Secretary of State Karen Handel Certifies State House District 93 Special Election

Secretary of State Karen Handel today certified the election results for the May 13, 2008 special election to fill State House District 93. No candidate received the required majority of the vote.

A run-off election will be held on Tuesday, June 10, 2008 between the two candidates who received the most votes, Democrat Dee Dawkins-Haigler and Democrat Malik Douglas. State House District 93 comprises portions of DeKalb and Rockdale counties. Any registered voter who was eligible to vote in the May 13 election can vote in the run-off election.

Secretary Handel is transmitting today the certified election results for State House District 93 to Governor Perdue.

Georgia House District 93 (100% of precincts reporting)

Votes
Percentage
Dee Dawkins-Haigler
164
29.82 %
Malik Douglas
99
18.00 %
Traci Waites
96
17.45 %
Colet Odenbigo
92
16.73 %
Jim Sendelbach
72
13.09 %
KaTesha Sagers
27
4.91 %

The county-by-county results can be found at the Secretary of State’s website: http://sos.georgia.gov/elections/.

Voters will be required to show one of the following six forms of photo identification when voting in-person during advance voting week or on Election Day:

A Georgia driver’s license, even if expired;
Any valid state or federal government issued photo ID, including a free Voter ID Card issued by your county registrar or Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS);
Valid U.S. passport;
Valid employee photo ID from any branch, department, agency, or entity of the U.S. Government, Georgia, or any county, municipality, board, authority, or other entity of this state;
Valid U.S. military photo ID; or
Valid tribal photo ID.
If a voter does not have one of these forms of photo identification, they can obtain a free Voter ID card at their county registrar’s office or the Georgia Department of Driver Services.

Anyone with additional questions about Georgia’s photo identification requirements can visit www.GAPhotoID.com or call toll free (877) 725-9797.

Advance voting for the State House District 93 run-off election will begin Monday, June 2 and end Friday, June 6. To find advance voting locations in your county, please contact the DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections at (404) 298-4020 or Rockdale County Voter Registration and Board of Elections at (770) 785-5947.

Voters can request an absentee ballot through Friday, June 6. All absentee ballots must be received by the county registrar on Election Day, Tuesday, June 10. Photo identification is not required when voting by mail. To download an absentee ballot request form, please visit www.sos.ga.gov/elections.

Karen Handel was sworn in as Secretary of State in January 2007. The Secretary of State's office offers important services to our citizens and our business community. Among the office’s wide-ranging responsibilities, the Secretary of State is charged with conducting efficient and secure elections, the registration of corporations, and the regulation of securities and professional license holders. The office also oversees the Georgia Archives and the Capitol Museum.

Libertarian National Convention begins this week

The Libertarian Party will hold its biennial National Convention this week in Denver, where it will select its presidential nominee for the 2008 election. The convention will be held May 22 through 26.

"This is going to be a watershed year for the Libertarian Party," says Libertarian Party National Media Coordinator Andrew Davis. "Voter dissatisfaction with the major two parties is at an all time high, and people are looking to the Libertarian Party to provide a third choice on the ballot in 2008. Voters are tired of the 'business-as-usual' politics that they are hearing from John McCain and Barack Obama. Voters want another choice, and that choice will be the Libertarian Party."

In July of last year, the Washington Times featured a story on the Libertarian Party's growth of 18 percent from January of 2007 until then. By December, the Libertarian Party's numbers had soared by 25 percent over the course of a year.

This year, the Libertarian Party is boasting two former members of Congress who are now running for the Party's presidential nomination. Former GOP Congressman Bob Barr, who joined the Libertarian Party in 2006 and has since served on the Libertarian National Committee, and former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel, who joined the party in March, are two of 14 contenders for the nomination.

Bob Barr, Commnet on Huckabee's Recent Remark at NRA Convention re: Obama

Bob Barr, former Member of Congress from Georgia and current candidate for President for the Libertarian Party, today issued the following statement in reaction to Gov. Mike Huckabee’s recent remarks at the National Rifle Association’s National Convention:

“Mike Huckabee showed incredibly poor taste when he joked about a gun pointed at Senator Barack Obama. His words were reckless, callous and harmful to the sports men and women of America and to those of us who fully support the Second Amendment.

“Every candidate for public office inflames the passions of people who fervently disagree with them. To suggest, as Governor Huckabee did, the misuse of a fire arm toward a political candidate is reckless. His attitude toward proper, legal and safe use of fire arms was demeaning to all of us who advocate the right to bear arms. His reprehensible use of a threatening and violent scenario involving a firearm at the NRA's National Convention was vile beyond belief.

“I call on all supporters of the Second Amendment and all supporters of civil discourse in our political races to demand a public apology from Governor Huckabee.”

Obama Statement on the National Peace Officer Memorial Day

Senator Barack Obama today released the following statement to commemorate the National Peace Officers Memorial Day.

“On this National Peace Officers Memorial Day, we honor the men and women who lost their lives making our streets safer and our families more secure, including the 181 courageous Americans who fell in the line of duty last year – and our thoughts and prayers go out to their loved ones. Whether it’s on our city streets or country roads, patrolling our neighborhoods or putting criminals behind bars, our law enforcement officers go to work every morning not for a big salary or a lot of recognition, but to protect our communities. And so today, as we mourn the loss of our fallen heroes, let’s also express our abiding gratitude to all the men and women in law enforcement who serve and sacrifice each day on our behalf.”

Obama Statement on Passage of the Senate Farm Bill

Senator Barack Obama today released the following statement in response to the passage of the Senate Farm Bill.

“I applaud the Senate’s passage today of the Farm Bill, which will provide America’s hard-working farmers and ranchers with more support and more predictability.”

“The bill places greater resources into renewable energy and conservation. And, during this time of rising food prices, the Farm Bill provides an additional $10 billion for critical nutrition programs. I am also pleased that the bill includes my proposal to help thousands of African-American farmers get their discrimination claims reviewed under the Pigford settlement.”

“This bill is far from perfect. I believe in tighter payment limits and a ban on packer ownership of livestock. As president, I will continue to fight for the interests of America’s family farmers and ranchers and ensure that assistance is geared towards those producers who truly need them, instead of large agribusinesses. But with so much at stake, we cannot make the perfect the enemy of the good.”

“By opposing the bill, President Bush and John McCain are saying no to America’s farmers and ranchers, no to energy independence, no to the environment, and no to millions of hungry people.”

Bob Barr, Libertarian Presidential Candidate, on California Same Sex Marriage Ruling

Bob Barr, former Member of Congress from Georgia and current candidate for President for the Libertarian Party, today issued the following statement in reaction to today's decision by the California Supreme Court allowing for the recognition of same sex marriage in that state:

"Regardless of whether one supports or opposes same sex marriage, the decision to recognize such unions or not ought to be a power each state exercises on its own, rather than imposition of a one-size-fits-all mandate by the federal government (as would be required by a Federal Marriage Amendment which has been previously proposed and considered by the Congress). The decision today by the Supreme Court of California properly reflects this fundamental principle of federalism on which our nation was founded.

"Indeed, the primary reason for which I authored the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996 was to ensure that each state remained free to determine for its citizens the basis on which marriage would be recognized within its borders, and not be forced to adopt a definition of marriage contrary to its views by another state. The decision in California is an illustration of how this principle of states' powers should work."