By Jill Nolin | Editor
First off, we take a close look at what the candidates to be Georgia’s next governor are saying about data centers, but we also explore how those proposals are being received by folks on both sides of the issue.
Also, the State Election Board has asked the Trump administration to help “nudge” Georgia to update its election system.
And the governor has suspended the state’s gas tax as prices continue to soar at the pump amid uncertainty in the Strait of Hormuz. The suspension will run through Oct. 29.
DeKalb County residents gathered before a county commission meeting on Nov. 20, 2025, to protest a data center proposal in Ellenwood. Alander Rocha/Georgia Recorder
2026 ELECTION
By Alander Rocha
As Georgia becomes a national leader in new data center construction, debate over how to regulate the booming industry has become a hot issue in the race for governor.
The two candidates have proposed contrasting visions for how to deal with the massive, power-hungry facilities that help power and advance artificial intelligence, but voters don’t seem entirely sold on either’s plan.
An election worker in Gwinnett County demonstrates how to insert a voter card into ballot-marking devices used by voters across Georgia. Maya Homan/Georgia Recorder
VOTING
By Maya Homan
Members of Georgia’s State Election Board have advanced a resolution calling on the secretary of state’s office to update the state’s voting machines and urging the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Homeland Security to step in to ensure the update takes place.
The resolution was introduced by the board’s GOP appointee, Carolyn Roddy, and cited a Sept. 2 letter from Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche that said QR code-based voting systems may potentially violate the federal Help America Vote Act. It passed in a 3-2 vote Monday, roughly two weeks before Georgia residents begin heading to the polls for early voting.
Stickers on a gas pump in Acworth blame President Donald Trump for high gas prices. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
ECONOMY
By Ross Williams
Georgia drivers may soon see a little temporary relief at the pump after Gov. Brian Kemp suspended the state’s motor fuel tax as gas prices continued to surge.
Kemp issued an executive order Monday declaring a state of emergency for gas supply disruptions. The suspension will take effect Tuesday and run through Oct. 29.
“Global markets remain unstable and are subjecting Georgians to unpredictable price shocks on basic goods and services, including but not limited to gasoline and diesel fuel prices,” Kemp wrote in the order. “The factors driving these market shifts are inherently unpredictable, and therefore, difficult, if not impossible, for the citizens of our state to budget for, worsening the impact on hardworking Georgians.”
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