M ay 2 5 , 2 0 2 3 | A p p e n M e d i a . c o m | A n A p p e n M e d i a G r o u p P u b l i c a t i o n | 5 0 ¢ | Vo l u m e 1 8 , N o . 2 1
Fair Fight Action accuses Milton City to carve out listing of suppressing minority voters separate for ‘golf carts’ By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com
MILTON, Ga. — Earlier this month, Fair Fight Action published a coalition letter about voter access in Milton, and the city’s residents had something to say about it. Fair Fight Action is a national voting rights organization rooted in Georgia and founded by former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. It is backed by nonprofits, like the New Georgia Project, which works to register, civically engage and empower “New Georgia’s” majority Black, brown and young voters, and by Common Cause Georgia, an advocacy organization that promotes public participation in government to ensure that public officials and institutions are accountable and responsive to citizens. The letter holds the view that the Milton City Council has directly limited voting access for Black and brown voters, with its May 1 resolution. The measure established two polling places on Election Day: Milton City Hall and the Milton City Park and Preserve. The decision primarily affects precincts ML05, ML06A and ML06B in the city’s southeast corner, an area that Appen Media found to have most of the city’s Democratic voters. The three precincts also have the highest number of Black and
EVENTS
brown voters, according to the letter, published more than a week after Appen Media’s findings. It says that 30 to 50 percent of this area’s voters are people of color. A member of Fair Fight’s data team said he used voter files for registered voters in each precinct, which includes demographic information. In the three precincts combined, 38.4 percent of voters are people of color. Not everyone is on board with Fair Fight’s conclusion, though. “Unfortunately, Mayor Jamison’s prepared statement and amended proposal has provided Appen Media with their talking points for the unfair article in last week’s Milton Herald,” Milton resident Nia Cortsen said during public comment at the May 15 Milton City Council meeting. “Their article was the impetus behind the Twitter post from the Stacey Abrams very partisan Fair Fight Action group and four other divisive political organizations.” Mayor Jamison read a prepared statement at the May 1 council meeting, advocating for a third polling location at the Public Safety Complex in District 3. But his motion failed to garner a majority. “I am confident that any reasonable individual would agree that equal opportunity and equal access to all
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within local code By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com
SCREENSHOT
Milton resident Kevin Shigley advocates for a third polling location on Election Day at the City Council meeting May 15. Shigley’s position was a singular one in the 10 public comments made at the meeting, which came in the wake of a coalition letter published by Stacey Abrams’ Fair Fight Action group. The letter cited disenfranchisement of Black and brown voters in Milton’s District 3, who were said to comprise 30 to 50 percent of the area’s voters.
Mayor’s Run, Memorial Day
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MILTON, Ga. — After months of controversy within White Columns subdivision, a community that bans “golf carts” but not necessarily “personal transportation vehicles,” the Milton City Council voted May 15 to modify its ordinance governing the transports. At stake is the precedent set by city code and how it affects homeowners associations’ covenants across Milton. Residents of White Columns had complained their homeowners association was using a city ordinance loophole to allow all personal transportation vehicles on their streets, which have gated and nongated sections. Close to 10 residents came forward during public comment, reiterating the same concerns. Golf carts and PTVs have carried separate definitions for more than 10 years, when Georgia passed legislation to address access to public roadways and paths. But the covenants for White Columns were written in 1994, before the new nomenclature entered state law. At the May 15 City Council meeting, Milton City Attorney
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