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Sunday Solutions — April 19, 2026

Good morning! It’s a jam-packed day, and we’re hoping we’ve hit your questions head-on with a look at data center zoning, options on how you might cast a vote, how much the candidates have to spend and more. We also find, in an Associated Press look at law enforcement personnel files, that background checks were lacking for some new ICE agents, including one who once worked for departments in Coastal Georgia. Let’s roll!

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NEWS: ENVIRONMENT

Data center dilemmas

This past week, Glynn County Commission ignored citizen pleas and passed vague, less restrictive language for data center zoning. The elected officials had been asked to put a hold on the language and set up stronger guidelines for any center development to come. While 11 Georgia counties have passed moratoriums on the centers, Glynn’s move is just one instance of public officials downplaying the realities of water and power consumption the developments bring. The state legislature failed to pass any of the 20 data center bills offered last session. Emily Jones of Grist and DorMiya Vance of WABE have written about the risks some see in the lack of state regulation and the loss of momentum toward clean energy in the state. The Current‘s Jabari Gibbs reports on the Glynn County tussle over the lack of regulation.

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NEWS: ELECTIONS

Voting deadlines & ballot drama

First thing: If you think you are already registered, make sure. Go to this link to check your voter status. And if you’re not registered at all, here are the details to get yourself registered by midnight Monday, the deadline to vote in the May 19 partisan primary for state and commission offices and full elections for nonpartisan positions like judges and school board members.

Next, we have updates on what kind of ballot you may be facing after July 1, the legislature’s self-imposed, unfunded deadline to get rid of the QR codes on ballots. The codes enable quick scans for counting, but some fear they can be hacked. The biggest takeaway is this: Whatever happens, it’s going to cost you — the taxpayer — some cash and possibly election credibility at the county or state level or both to make any deadline or switch by the November election.

• The Current‘s Craig Nelson reported in Tuesday’s newsletter that Chatham County would have to come up with at least $1.5 million to switch to a different system by November, so if all 159 counties have to pony up, that’s a huge hit to local taxpayers when the state has a highly touted budget surplus.

• Georgia Recorder reports there are options if Gov. Brian Kemp fails to call for a special legislative session to help solve the conundrum. New optical scan equipment that’s uncertified or hand-marked and hand-counted ballots could be implemented but outcomes could face legal challenges. The State Election Board warned local officials last week to get prepared for hand-marked ballots before November. A special legislative session could — if the two chambers can agree — fund the changes or move the deadline or come up with a new plan.

• What you can do: Pay close attention to your own choices for local elections offices and the state secretary of state job. And of course, there are your own state lawmakers. After all, the ones you have now could still have a say in how this gets resolved and future ones will likely have to find a permanent solution.

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Why candidates’ addresses are published

By law, state and local office candidates are supposed to live in the communities they represent; that’s the point of representative government. Their addresses are published so that people can double-check.
If a residency is unclear, members of the public can file a complaint that can get to a court. Right now, an administrative law judge is reviewing the case of Fitz Johnson, a candidate for Georgia’s elected utility regulation board. Johnson told the court that his voter registration is in Fulton County, part of the area he’s seeking to represent. But a publicly available mortgage application puts Johnson in Cobb County, outside of the district. Read the legal challenge or check out Mary Landers’ coverage.

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NEWS: CAMPAIGN FINANCE

Kingston, Carter lead primary funds races

Federal Elections Commission reports for candidates cash on hand dropped late last week, and The Current‘s Craig Nelson has gathered the numbers for you. U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter leads fundraising for Republican candidates for U.S. Senate. In the race for Carter’s House seat, Jim Kingston has more than doubled the amount of the closest challenger, Pat Farrell. On the Democratic side of the ticket, Michael McCord leads the other 7 candidates. Read the totals so far here.

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NEWS: UPDATES FROM THE WEEK

Whew! It’s been a busy one.

• Georgia bill rescinds protections for legislators over alleged improprieties: This piece of legislation stands out since state legislators are not subject to open meetings and open records laws. This move, if signed by the governor, would let in a sliver of sunlight to their actions. From Capitol Beat.

• Sonny Perdue to retire as Georgia chancellor, cites efforts, growth: The former governor and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture says he’s proud of the work he’s done to grow the university system. From Capitol Beat.

• Judge says county commissioners violated state law: In Camden County, two commissioners sued the others, saying they didn’t take a public vote to raise taxes and had violated the state’s open meetings law. A judge agreed. Story from the Tribune-Georgian in St. Marys.

• Susie King Taylor Freedom Park opens in Midway: This move puts Liberty County in a spot to join National Park site system. From The Current‘s Robin Kemp.

• Georgia students urge Oreo maker, others to protect Okefenokee Swamp: The cookie’s white filling won’t contain minerals mined from Trail Ridge if requests are honored. From The Current‘s Mary Landers.

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INVESTIGATIVE: PUBLIC SAFETY

☕ Your second cup: ICE officers & training

You don’t have to look far to see that immigration enforcement training is a local story. The death of a Savannah teacher caught in a off-policy high-speed pursuit sparked by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, the presence of the ICE training center in Brunswick, and the hiring of agents who’d already been fired from Coastal Georgia law enforcement positions bring this Associated Press investigation home to Coastal Georgia. The AP found that when the federal government quickly hired 12,000 new officers it left reference checks until later. A look at personnel files showed one new ICE hire had filed for bankruptcy twice and worked for six law enforcement agencies in three years, including Richmond Hill Police Department and the Chatham County Sheriff. Read the investigation here.

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