By Jill Nolin | Editor
“The idea is that this is the first step toward creating an infrastructure where we can create a sustainable funding mechanism, so that Georgia has a ubiquitous, first-class 911 system moving forward.” - State Rep. Chuck Martin, an Alpharetta Republican behind one of the ballot measures this year.
A proposed constitutional amendment would create a designated fund where lawmakers can earmark state money to modernize and standardize Georgia’s 911 system statewide. Photo credit: Pikusisi-Studio via Getty Images
2026 ELECTION
By Maya Homan
Georgia is currently in the midst of transforming its 911 system to incorporate new technology in a world where most calls to emergency services are made from cell phones rather than landlines.
But how quickly the state finishes that upgrade may depend on the outcome of one of this year’s three ballot questions. A proposed constitutional amendment would create a designated fund where lawmakers can earmark state money to modernize and standardize Georgia’s 911 system statewide.
Early voting is underway across Georgia, including for two down-ballot races that could decide which party controls a little known state regulatory board that influences how much Georgians pay for their utilities. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
2026 ELECTION
By Emily Jones, WABE News/Grist
Two seats on the Georgia Public Service Commission are on the ballot in this year’s election, and the outcome could see Democrats controlling the powerful commission for the first time in decades.
The commission regulates utilities, including Georgia Power, meaning commissioners have final say over how the state’s largest utility makes energy and how much customers pay for it. It has received increased scrutiny in recent years due to a series of rate hikes and the scramble to make enough energy for a massive spike in demand Georgia Power is predicting from the data center boom.
Scout Motors assembly line workers working earlier this year inside the electric vehicle maker’s new on-site training facility in Blythewood, South Carolina. South Carolina had the largest percentage growth in jobs among states. (Photo by Jessica Holdman/SC Daily Gazette)
ECONOMY
By Tim Henderson
Nine states and the District of Columbia lost jobs in the year ending in September, according to a report released Tuesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Hit hard by the Trump administration’s cuts to the federal workforce, the District of Columbia suffered the largest percentage job loss, down 3.5% or 25,800 jobs. Montana, which lost jobs for the first time since 2020, shed 1% of its total workforce, or 5,300 jobs. Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia all experienced declines of less than 1%.
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