Axios Atlanta

August 23, 2024
Welcome to the U.S.S. Friday, where it's nothing but good vibes.
☀️ Today's weather: Sunny and nice. High around 85.
Situational awareness: Atlanta City Council member Howard Shook, who represents part of Buckhead and is the longest-serving member of the legislative body, said yesterday he will not seek re-election next year.
🎂 Happy early birthday to our Axios Atlanta member Hugh Walton!
Today's newsletter is 866 words — a 3-minute read.
1 big thing: Georgia county election boards could become 2024 battleground
A steady stream of bureaucratic rule changes in Georgia is creating a framework that election deniers could use to delay the certification of the presidential election results come November, advocates say.
Why it matters: Former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris know the road to the White House runs through Georgia, and the new rules could help cast doubt and fan flames of suspicion surrounding the democratic process like it's 2020 all over again.
Driving the news: In recent months, MAGA and Republican activists have helped push the State Election Board's GOP appointees to approve what they market as common-sense measures — nuanced and subtle fixes to make elections more secure.
Yes, but: In reality, elections officials and progressive activists say the changes are not warranted. And if implemented, they say, the measures will trip up populous counties like Fulton and DeKalb, which also happen to be Democratic strongholds.
- "Elections are meant to be slow and deliberate processes with a whole lot of redundancies and checkpoints," Cathy Woolard, the former chair of the Fulton Board of Registration and Elections, told Axios. "You can't just drop in new processes and think that they logically work."
What they're saying: Assuming positive intent "would be defining a problem very clearly, listening to the people who do the job to come up with a solution, and then being very careful about the solutions that are implemented," said Woolard, who has filed an ethics complaint against the three-member majority bloc.
- "That is not what's happening. This is pure bullying force to implement changes that no one has asked for except perhaps Donald Trump and the Republican Party."
The latest: Top Republicans, including Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Attorney General Chris Carr, have criticized the board's rule-making and call to reopen an investigation into Fulton's handling of the 2020 election.
What's next: Despite calls for a time-out from a coalition of Georgia elections directors, voter registration workers and Democrats, the board members plan to consider additional measures at the Sept. 20 meeting.
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2. 🔎 New rules: Additional steps, 'reasonable inquiries' and possible hand-counts
New elections measures that were recently approved or are under consideration include:
Vote counts: On Aug. 19, the board approved a new rule that requires county boards to investigate and explain any inconsistency between the number of ballots cast and the number of people who voted before certifying the election.
- Election deniers secretly pushed for the measure, ProPublica first reported.
"Reasonable inquiries": County boards must now conduct a "reasonable inquiry" and can request election-related documents before certifying elections if they suspect vote totals are inaccurate.
Hand-counting ballots: The board next month will consider another rule to require three polling precinct workers at each voting location to match a hand-count of ballots to the machines' vote count, WABE reports.
- Under another rule, election boards would have to begin compiling vote totals and precinct results before provisional ballots and military and overseas votes are due.
3. Georgia’s car insurance 15% higher than national average


The cost of car insurance is hitting new highs nationwide, though drivers in Georgia are feeling the pain more than others.
Why it matters: Rising rates are fueling a transportation affordability crisis, especially in Atlanta, where car dependency has dominated for decades.
Driving the news: Georgia ranks 10th as the most expensive state for car insurance, with the average annual cost reaching $2,688 as of June, according to Insurify, which helps users collect quotes from multiple insurers.
- That's 15% higher than the national average.
Zoom out: The nationwide average annual cost of full-coverage car insurance hit $2,329 in June — up from $1,601 in January 2021, per Insurify.
Context: The overall cost of used and new cars has increased, driving up what insurers must pay to cover damages.
The bottom line: If you're looking to save on insurance, try shopping around — sometimes you'll get a deal with a new provider.
4. Report: Chick-fil-A exploring streaming platform
Chick-fil-A is reportedly cooking up its own streaming platform and ordering original content.
Why it matters: The sea of streaming services could be getting more crowded if the Atlanta-based chain moves beyond chicken sandwiches.
Driving the news: Entertainment news site Deadline first reported Wednesday that Chick-fil-A has been working with a number of major production companies including major studios on family-friendly content.
- A 10-episode family-friendly game show from the company behind NBC's "The Wall" is planned, Deadline reports.
- A Chick-fil-A spokesperson told Axios that the company didn't have "any news to share at this time."
Zoom in: Chick-fil-A chairman Dan Cathy is a majority owner of Trilith Studios, the largest production facility in the state of Georgia, the AJC reports.
- Direct spending from TV and film producers in Georgia dropped by 37% in the fiscal year that ended June 30 compared to fiscal year 2023, per the AJC.
5. Five-ish Points: Extras needed
⚖️ The University of Georgia is suing online retailers for counterfeiting and trademark infringement in their selling of alleged knockoff items. (AJC)
State Rep. Ruwa Romman, Georgia's only Palestinian-American legislator and delegate with the Uncommitted Movement, saw her group denied the chance to speak at the DNC. Here is what she planned to say. (Mother Jones)
🎬 Netflix show "Stranger Things" is casting in the Atlanta area for its upcoming season. (11 Alive)
😫 Kristal is soooooo glad the weekend is here.
🦶 Thomas is putting his faith in stretching and those retail ankle braces to help him bounce back from plantar fasciitis.
This newsletter was edited by Jen Ashley and copy edited by Lucia Maher and Anjelica Tan.
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