Homework for Voters, Planes, Trains

Sunday Solutions — May 12, 2024

Good morning! We’re here to help you with homework tips for the last week of early voting before the next big election on May 21. And where else can you find electric planes, trains and research that proves we’re losing our religion? Right here. And…don’t forget to call your mom.

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EXPLAINER

Know before you go

This past week was noteworthy – your Sunday editor took several calls and texts from citizens who wanted to do deeper dives on candidates before they go to vote. She likes that. So here’s a list of places to go before you vote — then, bookmark them for later:

• Check local candidate campaign finance filings. Each state and local candidate has deadlines for filing spending and donations in the public view. This state web site is not perfect, but it will allow you to search by candidate, donor or office.
• Who are these people? Check out larger interest groups, fundraising data. Got a piece of campaign mail with a return address from a PAC or political action committee? You can research the group at OpenSecrets.org, along with corporate donations and candidates.
• Read what various voting law changes mean, what other states are doing that works — or doesn’t. VoteBeat is an independent journalism organization that works to find and present facts on elections and voting.
• How did your congressional rep vote? How does he rank on different types of policies and issues? VoteSmart has all of that plus speeches and campaign funding information.
• Watch forums, go meet candidates and learn the specifics required for various offices online at our elections guide.

It’s the last week to vote early before the partisan primary and nonpartisan elections. Sunday voting is open today in Chatham County from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Savannah Civic Center, 301 W. Oglethorpe Ave., and the VR Annex, 1249 Eisenhower Dr. The May 21 vote will decide many races that won’t be on the November ballot, so don’t blow it off. Your vote is your most effective voice and, as we like to say: Democracy is not a spectator sport.

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NEWS

From the week

• Report: Georgia drops 300,000 children from Medicaid: As states re-evaluate after the pandemic, Georgia lost more young healthcare clients than larger states with double the enrollment. There’s no way to track or prove where they went: They may have enrolled elsewhere, moved or are simply going without the basic care kids need.
• Who’s got a dog in Liberty’s sheriff election fight? In what started as a social media post about a K-9 officer dropped at the animal shelter, we found a story that highlights the tense sheriff race in Liberty County. Also, last week: a look at the tax commissioner candidates.
• Coastal Georgia water sources flagged in latest environmental watchdog report: In the annual report on the state’s water resources, a watchdog group puts local waterways and aquifer on the threatened list due to development’s threat to surface and ground water.
• Georgia promised to fix how voter challenges are handled. New law could make problem worse: In a story from VoteBeat, we learn that the recently signed law puts a quick burden on the State Election Board to come up with rules for a law influenced by a group that’s filing thousands of challenges.
• Electric flying vehicles about to become reality in Georgia: Paging George Jetson: Your car is here. Small electric-powered planes could be approved for deliveries at general aviation airports sometime next year.
• Battle over private dock on Cumberland Island heads back to court: A dock built in 2017 to serve 10 private lots on the wild barrier island may not have received all the reviews required for a project in the national seashore. The lots remain undeveloped.

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ANNOUNCEMENT

Meet your state school rep

Coastal Georgia has one representative to the Georgia Board of Education, and he’ll be in Bloomingdale on Tuesday for a one-hour public hearing. Nicholas Ellis is a captain in the City of Jesup Police Department and is a former member of the Wayne County Board of Education. The meeting is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday at New Hampstead High School, 2451 Little Neck Road. Citizens who wish to speak should sign in when they arrive. Ellis represents 15 counties of the state’s 1st Congressional District. The state Board of Education works to develop policies for K-12 public schools.

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Wanna play?

Here’s your weekly opportunity to test your news knowledge with a few short questions related to stories we published in recent weeks.

Want your chance to be featured in next week’s leaderboard? Leave a first name or nickname so we can keep track of your score.

Click here for this week’s challenge.

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NEWS

Slow train….coming…maybe

In a meeting last week in middle Georgia, officials told people fed up with driving horrid I-75 traffic from Atlanta to Macon that they need to pressure state officials for investment in relief by rail. Other states have moved ahead with needed train projects as they found “champions” — aka funding — to expedite support and processes. For Coastal Georgia, that could mean a restoration of some sort of rail link from Atlanta lost when Amtrak took over passenger service in 1971. The Nancy Hanks line was the last regular connection to run from Savannah to Macon to Atlanta. Here’s the story on the meeting and timelines.

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EXPLAINER

☕Your second cup: Religious haves, have nots

One in three Americans say they are not affiliated with a church, and it turns out they aren’t atheists either. Most of those who don’t claim a church home still express some level of belief in a higher power. How people refer to themselves and religion often depends on the social factors, research now tells us. Beyond political beliefs, it can be about race, income and the people you hang out with, say researchers at West Virginia University. Here’s their look at the religious “nones” and what different factors mean to your existential. security.

Enjoy.

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