone bank to help voters get the information they need to participate in Mississippi's primary elections on March 10.

Join us—we'll provide the support to make it easy!

TODAY! Tue, March 3
6pm EST
RSVP 👉🏾 bit.ly/3O9zF4j

Only a fraction of House seats are competitive. Redistricting is driving that lower Primary voters in a small number of districts play an outsized role in deciding who wins Congress. The Trump-initiated mid-decade redistricting is driving that number of competitive seats even lower.

Fewer competitive House races are expected this fall, with experts blaming the White House-initiated mid-decade redistricting. Over 90% of contests will be effectively decided in low-turnout primaries, sidelining general election voters.

[+] n.pr/4b7xM14

How States’ Seats in the U.S. House Could Change After the Next Census At the halfway point in the decade, newly released census data points to continued shifts in representation after the 2030 census, but some big unknowns lurk.

New census estimates suggest major House reapportionment shifts after 2030. Unlike past cycles, considerable uncertainty clouds these projections due to possible long-term immigration changes and other evolving demographic trends.

More: bit.ly/46fJOTh

New GOP anti-voting bill may be the most dangerous attack on voting rights ever The MEGA Act represents one of the most catastrophic proposals for democracy in the United States.

The proposed sweeping elections overhaul known as MEGA, would imposes photo ID, a voter surveillance system, aggressive voter roll purges, universal mail voting and late ballot ban, registration funding cuts, and authorizes suits against officials. Vote expected soon.

[+] bit.ly/4qb07bc

FBI raid in Fulton County relied on previously investigated 2020 election claims • Georgia Recorder The 19-page filing alleges that Fulton County “knowingly and willfully deprive(d)” voters of a fair election process.

The document, which was under seal until Tuesday, cited irregularities in the 2020 election that federal authorities claim necessitated the seizure of the documents, though critics say the claims have already been adjudicated or debunked in the six years since the election took place.

Broadband Access Could Expand to ‘Every Area’ of Mississippi After Federal BEAD Approval Mississippi is one step closer to having internet access in every area of the state after the federal government approved a broadband expansion plan.

Mississippi is one step closer to having internet access in “every area of the state that still lacks access to high-speed internet” after the federal government approved the state’s broadband expansion plan, Gov. Tate Reeves announced Tuesday.

www.mississippifreepress.org/broadband-ac...

The SAVE Act failed to pass last year because of nationwide public opposition. Now it’s back, and Congress should reject it again. Add your voice: bit.ly/4tmVIor

ICE to begin detaining immigrants inside Social Circle warehouse in April Homeland Security plans to build warehouse detention facilities in other cities being met with opposition.

ICE has now spent over half a BILLION dollars just on purchasing warehouses around the country to convert into detention camps.

If these mega-camps are utilized to the full capacity ICE intends, they'll be the largest prisons in the country, with little real oversight. www.ajc.com/politics/202...

“Confidential” Agreements Show Trump Administration’s Plans for States’ Voter Data At least 10 states have handed over their full voter files to the Justice Department.

Despite most states refusing, at least 10 have given the DOJ full voter files, covering 37 million voters. A secret memorandum exposes plans to interfere with state election authority and highlights the dangerous insecurity of the sensitive personal data.

bit.ly/45VmtpP

JFK to Trump: Insurrection Act Goes From Civil Rights to Political Combat The military has been used domestically about 30 times since 1807, mostly to enforce civil rights and quell riots. Can they be used to quash political protests?

The Insurrection Act allows presidents to deploy the military domestically. While historically used to uphold rights or quell riots, the president has threatened to deploy troops for a far different reason, highlighting a shift in its application.

bit.ly/3LG0KLP

New Republican election officials make voting harder in North Carolina Read more here.

NC – Conservative-led election boards began the year by closing early voting sites and sending voter data to the federal SAVE database. While election denying officials claim "several thousand" inaccuracies, state audits revealed only a few dozen.

More: bit.ly/4buFDWX

Georgia Power wins approval for massive expansion despite protests - The Current The Georgia Public Service Commission unanimously voted to grant Georgia Power permission to build five gas-powered plants and contract for additional power from other suppliers, despite criticism tha...

In a final act, Georgia’s then all-conservative PSC regulators ended 2025 by granting Georgia Power a historic expansion—a near 50% capacity increase costing up to $60 billion, a burden critics say will fall on generations of Georgians.

More: bit.ly/4rw85Nc

Trump says Republicans should ‘nationalize’ elections The comments come less than a week after the FBI raided an elections facility in Georgia.

www.politico.com/news/2026/02...

The F.B.I.’s Extraordinary Seizure of Voting Records Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, brokered a call in which President Trump directly questioned frontline agents about their investigation.

Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, brokered a call in which President Trump questioned frontline agents about their investigation into voter fraud in Georgia.

On "The Daily," our reporter discusses the call that shows how personally involved Trump has become in the investigation.

The Trump Administration exempts new nuclear reactors from environmental review The announcement comes just days after NPR revealed the administration had secretly rewritten safety and environmental standards.

The announcement comes just days after NPR revealed the administration had secretly rewritten safety and environmental standards.

#BlackHistoryMonth reminds us our roots run deep. A century later, this month still remains a celebration of legacy, community love, and the unbreakable spirit that connects our past triumphs to today's brilliance.

Happy Black History Month!!!

What will 2026 bring for US migration policy? | Brookings Marcela Escobari outlines what 2026 could bring for U.S. migration policy and why a deterrence-only immigration strategy is failing.

The damaging effects of a punitive, enforcement-focused immigration model are growing. This approach is justified by a misleading narrative that draconian policies are unavoidable for border control, a notion disproven by recent history and experience.

More: bit.ly/4a2kIIG

Stacey Abrams’s campaign to fight authoritarianism gains steam: ‘We are a force multiplier’ Exclusive: Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate has brought together a wide tranche of civic groups to build a groundwork to defend democracy

“We are in an authoritarian regime,” [@staceyabrams] said. “This is defined as competitive authoritarianism. We have been demoted on the democracy index, and our nation no longer abides by the rule of law as a basic premise.”

Organizing and mobilizing to defeat authoritarianism: bit.ly/4sPchZX

Mail voting fraud: Data points to low risk and high benefits for voters | Brookings Analysis finds mail voting fraud in the U.S. is exceedingly rare and shows universal vote-by-mail boosts access, turnout, and cost efficiency.

A proposed executive order to restrict mail voting nationally is seen by legal experts as a constitutional overreach. This move challenges election procedures at a time when most Americans feel democracy is under threat.

More: bit.ly/4o3vIKY

DHS Agrees to Overhaul Federal Immigration System for Mass Voter Screenings Read more here.

DHS will retrofit its SAVE database for voter verification under a settlement with 4 states (FL, IN, IA + OH). Critics warn the system, prone to error, will now conduct mass citizenship checks, threatening wrongful voter purges and privacy on a large scale.

More: bit.ly/4495mju

We don't just hope for change; we engineer it using data. With 200+ leaders trained and 300+ strategic partnerships forged, our plan is working. This #GivingTuesday, join us by investing in a blueprint for a more equitable Deep South.

Give today! faircount.co/donate

Coffee run? ✅
Lunch plans? ✅
Voting in your local runoff? ✅

GA + MS — it's runoff Election Day!
This is your final opportunity to be heard.

Polls are open until 7pm local time.

Find your official voting info:
GA: bit.ly/3MuwIoV
MS: bit.ly/46184FU

If Trump Sells Student Loan Portfolio, Avenues of Debt Cancellation Could Close Privatizing student loan debt would mean less protection for debtors, more suffering, and fewer paths to relief.

The push to privatize the student loan portfolio fits a broader vision of governmental retreat. This model abandons public support for education, creating a system where wealth dictates opportunity and debt becomes a permanent, privately-managed burden.

+ bit.ly/47DWXXp

Federal Census policy breaks Georgia’s democracy — state lawmakers can fix it Georgia’s redistricting data was once again skewed after the 2020 Census; the state needs to take action to fix the issue for 2030.

Prison gerrymandering dilutes the political power of nearly all Georgians by inflating the population counts of districts w/prisons. It disproportionately harms Black communities, cementing the racial inequities of mass incarceration into electoral maps.

bit.ly/3JB5Rfa

Georgia isn’t redrawing districts despite Trump’s push. At least for now. Georgia's Republican leaders say they will wait until the U.S. Supreme Court's Voting Rights Act ruling before deciding whether to redraw congressional maps.

The GA GOP isn't planning new maps. Yet. "Redrawing district lines in Georgia could make some Republican seats in the closely divided state competitive. And any changes could be preempted by a pending [SCOTUS] decision on the Voting Rights Act."

[+] bit.ly/4oEvWsm