Long before the first ballot is cast in November, elections in Georgia are already underway, in county offices where election directors and their staffs are checking voter rolls, planning polling places, and preparing to train the thousands of poll workers who will greet voters this fall. This week, the League of Women Voters of Georgia’s “How Georgia Votes” series introduces the people behind the process.
Each of Georgia’s 159 counties runs its own elections under state law, led by a county election director or board of elections and staffed by professionals who do this work year-round. The poll workers who check voters in, answer questions, and keep lines moving are hired from the community they serve. They are retired teachers, small business owners, college students, and church volunteers. They are your neighbors. Before they ever touch a poll pad, every one of them completes training required by state law and takes an oath to conduct the election honestly and impartially.
“The person who checks you in at your polling place probably shops at your grocery store,” said Jackie Killings, President of the League of Women Voters of Georgia. “Georgia’s elections aren’t run from some distant office. They are run at folding tables in school gyms and community centers in Augusta, Moultrie, Dahlonega, and every place in between, by trained and sworn members of your own community. Knowing who these people are is one of the best reasons to trust the process they run.”
Counties across Georgia are recruiting poll workers now for the November 3 general election. Poll workers are paid for training and for each day worked, and no prior experience is required — just eligibility to work in the county and a willingness to serve. Georgians interested in seeing an election from the inside can contact their county election office or visit the Secretary of State’s website to apply.
Next week in the series: the paper trail, how every Georgia ballot produces a paper record, and how voters can follow their own ballot through the process.
About the League of Women Voters of Georgia
The League of Women Voters of Georgia is a nonpartisan organization that encourages informed and active participation in government. The League never supports or opposes candidates or political parties. Through roughly fifteen local Leagues across the state, volunteers register voters, host candidate forums, and provide trusted election information through Vote411.org.
Learn more about the League of Women Voters of Georgia at lwvga.org.To see information about activities of the local League of Women Voters of Marietta-Cobb County, along with Cobb-specific voting and elections information, visit lwvmariettacobbga.com.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Chris Ragsdale said at a back-to school rally for teachers and staff that there are those “who think that we are doing the wrong thing by removing inappropriate sexually explicit materials who have chosen to run for the Board of Education.”
Cobb County School District Superintendent Chris Ragsdale has repeatedly defended decisions to remove sexually explicit books and other materials for the last few years, without reservation.
He tied the introduction of sexually explicit materials to young people with sex trafficking, and pushed back against critics who have accused the district of imposing book bans.
“What’s even more disturbing is that the environment that I just described—there are some of those very people who think that we are doing the wrong thing by removing these inappropriate sexually explicit materials who have chosen to run for the Board of Education,” Ragsdale said at the kickoff, which took place at Harrison High School.
“Make no mistake about it. It’s about the protection and safety of kids. Nothing having to do with politics. There is no room for disagreeing with what we’re doing. Somebody that disagrees with it has no business in education or anywhere around education, where there is responsibility of kids.”
Ragsdale didn’t mention anyone by name, but the Post 4 challenger Micheal Garza, a Democrat, came out swinging in response earlier this week.
He called Ragsdale’s speech a “tirade” that “was not only appalling in its content, but even more so in that he felt like this is what teachers needed to hear days before their first day of classes. Our teachers deserve a leader who doesn’t question their integrity because they don’t agree with the decisions he makes.”
Garza—who is trying to unseat Post 4 three-term Republican incumbent David Chastain—didn’t get much support when he posted those comments last weekend on his campaign’s Facebook page.
“Was his speech long winded? Yes. Should he have brought up politics? No. Is he perfect? No,” wrote a commenter who has been a Cobb teacher for 15 years. “But he has done an amazing job as superintendent. I feel supported with staff, supplies, trainings as well as the the money I am making.”
Another said that “I thank the good Lord for Ragsdale, who has the courage to stand against the forces that are eager to corrupt other people’s children. We must re-elect David Chastain. Sorry Garza, you are so wrong on this issue.”
After a contentious meeting in July in which some citizens complained of President Trump’s rally at Wheeler High School, tensions rose even higher Thursday during public comment at the Cobb Board of Education.
Ragsdale’s critics came out in strong force. Some read from social media comments from anonymous staff and teachers, or spoke on behalf of them “because they don’t feel safe speaking up for themselves.”
One of them is Katie Hearn, the mother of Hillgrove High School graduates, who told the board that “teachers are disheartened, and stunned by their superintendent’s lack of professionalism and leadership.”
She read from a comment from an unidentified teacher/staffer who claimed that Ragsdale’s “condescending remarks about a school board candidate” were “a conflict of interest in a speech meant to be inspirational.”
Laura Judge of East Cobb, who ran as a Democrat in 2024 for Post 5, told the board that “when taxpayer-funded events leave staff questioning the person leading them, our board should pay attention.”
At a Thursday night school board meeting, Ragsdale didn’t back down, repeating his comments about the need to purge sexually explicit materials.
He also said that “contrary to what it is now being suggested by some political campaigns, we do not fire educators simply because they read books to children.”
That was a swipe at Garza, who has been critical of the district’s decision to terminate former Due West Elementary School teacher Katie Rinderle in 2023.
She was the subject of a parental complaint for reading a book to her fifth-grade class about gender identity.
Ragsdale said she was fired “for making a decision for parents and intentionally elementary-age students to content with which which some families might disgree,” among other reasons.
He would up his comments by insisting that “I shall not be moved” and that “sexually explicit materials in schools is not a political issue, it is a student safety and protection issue.”
The district highlighted that comment in a release distributed after the meeting, as well as a statement from Chastain, the current school board vice chairman, that “we choose what’s best to nurture a young mind and to nurture a young heart.
“So yes, certain books are not permitted in the Cobb County School District, and that is because we’re thinking about protecting children.”
Chastain made similar remarks on Monday at a campaign fundraiser that included U.S. Rep. Clay Fuller, who told an audience at the Governor’s Gun Club that the school board race in Post 4 was “a fight of good vs. evil.”
At that event, Chastain touted Cobb as the “the largest conservative school district” on the country. “Family values and conservative principles are what guide us. This election is about maintaining that stability . . . that is how we ensure that students have a learning environment that is free from distraction.”
But on Thursday Garza noted that Ragsdale spoke about sexually explicit materials for 14 minutes during the school board meeting and only a few seconds about an incident at Campbell Middle School in which a student was found with a gun.
(Ragsdale said he couldn’t say much because of an ongoing “multi-state investigation” and that the student in question is in custody “and will face the full consequences.”)
Garza countered that “our students don’t need to be protected from books. They need to be protected from the growing epidemic of gun violence in our schools and communities. Our families are worried about it. Our teachers are worried about it.
“Those are the conversations that we should be having. But we’re not having them because of this board—a board that fails to hold our Superintendent and district accountable. We can change that with one single race in November.”
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Two Democrats seeking to unseat long-standing Republican incumbents in East Cobb will be holding a joint community kickoff event on Thursday.
Kevin Redmon, a candidate for District 3 on the Cobb Board of Commissioners, and Michelle Schreiner, who is vying for State House Seat 45 in the Georgia General Assembly, will meet with voters Thursday from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Chimney Lakes subdivision clubhouse (4350 Lake Chimney Court).
According to a release sent by Redmon’s campaign, attendees “will have the opportunity to meet both candidates, hear about their campaigns and learn about upcoming volunteer and canvassing opportunities. The campaigns will also collect school supplies for distribution in the community.”
Kevin Redmon
Redmon is on the November ballot against four-term Republican commissioner JoAnn Birell in Disrict 3, which includes most of East Cobb.
Schreiner is facing State Rep. Sharon Coooper, a Republican who has been in office since 1997 and is chairwoman of the House Health Committee.
Democrats are challenging Republican incumbents throughout East Cobb, which has long been a GOP stronghold.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The most common Election Day surprise in Georgia isn’t long lines — it’s discovering that a move, a marriage, or a simple typo left your registration out of date. This week, the League of Women Voters of Georgia’s “How Georgia Votes” series shows voters how to head that off with a two-minute check, well ahead of the October 5 registration deadline.
Every registered Georgian has a personal record on the state’s My Voter Page (mvp.sos.ga.gov), maintained by the Secretary of State’s office. Log in with your name, county, and date of birth, and you can see your registration status, your assigned polling place, a sample of the exact ballot you’ll receive, and, once voting begins, the status of any absentee ballot you request. Vote411.org, the League’s own nonpartisan voter information site, offers the same starting point, along with candidate information as it becomes available.
The check matters most for anyone whose life has changed since the last election. Moved across town or across the state, even within the same county? Your registration address needs to match where you live. Married or changed your name? The name on your registration should match the name on your photo ID. Each of these updates can be made through the same online portal or at your county registrar’s office, and each takes only minutes, provided it happens by October 5.
“I tell people to check their registration the way they’d check the batteries in a smoke detector. It takes two minutes, and you want to find out now, not the morning it matters,” said Jackie Killings, President of the League of Women Voters of Georgia. “Whether you vote in Floyd County or Fulton County, the My Voter Page shows you your own record, your own polling place, and your own ballot. It is your election, and the state has built you a window into it.”
Next week in the series: the people who run Georgia’s elections — county election directors, trained poll workers, and the neighbors who make voting work in all 159 counties.
About the League of Women Voters of Georgia
The League of Women Voters of Georgia is a nonpartisan organization that encourages informed and active participation in government. The League never supports or opposes candidates or political parties. Through roughly fifteen local Leagues across the state, volunteers register voters, host candidate forums, and provide trusted election information through Vote411.org.
Learn more about the League of Women Voters of Georgia at lwvga.org.To see information about activities of the local League of Women Voters of Marietta-Cobb County, along with Cobb-specific voting and elections information, visit lwvmariettacobbga.com.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Micheal Garza said his campaign donors are mostly local, reflecting “an indication of strong grassroots support from teachers, community members, and parents of students in our schools.”
With partisan control of the Cobb Board of Education at stake in the November elections, leaders of the Republican Party that holds on to a slim majority are taking aim at the candidate who’s vowing to change all that.
Democrat Michael Garza is challenging three-term Republican incumbent David Chastain in the Post 4 race in Northeast Cobb, which includes the Kell, Lassiter and Sprayberry attendance zones.
The GOP holds a 4-3 majority on the school board in Cobb, which once was heavily Republican. But Democrats control the Cobb Board of Commissioners and the Cobb legislative delegation and occupy all countywide offices.
The Post 4 race is the only contested campaign for the Cobb school board in the general election, as Smyrna-area Democratic incumbents Becky Sayler and Nichelle Davis have no Republican opponents.
On Monday, the current and several former Cobb Republican Party chairs, as well as state GOP leaders, issued a press release demanding that Garza return several thousand dollars in campaign contributions from his biggest individual donor.
That donor is Michael Tafelski, an East Cobb resident who is a supervising attorney with the Southern Poverty Law Center, who’s contributed $6,000 to Garza’s campaign.
The SPLC, which has filed several suits against the Cobb County School District on a variety of matters, recently was indicted by a federal grand jury for wire fraud and other charges.
The SPLC is alleged to have donated more than $3 million to informants within violent and extremist groups, including the Ku Klux Klan and Aryan Nations, while raising money to to dismantle them. A former SPLC employee has been arrested in connection with allegations in the indictment.
In Monday’s release (you can read it here) the Georgia and Cobb GOP leaders said that “Cobb County voters deserve to know whether [Garza] supports the Southern Poverty Law Center’s agenda or whether he will return the money and publicly distance himself from the conduct alleged in the federal indictment.”
Among the signatories is Georgia Republican Party chairman Josh McKoon, Cobb Republican Party chairwoman Mary Clarice Hathaway and her predecessors, including Salleigh Grubbs, Jason Shepherd, Scott Johnson and Rose Wing.
Post 4 Republican incumbent David Chastain said that “we must not start chasing the newest unproven instructional fads.”
Garza told East Cobb News Tuesday he has no intention of returning Tafelski’s donations and stressed the local nature of what he calls his “grassroots” campaign.
“Mr. Tafelski is a parent of a child in Cobb County schools and a well respected volunteer within the community,” Garza said.
“He’s not been accused of a crime, and his employer has no bearing on the donation he made in a personal capacity. It does not disqualify him from being able to have a say in the direction of his child’s educational experience.”
East Cobb News also has left a message with Tafelski seeking comment.
Garza, who’s active in the Keheley Elementary School PTA and the East Cobb County Council of PTAs, said his campaign has received 283 individual donations, and only one from an organization. That’s a $2,000 check from the political action committee of the Cobb County Association of Educators.
According to a financial disclosure report filed last week (you can read it here) Garza has raised $42,000 and has $16,000 cash on hand.
Garza said it was telling that the GOP letter is “another in a series of outside political distractions being brought into our county that have nothing to do with our public schools.
“Our families can’t afford to have leaders who care more about retaining power for a political party than they care about actually serving the students in our community.”
Chastain, the current Cobb school board vice chairman, was not among those signatories.
Late last month, he sent out a campaign newsletter entitled “Cobb County Schools—Town Hall Newsletter” and said that “I will continue my pledge to always protect parents’ right to guide their own children.”
The parental rights’ issue has been cited repeatedly by Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale—whose most vocal critics include Garza—on such issues as removal of school books deemed inappropriate for minors.
Without being specific, Chastain also said in the newsletter that “we must not start chasing the newest unproven instructional fads.”
Last week, a video message called for the need to “stay away from distractions and keep other things from the outside from affecting how we manage our children and support our teachers.”
According to Chastain’s financial disclosure statement (you can read it here) he has raised $29,000 with $17,000 cash on hand.
He’s having a fundraiser next week on Monday at the Governor’s Gun Club in Kennesaw with U.S. Rep. Clay Fuller.
Cobb Democrats are having a “special meeting” Saturday morning called “Cobb School Board and You” at Bridge Pointe Church in Marietta.
On Saturday afternoon, Garza will be involved in a “Flip the Cobb School Board” canvassing session from 1-4 p.m. at Noonday Park.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
A Democrat seeking to unseat four-term Republican incumbent JoAnn Birrell on the Cobb Board of Commissioner has reported raising more than $100,000.
According to campaign disclosure reports filed last week, Kevin Redmon has spent roughly half of that total as the District 3 general election campaign heats up.
District 3 covers most of East Cobb, and is the only contested commissioner’s race in November.
Democrats control the five-member body with a 3-2 majority, and the two Republican-held seats are on the ballot this year.
In May, two-term Republican incumbent Keli Gambrill won her primary in District 1 in West Cobb, and is unopposed in November.
Redmon, who ran for the Cobb Board of Commissioners in 2024 in District 2 and was a “community cabinet” member for former commissioner Jerica Richardson, has reported raising $100,520 in contributions for the District 3 race.
His disclosure report (you can read it here) reports that he has $50,386 on hand.
Redmon announced his candidacy last October and was unopposed in the May primary, while Birrell easily defeated Chris Wasserman in the Republican primary.
Birrell’s campaign disclosure report (you can read it here) indicates that she has raised $50,839, and has $32,007 on hand.
His campaign issued a release Monday saying that nearly 80 percent of donors live in Cobb, and more than 60 percent of contributors have given 100 or less.
But Redmon also has received large contributions from several sources, including $3,300 amounts from Goldman Sachs tecnology executive Justin Smith; noted Atlanta homebuilder John Wieland; and The Barnes Law Group, the practice run by former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes.
Among the biggest expenses are $13,000 for campaign manager Mindy Seger, a leader with the anti-cityhood group East Cobb Alliance who also was an adviser to Richardson.
Birrell is the longest-serving member on the Cobb commission. Among her campaign contributors are $3,300 from Building Together, the political action committee of the Georgia Home Builders Association; $2,500 from the Project Health Solutions PAC; $2,000 each from Cynthia Reichard and Steve Tanner, top executives at Arylessence Inc., a privately held fragrance firm based in East Cobb; $2,000 from Ben Mathis, managing partner of the Cumberland law firm Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP; and $2,000 from the Freeman Mathis Decisions PAC.
The primary expenses reported by Birrell are $12,000 for campaign mailings.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Sixty-one years ago, the Voting Rights Act was signed into law, a promise that every eligible American’s voice would count. This year, as Georgians prepare to choose a governor, a United States senator, and leaders in every county from Whitfield to Fulton to Colquitt, the League of Women Voters of Georgia is marking that anniversary by launching “How Georgia Votes,” a weekly series that walks through exactly how an election runs in this state — from the moment you register to the moment the results are certified.
Each week between now and November 3, the League will publish a plain-language explanation of one piece of the process: how to register and check your registration, who runs elections in your county, how every Georgia ballot produces a paper record, how voting equipment is tested before a single vote is cast, and how the count is audited after the polls close. No jargon, no politics, just how it works, because Georgians deserve to see the machinery of their own democracy up close.
“Elections in Georgia are run by our neighbors in county offices in Dalton and Moultrie just as in Atlanta, and the process they follow is careful, layered, and open to public view,” said Jackie Killings, President of the League of Women Voters of Georgia. “When voters can see each step for themselves, confidence follows. That confidence is what carries people to the polls.”
The deadline to register for the November 3 general election is Monday, October 5. Voters can check their registration status any time at the Georgia My Voter Page (mvp.sos.ga.gov) or through Vote411.org.
Registering to Vote in Georgia: Everything You Need to Know
Every Georgia election begins the same way, with a voter registration list built one neighbor at a time. This week, the League of Women Voters of Georgia’s “How Georgia Votes” series covers the first step in the process: getting on that list, and helping others do the same, ahead of the October 5 registration deadline for the November 3 general election.
Any U.S. citizen who lives in Georgia and will be at least 18 years old by Election Day can register. Registration takes only a few minutes: (1) online through the Georgia Secretary of State’s registration portal for anyone with a Georgia driver’s license or state ID, (2) by mail using a paper application available at any county registrar’s office or public library, (3) or in person when renewing a license at the Department of Driver Services. Every application, however it arrives, is reviewed and verified by trained election staff in the voter’s home county before a name is added to the rolls.
“Registration is where trust in our elections starts, because it is where accuracy starts,” said Jackie Killings, President of the League of Women Voters of Georgia. “Every name on Georgia’s voter list was checked by an election professional in one of our 159 counties — someone who lives in that community and answers to it. That is true whether your county office sits in downtown Atlanta or on the square in a town of two thousand people.”
Georgians who want to help friends, family, or neighbors register can do so. Anyone may give someone else an application or direct them to the Secretary of State’s portal, and community groups that plan to hold registration drives can find the state’s guidelines through their county registrar. Local Leagues of Women Voters across the state host registration events year-round and welcome volunteers.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The Cobb Board of Elections and Registration will be asked next week to consider a new location for the Bells Ferry 2 precinct in Northeast Cobb.
The board will meet next Tuesday to consider a request to permanently move the polling location from the Kulture Event Center (2932 Canton Road) to Legacy Church (1030 Blackwell Road).
According to a public notice, Cobb Elections said the move is necessary because “this precinct would no longer operate as a co-located precinct with Addison 01.”
The move would be effective on Aug. 11, and in time for the November general elections.
The Kulture Event Center served as the temporary precinct location for Bells Ferry 2 in the May primaries, after being moved from Christ Worship Center on Canton Road.
It was one of several relocations for this year’s elections, as Cobb Elections used some venues for dual precinct operations.
They included several in East Cobb, including the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center, where long delays ensued due to technical problems with computer check-in devices.
In the November elections, the Sewell Mill Library will continue to be the polling locations for the Eastside 2 and Powers Ferry 1 precincts; Sope Creek Elementary School is the voting location for the Sope Creek 2 and Terrell Mill 1 precincts; Chestnut Ridge Christian Church is the venue for the Chestnut Ridge 1 and Hightower 1 precincts; Crossview Baptist Church is the polling station for the Gritters 1 and Elizabeth 2 precincts; the Catholic Church of St. Ann is the joint location for the Roswell 1 and Timber Ridge 1 precincts; and Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church is the polling station for the Post Oak 1 and Willeo 1 precincts.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
President Donald Trump speaking at a rally at Wheeler High School. Photo by Aaron Cleveland for East Cobb News.
The following was submitted in response to “Editor’s Note: On Political bias and breaking news,” explaining East Cobb News’ coverage of President Trump’s appearance last week at Wheeler High School. It has been lightly edited for style and punctuation and to include related links:
Hi Wendy,
What are your readers to think? Do you really believe you pass for a non-partisan reporter? I too have been taken aback at your unbalanced reporting of President Trump’s Wheeler event [link to ECN coverage here] when he previewed the Trump Accounts to our community.
Seriously, was it just any other day in Georgia and United States when families learn they now have the opportunity for a life changing financial future for their children? You might want to reassess what takes precedence and priority in your reporting.
News flash, the Trump Accounts is a game changer for a whole lot of students and their families. That is the real news.
Frankly, I thought I was reading something from Essence Johnson [head of the Cobb County Democratic Committee] or Indivisible or the DSA [liberal political groups]. So if that’s the direction of your newsletter, perhaps consider changing the name from East Cobb News to:
East Cobb Indivisible News
East Cobb Mockingbird News
Did I miss the complaints of biased coverage from your Indivisible/TDS/DSA/No Kings/BLM protesters about favoring Trump and the Cobb MAGA attendees on Wednesday? I didn’t think so.
Nothing screams guilty like backpedaling defensiveness. A child would have been able to figure out your passive-aggressive, angry tone about Trump and the attendees—in both of your articles.
So little ol’ Cobb County, Georgia has the President of the United States showing up at our Wheeler High School to do a feature presentation about the Trump Accounts and you do your best to gaslight the whole purpose of his visit and focus on the protesters? That, Wendy, is taken right from the Democrat playbook.
Seriously, this is really disappointing in so many ways. I’ve always made it point to let your advertising sponsors know that I saw their ad in your publication.
Wendy, your pathetic bipartisan coverage of a historical day in Cobb County lost you a TON of credibility.
Christine Rozman
Marietta
“The truth has no defense against a fool determined to believe a lie.” —Mark Twain
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
At a Thursday night Cobb Board of Education meeting, Ragsdale defended the district’s decision to allow Trump and leading Georgia Republican candidates to speak inside the Wheeler gym.
Shortly after he began reading from prepared remarks, a few citizens interrupted with heckling, just as they did during a public comment period prior to that.
He said the White House decision to come to a Cobb school was “a rare and historic honor,” and while there were protestors, “the large majority of Cobb residents treated it as the honor it was.”
Ragsdale spoke briefly at the start of the Trump event, and acknowledged in his comments Thursday that while this president is “not universally liked,” other presidents have not as well.
But “like all of them, when the president of the United States chooses to honor your school district, you say yes.
“The saying, ‘Not My President’ is not an option for a school system . . . We do not control the president, the White House, the Secret Service or the content of any remarks of anyone the president asks to speak.”
At both board meetings Thursday, many speakers said that’s why there shouldn’t have been what they said amounted to a political rally to take place on a public school ground at all.
All of the other elected officials on the Wheeler stage were Republican nominees for state office—governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and secretary of state.
Some questioned the district’s process for permitting the Trump event to take place, and how much local taxpayer dollars and district staff time was spent.
“We’re just seeking some transparency about the planning and the execution of the event,” said Laura Judge of East Cobb, who ran for the Post 5 school board seat as a Democrat in 2024.
“You had to know that Trump’s appearance would further divide Cobb neighbors and increase angst,” said Rose Caplan during the evening board meeting.
“Why would you host a political rally when the headlines spread vile propaganda and disrespect for women?”
Andrew Nelms gives the Cobb school board and superintendent the finger after his microphone was cut off during public comment.
A few minutes before that, the meeting was stopped for a moment when speaker Andrew Nelms began yelling at the board during his public comment.
“Why did you welcome a pedophile to one of our schools? Why did you stump for it?”
When board chairman Randy Scamihorn asked for order, Nelms shot back that “there should have been order yesterday!”
Nelms had his microphone cut off, then flipped a bird toward the dais.
Ella Ugwuandu, a 2023 Wheeler graduate, told the board that when she learned her former high school was to have a Trump event, “it felt like a gut punch.”
She said Wheeler’s strength is its diversity and having the event at Wheeler “truly rattled my trust in the district’s ability to protect and represent Cobb County students.”
But several speakers thanked Ragsdale and the board for having the event.
One of them was Leroy Emkin of Marietta, a retired Georgia Tech professor, who said it was “an honor” for Cobb schools to have “a president of the United States who chose to come here.
Chris Ragsdale meets with U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon at the Trump event at Wheeler HS.
“You have done an incredible job to keep DEI out of our schools, to keep woke out of our schools, and to teach our kids what they need to know in school.”
At the later meeting, the district presented a video from the Wheeler event, which also was interrupted, so Scamihorn ordered that it be shown again.
Ragsdale said that Trump is the third sitting president to visit a Cobb school, following Ronald Reagan in 1984 and George W. Bush in 2003. Barack Obama also held a campaign rally at McEachern High School in 2008 during his first run for the presidency.
“Anyone who opposes our district having the president needs to take a long, hard look in the mirror and ask themselves if they are supporting students or waving their own political flag,” Ragsdale said.
You can watch all the public commenters below, thanks to the Cobb County Courier (since the Cobb school district does not air them), followed by Ragsdale’s full remarks.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
It felt like a rock-and-roll party with a president serving as the maestro.
For most of the day on Wednesday, fans of President Donald Trump waited outside, and then inside the gymnasium, at Wheeler High School, eager to get a glimpse and take part in in a program touting the American economy and a new investment program for children.
Fans of President Trump could get their pictures taken before Wednesday’s rally.
Those who don’t like the president showed up in droves too, in multiple locations, to register their displeasure that Trump’s appearance was nothing more than a partisan political rally conducted on the grounds of the Cobb County School District.
Several prominent Georgia Republican candidates running for statewide office this fall spoke—no Democrats did—as did two of Trump’s cabinet secretaries in a jam-packed Wildcat Arena.
Not far away, at Eastvalley Elementary School, and the Pavilions at East Lake Shopping Center, Trump foes hoisted signs and chanted their opposition.
There were no reported signs of trouble or incident at any venue during the day-long event. Parking lots at Wheeler and Eastvalley opened at 8 a.m., and traffic was still filing out near 6 p.m.
There was a heavy law enforcement presence at two schools, with a full force of Cobb County School District police officers and Cobb Police, in addition to te U.S. Secret Service protecting the president.
Photo by Nicholas Hoffman.
Hundreds of attendees lined up hours before the event began and as the weather began to turn hot. Several food trucks offered some quick food—a television correspondent wolfed down a hamburger before heading through the press entry.
And there were numerous black armored vehicles surrounding the Wheeler campus as a security sweep was conducted mid-morning.
The attendees waiting hours for Trump to arrive, entertained by an eclectic playlist ranging from Elvis Presley to disco tunes to “How Great Thou Art” and Trump’s signature rally song, “YMCA.”
“We’re finally turning money over to our children,” the president said of the Trump Accounts. Photo by Aaron Cleveland.
Inside the arena
“This is the Golden Age of America,” Trump proclaimed as he began his nearly wide-ranging, more than an hour-long remarks, after arriving nearly an hour late.
He repeated familiar themes since his return to the presidency, saying that the “whole world” was laughing at the U.S. under “Sleepy Joe” Biden, “but now we’re respected like never before. This country is rocking and rolling.”
Trump’s visit was to tout the programs and initiatives that are forming the core of a national Republican election campaign message this fall—”Powering the American Dream,” and that went heavy on affordability issues.
He said it was fueling “the next generation with the power of freedom and capitalism.”
Among those measures are “Trump Accounts,” investment accounts for children born between 2025 and 2028—the years of Trump’s second term—seeded with a $1,000 government payment, and with a maximum of $5,000 each yea until that child is 18.
“We’re finally giving money back to our children,” Trump said, and he introduced two families after that were taking advantage of the new program to sign up for the accounts.
Virginia Pasquarelli called the Trump rally a “farce.”
As did the warm-up speakers before him, Trump attacked Congressional and other Democrats and the “radical left” for pushing Communism, which he called “the single-greatest threat that we have ever seen to our country.
“The United States of America is not and never will be a Communist country,” he said, as the hundreds of attendees inside the gym rose to their feet, chanting, “USA! USA!”
Trump took aim at Congressional Democrats for blocking or voting against most of his legislative and policy goals on the economy, immigration, and cultural issues, and noted that they continue to support “men in women’s sports.”
He singled out incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is up for re-election in November, referring to him as “PeeWee Herman.”
His Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, was in Washington with voting sessions in progress.
But other Georgia Republicans were front and center at the Trump rally, including gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson.
Jackson said he wanted Georgia to add to the Trump Accounts by matching the $1,000 federal payment, and if he’s elected governor and the legislature doesn’t do it, “I’ll personally donate it myself.”
Battleground Cobb
In recent election cycles once staunchly-Republican Cobb has gone Democratic, with only the Cobb Board of Education in GOP hands, by a 4-3 edge.
The only Republican up for election in November is David Chastain of Post 4 in Northeast Cobb, who is being challenged by Democrat Micheal Garza, a frequent critic of the Cobb school district.
Chastain was among the six of the seven current board members who attended the Trump rally on Wednesday, including two of the three Democrats. Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell, a Republican from District 3 in East Cobb, also was in attendance.
Cobb school district Superintendent Chris Ragsdale began the speeches by saying it was “an awesome honor to have the president of the United States.” He also was loudly applauded later when Trump referenced him.
In addition to Jackson, GOP nominees for statewide office who spoke were Greg Dolezal (lieutenant governor), Brian Strickland (attorney general) and Tim Fleming (secretary of state), who also emphasized the affordability and “American Dream” themes.
So did two of Trump’s cabinet members, Education Secretary Linda McMahon and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who got one of the larger ovations even before he said that “Cobb County is Trump Country.”
He said the Trump Accounts program wasn’t a “government handout” but rather “a triumph of capitalism over socialism.”
Anti-Trump protestors lined Roswell Road Wednesday during the Trump event nearby at Wheeler. Photo by Jadyn Villegas.
Protesting ‘this farce’
Several hundred people turned out Wednesday near Wheeler to oppose the president’s visit.
They included Virginia Pasquarelli, who showed up at the Pavilions at East Lake “No Kings”protest organized by Indivisible Cobb, a liberal advocacy group that has held several “No Kings” protests in East Cobb since Trump’s return to office.
Photo by Ray Dafrico.
“Ashamed Wheeler would play host to this farce,” she said. “We know Trump came to drum up GOP enthusiasm for the elections.”
Across from Wheeler at Eastvalley Elementary School, the Cobb County Democratic Committee also set up a protest, with people lining the fences behind Holt Road for most of the day.
At both venues, some of the messages were rather frank, and even profane. But another East Cobb News reader, Ray Dafrico, sent us a photo he took of someone he identified as a Trump supporter who was holding a sign with an anti-Semitic message.
Cobb Democrats posted photos of the same man, with a social media message asking “Cobb Republicans sent their best today. Is this what you think is acceptable Cobb County Schools?”
The Democrats also refuted claims about Cobb being Trump Country, noting he’s lost the county in all three of his presidential race.
Early Wednesday night, Georgia Democratic Party chairman Charlie Bailey said “Trump tried and failed to do damage control” in his East Cobb speech, calling it “a disaster for Georgia Republican candidates at every level of the ticket.
A young protester at the “No Kings” event counters the Trump message to future generations. Photo by Jadyn Villegas.
Among those in attendance at the Cobb Democratic protest was Michelle Schreiner, who is challenging veteran GOP State Rep. Sharon Cooper.
“Thirty years after graduating from Wheeler High School, I came back to stand with neighbors speaking up for our public schools, our families, and the future our children deserve,” she said on her campaign Facebook page.
“This is what democracy looks like.”
East Cobb News will have more coverage and photos in future posts over the next few days. If you attended and would like to share your photos/videos/experiences, please e-mail us: [email protected].
Thanks to all of you who sent in your items today! We appreciate all of our East Cobb News readers!
Please click the middle button below to view more photos, and under that are some videos from inside the rally venue.
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Approaching Wheeler and Eastvalley Elementary School across the street, preparations were underway for the traffic, crowds and activities that will engulf the school campuses and surrounding neighborhoods.
Yellow fencing has been placed along the campus fronts of both schools, and traffic cones and other items used for traffic purposes are being laid out.
At the entrance to Club Valley Drive, directly across from the Wheeler gym, yellow tape has been placed along either side of the road.
In the parking lot of Eastvalley, Verizon equipment was being uploaded for television crews and other recording activities that accompany presidential visits.
In the bus lane at Wheeler, a row of portable toilets has been set up, and a food truck is parked near the entrance. A few workers were milling around in both parking lots, as was a Cobb County School District police car.
Trump’s visit comes less than two weeks before the start of the 2026-27 academic year in the Cobb school district. Teachers and staff have not yet reported to their campuses.
A Wheeler band camp has been relocated to the campus of East Cobb Middle School on Terrell Mill Road.
“We are also incredibly grateful to our Booster Board and the parent and community volunteers who moved instruments and equipment, set up scaffolding so our directors could see the drill, and lined the field for marching rehearsal.” according to a message on the band’s Facebook page.
Trump will be speaking in Wildcat Arena, the Wheeler gymnasium, starting at 3 p.m., according to an update from the White House Press Office. The ticketed event that’s open to the public will be filling up well before that, including local elected officials from the Cobb Board of Education.
Also expected to attend are Rick Jackson, Republican nominee for Georgia governor, and Mike Collins, Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate.
On-site parking will open around 8:30 a.m Wednesday and road closures will begin in the area starting at 12:30 p.m. East Cobb News has contacted the Cobb Police Department for details, but has not received a response.
The Cobb school district has spread its initial message about the Trump message through its Cobb Teaching and Learning System portal to school families.
“The visit provides an opportunity to showcase the academic excellence, exceptional educators, and high-achieving students that have made Cobb Schools a national leader in public education,” the district said.
But the district has not explained how the Trump visit was arranged, or why Wheeler was chosen. He is the third U.S. president or presidential candidate to visit a Cobb school campus, along with Georgie W. Bush (Harrison) and Barack Obama (McEachern).
Trump is expected to speak about child investment accounts and other legislation targeting affordability issues as the 2026 elections approach in November.
The Cobb County Democratic Committee and other liberal groups are planning protests near Wheeler.
The CCDC said Tuesday it will be having a “Trump Out of Cobb” rally at Eastvalley between 9-4. Indivisible Cobb, a liberal advocacy group that has organized No Kings rallies in East Cobb, will have a “base camp” at the Pavilions at East Lake shopping center (2100 Roswell Road) from 12-4.
The group also has set up shuttle service to Wheeler from Sedalia Park Elementary School and Eastside Baptist Church on Lower Roswell Road.
“No matter how much school leadership at the Cobb County School District tries to deny it, this is an event to boost the profiles of local and statewide Republicans in one of the state’s bluet counties,” the CCDC said in a statement Tuesday.
A Cobb school district police car patrols Holt Road between the Wheeler and Eastvalley entrances Tuesday.
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A bill to name a Veterans Administration clinic after the late Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce has passed the U.S. House.
The bill (H.R. 5362) is sponsored by Republican U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, whose 11th Congressional District includes East Cobb.
It would rename the clinic on 1263 Cobb Parkway North, just north of Bells Ferry Road) to the Colonel Michael H. Boyce Department of Veterans Affairs Multispecialty Clinic.
Boyce, who lived in East Cobb and was was chairman from 2017-2020 and died in 2022, was a longtime officer in the U.S. Marine Corps.
The renaming bill passed the House by 418-0 vote and moves to the U.S. Senate for consideration.
Loudermilk, an Air Force veteran who is retiring from Congress this year, issued the following statement:
“My good friend and well-respected community leader, Colonel Mike H. Boyce, spent much of his life in service to his community, state, and nation. Through his service as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps and later in elected office as the Chairman of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners, Mike was a tireless advocate for the health and welfare of our active duty servicemembers and our veterans.
“Mike worked to ensure our servicemembers had the tools to succeed and was instrumental in establishing the Cobb County VA Clinic, which remains a vital resource for those who served our country honorably.
“Recognizing Colonel Boyce through this legislation is a fitting tribute to an American hero whose service and advocacy inspired so many, and I greatly appreciate his wife, Judy, for working to continue his incredible legacy.”
More reaction from local elected and business officials can be found by clicking here.
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President Donald Trump will be touting his new investment accounts for children next week in a visit to Wheeler High School in East Cobb.
Trump will be coming to Wheeler next Wednesday to promote Trump Accounts, which which are federally-sponsored, tax-advantaged investment accounts for U.S. children under 18 that were launched earlier this month.
A White House spokeswoman said that “President Trump is giving every American child a head start in life, a nest egg to grow up with, and a real stake in their own future through Trump Accounts.”
But she did not offer a reason why the White House chose Wheeler.
The White House later Thursday issued a link for public tickets to the Wheeler event, which starts at 2 p.m. next Wednesday, July 22. Seating is first-come, first-served, and “tickets do not guarantee admission to the event.”
The Cobb County School District issued this statement when contacted by East Cobb News:
“We are honored that the President of the United States has chosen to visit the Cobb County School District. We look forward to welcoming the President and showcasing the academic excellence, exceptional educators, and high-achieving students that have established Cobb Schools as a national leader in public education. For additional details regarding the President’s visit and the event, we refer all questions to the White House.”
The statement did not explain the Cobb school district’s role in arranging Trump’s visit or how Wheeler was chosen for the event. East Cobb News has followed up seeking that information.
Cobb Board of Education member John Cristadoro, who represents the Wheeler and Walton attendance zones, said in a Facebook message that “regardless of which side of the aisle you’re on, it’s a big deal to have a sitting president choose our school for this.
“Cobb County Schools keep proving we are a national model for what education can look like when the focus stays on students. This is one more sign of that, straight from the White House. Unfortunately for everyone asking — I don’t have a way to get you tickets.”
Georgia Republican Party Chairman Josh McKoon said in a social media message that “this is a fantastic opportunity for patriots in Cobb County and metro Atlanta to hear directly from the President.”
“Georgia Republicans stand united with President Trump. We are grateful for his continued engagement in our state and look forward to a strong showing of support.”
The Cobb County Democratic Committee responded by saying on its Facebook page that “the most corrupt president in US history will be in Cobb County next Wednesday at Wheeler High School. Details on mobilization and protest efforts will be released soon.”
County party chairwoman Essence Johnson said in a later statement that “Cobb County tax dollars are not being used to prepare Wheeler High for incoming students, but to play politics with a wannabe dictator.
“I don’t know why school leadership thought that they could sneak this visit through and not expect community pushback, but believe me there’s going to be pushback. . . . ”
She accused Cobb County schools of being “full of right-wing leadership that needs to be purged,” including Cristadoro, vice chairman David Chastain of Post 4 in Northeast Cobb and Superintendent Chris Ragsdale.
Of the latter, Johnson said Ragsdale is “a poor man’s Trump and surrounds himself with similar yes-men.”
The statement closed by urging the public to contact the Cobb school district “and demand they deny bringing this partisan sham to Cobb County.”
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The Cobb Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to place on the November ballot a referendum to extend the Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax starting in 2028.
The vote was 4-0, with Chairwoman Lisa Cupid absent.
Cobb voters will vote by Nov. 4 whether or not to renew the one-percent tax for another six years.
The 2028 SPLOST would continue collections for a variety of projects, including roads and transportation, public safety facilities, parks and libraries upgrades and maintenance and more.
The estimated collection for the 2028 SPLOST would be $1.15 billion, with $794 million going to Cobb government projects.
The project list was approved by commissioners in April, and includes a $20 million relocation of the East Cobb Library from Parkaire Landing Shopping Center to an unspecified site.
County officials said in January they would like to rebuild the East Cobb branch, the second-busiest in the Cobb system, on county-owned land.
Cobb has leased space for the East Cobb Library at Parkaire since 2010, after the branch previously was located at Merchants Walk Shopping Center.
The rental cost has been nearly $400,000 a year, and library officials say they need more space. The East Cobb Library has 17,000 square feet of space, and a request for the proposed new branch called for 28,000 square feet.
But before adopting the referendum resolution Tuesday night, commissioners approved a late change capping capacity at the current 17,000 square feet.
Another East Cobb project on the 2028 referendum list is an $8.2 million expansion of the Tim D. Lee Senior Center.
The 2028 SPLOST also would fund a new Cobb State Court building to cost $174 million; $130 million in road resurfacing projects; and $60 million for a new infirmary building at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center.
Another $30 million would be earmarked for a central aquatic center in Marietta to replace the current facility near the Cobb Civic Center; $30 million combined for two new fire stations in West Cobb and South Cobb; and $18 million for a new recreation center at a site to be named in South Cobb.
Among the transportation projects in East Cobb, $3.5 million would go for an intersection project on Shallowford at McPherson Road; $2.5 million each for improvements in the Johnson Ferry Road corridor and the Shaw Road corridor; and $1.5 million to upgrade the intersection of Lower Roswell Road at Paper Mill Road.
For a detailed list of the 2028 SPLOST referendum project list, click here.
For more on the 2028 SPLOST in general, click here.
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Legislative and Congressional redistricting that was expected to be the main activity during a Georgia General Assembly special session that began on Wednesday will not take place after all.
Republican legislative leaders announced shortly after the session began on Wednesday that they won’t be redrawing lines following a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that has sparked similar efforts in other Southern states.
Gov. Brian Kemp called for the special session for redistricting and to address issues with QR codes related to elections.
That followed a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in April affecting how Southern states subject to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 can factor race in redistricting.
“We believe it is prudent to allow the judicial process to continue developing in other states and to carefully evaluate how courts rule on newly adopted district maps across the country,” Georgia Senate President Pro Tem Larry Walker said.
“With this guidance, we are confident that Georgia’s new districts will ultimately withstand legal scrutiny and that Georgia will prevail in defending its position in court.
“For these reasons, the Senate sent a letter to Governor Kemp informing him that redistricting will not be taken up during this Special Legislative Session. Instead, we recommended continuing to monitor legal developments, gathering additional public input and taking the time necessary to fully evaluate all available options before considering changes to Georgia’s maps.”
In response, Kemp said that he doesn’t think “there is reason to delay the apportionment process” but that “legislative districting, however, is the responsibility of the General Assembly, and it is within their discretion to defer the issue until a later date.”
Georgia Senate Minority Leader Harold Jones said the decision to drop redistricting is “a victory for the people of Georgia, make no mistake. It was the people of George that put pressure on this General Assembly.”
The new maps that would have been redrawn would not have gone into effect until the 2028 elections. Republicans control both chambers of the Georgia legislature and are expected to main their majorities in the November elections.
But GOP leaders have worried about energizing Democratic voters for November.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff is seeking a second term against U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, and Republican gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson is facing Democratic former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
Other Southern states have tried to redraw electoral maps for the 2026 elections, which critics contend will dilute minority voting strength by making it easier to eliminate majority-black districts.
During the special session, Georgia lawmakers will need to address a July 1 deadline to comply with a 2024 law mandating the discontinuation of QR codes as the primary method to count election ballots.
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Adkerson had been Loudermilk’s chief of staff in a district that includes Bartow, Cherokee and parts of Dawson and Gordon counties.
Cowan will face Chris Harden, a Democrat, in November. Cowan’s campaign claimed victory by 8:45 p.m. Tuesday, and he thanked 11th District voters.
“They want a conservative outsider who will stand with President Trump to put America First,” Cowan said in a statement issued by his campaign.”
“I’m a doctor and a businessman, not a politician. I’ve spent my life solving problems and serving this community, and that’s exactly what I’ll keep doing in Congress.”
Governor/U.S. Senate runoffs
In other results Tuesday, health business executive Rick Jackson is leading Lt. Gov. Burt Jones for the Republican nomination for Georgia governor.
Jackson, who has spent more than $100 million of his own money, is also claiming victory with 55 percent of the vote against Jones, who had the endorsement of President Donald Trump and belatedly, outgoing Gov. Brian Kemp.
The winner will meet Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former Atlanta mayor, in November.
In the Republican U.S. Senate runoff, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins defeated former football coach Derek Dooley, also with 555 percent of the vote.
Collins was endorsed by Trump; Dooley, the son of former UGA football coach Vince Dooley, is backed by Kemp.
Collins will face incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in November.
Other Runoffs
Lieutenant Governor: In a duel between two state senators on the Republican side, Greg Dolezal is leading John F. Kennedy with 53 percent of the vote.
Democratic State Sen. Josh McLaurin is leading Nabilah Parkes, a former state senator, with 55 percent of the vote.
Secretary of State: Tim Fleming defeated Vernon Jones with nearly 65 percent of the vote for the Republican nomination; the Democratic nominee will be Penny Brown Reynolds, who has 64 percent of the vote against Dana Barrett.
Insurance Commissioner: Keisha Sean Waites has 59 percent of the vote against DeAndre Mathis in the Democratic runoff.
School Superintendent: Incumbent Richard Woods is leading his Republican runoff against Candler County schools superintendent Fred “Bubba” Longgrear with just 51 percent of the vote.
Labor Commissioner: Nikki Porcher has 62 percent of the vote against Michelle Sanchez in the Democratic runoff.
For full election runoff results around Georgia, click here.
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Due to a brief delay experienced during morning setup, the polling place at ELIZABETH 03 (EL03) – Piedmont Road Church of Christ, 1630 Piedmont Road, Marietta, GA 30066, opened at 7:16 a.m. for the June 16, 2026, General Primary Runoff Election.
Pursuant to an order issued by Judge Kimberly Childs, voting at this location will remain open until 7:16 p.m. to ensure voters have the full voting period available to cast their ballots.
Cobb County Elections and Registration is committed to ensuring all voters are informed and able to cast their ballots safely and efficiently. We appreciate the patience and understanding of voters and want to reassure the public that all eligible voters assigned to ELIZABETH 03 will have the opportunity to vote today.
We understand the inconvenience caused by the delayed opening and thank Cobb County voters for their patience.
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More than 33,000 Cobb voters cast their ballots early in the 2026 primary election runoffs.
The runoffs will culminate on Tuesday with election-day voting at regularly assigned precincts.
Among the races to be decided include Republican Party nominees for governor, U.S. Senate and the 11th Congressional District.
According to Cobb Elections and Registration, the busiest early voting locations over the last week were the East Cobb Government Service Center (4,714 votes) and the Tim D. Lee Senior Center (4,555 votes).
The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. The deadline for mailed-in or hand-delivered absentee ballots to the Cobb Elections office is 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Voters who will be voting on Tuesday must go to their assigned precincts. In East Cobb, seven precincts will have new locations for the runoffs, as well as the general election in November.
Voters must must choose either a Democratic or a Republican ballot for the runoffs, and they cannot switch from the party ballot they cast in the primaries.
Cobb Elections has prepared consolidated sample ballots: Democratic | Republican (non-partisan judicial races were decided during the primaries).
Voters must bring a valid photo ID with them to the polls (click here for details).
To check your voter registration status, and to get a customized sample ballot, visit the Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page.
Who’s On the Ballot
For Republican voters, selecting a nominee for governor is leads their runoff ballot. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and business executive Rick Jackson will be facing off for the right to meet former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who won the Democratic primary, in the general election.
The GOP runoffs also will decide the November opponent for Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff. Congressman Mike Collins and former football coach Derek Dooley led in the primaries.
Republican voters in East Cobb also will have a say in the party choice for the 11th Congressional District, where GOP U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk is retiring.
Loudermilk’s chief of staff Rod Adkerson and physician John Cowan are the candidates, with the winner to face Democrat Chris Harden in November.
Republican Georgia School Superintendent Richard Woods is in a runoff against Fred “Bubba” Longgrear, superintendent of schools in Candler County, in southeast Georgia.
There will be runoffs in a number of other statewide offices:
Lieutenant Governor: Josh McLaurin vs. Nabilah Parkes (D); Greg Dolezal vs. John F. Kennedy (R);
Secretary of State: Dana Barrett vs. Penny Brown Reynolds (D); Tim Fleming vs. Vernon Jones (R);
Commissioner of Insurance: DeAndre Mathis vs. Keisha Sean Waites (D)
Commissioner of Labor: Nikki Porcher Michelle vs. Michi Sanchez (D)
Public Service Commissioner, District 5: Bobby Mehan vs. Josh Tolbert (R)
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Democratic Party activists are organizing a protest for Sunday in East Cobb against what they say is political gerrymandering by Republicans.
A “No Gerrymandering, No Kings” rally is set for Sunday from 1-2:30 p.m. at the intersection of Roswell Road and Johnson Ferry Road.
The East Cobb Democrats are among the groups behind the event, following several anti-Trump “No Kings” rallies at the same location last year.
On their Facebook page, the East Cobb Democrats linked to an event page with the name of the Cobb County Democratic Committee at the top. The other groups include Indivisible Cobb, a left-leaning advocacy group with organized three previous No Kings protests and a group called East Cobb Against Gerrymandering.
Gov. Brian Kemp has called a special session of the Georgia General Assembly to start June 17 to redraw the state’s Congressional and legislative district maps.
That follows a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in April affecting how Southern states subject to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 can factor race in redistricting.
The special session, which comes a day after Georgia’s primary runoffs, also will address issues with QR codes related to elections.
The maps that will be redrawn in June will not take effect until 2028. Other Southern states have tried to redraw maps for 2026, which critics contend will dilute minority voting strength by making it easier to eliminate majority-black districts.
Kemp and the legislative majority are Republican, and the East Cobb Democrats are messaging three local GOP lawmakers in their appeals.
A message posted on the group’s Instagram page last week urges Republican State Reps. Sharon Cooper, John Carson and Don Parsons, all of East Cobb, “to oppose Governor Kemp’s gerrymandering efforts and stand up for democracy in a moment when it truly matters.
“East Cobb is quickly becoming one of the most competitive battlegrounds in the state, and voters will know whether our Representatives stood up for the people or succumbed to partisan interests.”
Since last year, “No Kings” rallies in East Cobb protested Trump administration policies on immigration and other “unconstitutional actions.”
In March, a similar protest was held against U.S. military action against Iran, led by Indivisible Cobb and a variety of progressive political groups.
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