Latest news with #TimFleming
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Carterville eclipses North Boone again at the IHSA state softball tournament
PEORIA, Ill. (WTVO/WQRF) — Carterville once again has stood between North Boone's softball team and a possible state championship. Last year, Carterville edged North Boone 1-0 in the 2A state championship game. Friday, Carterville defeated North Boone 5-1 in a 2A state semifinal jumped on North Boone for a pair of runs in the top of the second inning on a two-run double by Taryn Boone answered with its only run of the game in the bottom of the second inning. Kierya Robinson hit an RBI double that brought home Avarie added to its lead in the fourth inning scoring a run on Kendall McAlla's RBI double making it added another run when Ford's fielder choice grounder brought home a runner. Carterville scored again in the fifth inning on an RBI single by Lainey pitcher Caidence Phillips pitched all seven innings. She allowed only two hits, and she struck out seven North Boone batters. North Boone pitcher Courtney Troutt also pitched all seven innings. She allowed five runs on eight Boone will play in the 2A third-place game Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. against Auburn coop of downstate view highlights of this game and to hear postgame comments from North Boone coach Tim Fleming, watch the media player above. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Georgia Senate passes bill that will change state's election laws. What to know about HB 397
Georgia Senate amended multiple laws to House Bill 397 that would allow for significant changes to the state's election laws. The bill was amended Wednesday with a 33-23 vote, largely along party lines. Here is what we know about the bill. House Bill 397, sponsored by Republican Rep. Tim Fleming, proposes increasing paper ballot options, expanding the State Election Board's power, and removing Georgia from the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). The bill removes the State Election Board from the oversight of the Secretary of State, granting the board control over investigative reports and communications. This bill also prohibits dropping off absentee ballots after the advance voting period. Republicans argue that these changes protect election integrity, citing last year's high voter turnout. "This protects the integrity of our elections," said Republican Sen. Max Burns. Democrats contend that the bill suppresses voter turnout and creates unnecessary barriers to voting. One Democrat, Sen. Jason Esteves, called the bill a "Frankenstein whack-a-mole," highlighting its numerous provisions affecting various aspects of the election process. Now, the bill is sent back to the House for final passage. Vanessa Countryman is the Trending Topics Reporter for the Deep South Connect Team Georgia. Email her at Vcountryman@ This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Georgia elections could drastically change thanks to HB 397
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Broad election bill nears Georgia Legislature's 2025 finish line aiming to exit data partnership
Republican Rep. Tim Fleming of Covington said he decided to remove a new election night ballot counting rule after local election supervisors testified Wednesday that a tight Election Day counting deadline would place unfair burdens on election staffers. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder A Georgia GOP-controlled Senate panel Thursday greenlighted a revised version of a wide-ranging bill packed with controversial provisions that no longer include plans to hand voter challenge complaints to state election officials and enforce new ballot counting methods. House Bill 397, which still contains several controversial rule changes, passed the Senate Ethics Committee Thursday night with four Democratic senators voting against it. The bill has been criticized for limiting voters' ability to drop off absentee ballots on the final weekend before Election Day and other proposed changes to election law. The bill's sponsor, Covington Republican Rep. Tim Fleming said he also decided to remove a new election night ballot counting rule after local election supervisors testified Wednesday that a tight Election Day counting deadline would place unfair burdens on election staffers and present chain of custody challenges. The bill still aims to ban the state from participating in third-party voter list sharing databases like the Electronic Registration Information Center, known as ERIC. Georgia secretary of state officials are asking legislators to maintain what they say has been a successful partnership that allows Georgia to share updated voter rolls with 24 other states. Big overhaul planned for Georgia elections: Bills aired in state Legislature's waning days Under HB 397, the Georgia elections board would evaluate the procedures and policies for withdrawing from ERIC. and provide recommendations to the legislative committees. Fleming's updated bill would delay the state's transition from the multi-state voter database. It now proposes July 1, 2027 as the implementation date for Georgia to transition to another system. It allows for additional time to find a new way during legislative sessions in 2026 and 2027 and following next year's general election, Fleming said. 'If there is a new secretary of state, it gives them time to work with this legislative body to implement what we have asked them to do,' Fleming said. The revised bill still would still give the controversial State Election Board new rulemaking authority and independence, however it no longer would hand appeals to voter eligibility challenges to the board. The appeals are currently resolved in Superior Courts. Sen. Derrick Mallow, a Savannah Democrat, questioned whether the election board could take over election rulemaking powers that rightfully reside with the General Assembly. Ethics Committee Chairman Sam Watson, a Moultrie Republican, credited Fleming and HB 397's co-sponsor Rep, Victor Anderson for incorporating some key recommendations into the election bill. 'They listened to a lot of concerns that we heard last night for two hours and they took those concerns back and now they've got a good bill that I think we can move forward with,' Watson said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Georgia Republicans backtrack on some election rules after sharp criticism
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia lawmakers are retreating from election proposals that could have allowed a Donald Trump-aligned state board to strike thousands of challenged voters from the rolls and would have required polling officials to count the number of ballots by hand. House Bill 397 was rewritten to remove those provisions before it was passed Thursday by the Senate Ethics Committee, sending it to the full Senate for more debate. The bill still seeks to force the state to leave the Electronic Records Information Center. Some question the funding and motives of that multistate group, which tries to maintain accurate voter rolls. But Georgia now would not be required to exit until mid-2027 instead of within months, as was earlier proposed. Republican Rep. Tim Fleming of Covington said he and others decided to remove some of the most controversial provisions after they were panned by officials who work for Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, county election directors and others in hours of testimony Wednesday night. 'After hearing a lot of concerns, we realize there's some things in the bill that probably needed some more work, some more time to be focused on, which we are going to work on during the off-session on our side,' Fleming said. Supporters said poll workers need to make sure the number of ballots collected on Election Day matches the total counted by ballot-scanning machines. But county officials warned that a requirement to count by hand the number of ballots — although not individual votes — could lead to delays in reporting results, mistakes by tired workers and problems with ballot security. Some counties in Georgia conducted hand counts until a few years ago. Similarly, supporters said the State Election Board needs to hear appeals of challenged voters because counties are turning down thousands of challenges. But opponents questioned whether the Republican-controlled board can adequately or fairly hear appeals. GOP activists challenged more than 63,000 voters statewide last summer, but most were rejected by counties. The State Election Board adopted a series of rules amid intense scrutiny last year only to see a judge throw most of them out, finding that the board overreached its legal authority. An appeal of that ruling was argued last week before the Georgia Supreme Court. The bill still seeks to put some rejected rules into law. That includes allowing increased access in election offices for partisan-appointed poll watchers and requiring counties to publish more statistics about absentee ballots. The measure also includes other Republican goals, like a ban on counties opening election offices the weekend before an election to let voters hand-deliver ballots. State and federal judges slapped down Republican lawsuits to block the practice last November. Other items cater to Republicans' continuing distrust of the election system, like requiring live nighttime video surveillance of ballot drop boxes that are emptied and then padlocked shut inside government buildings closed to the public.
Associated Press
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Georgia Republicans backtrack on some election rules after sharp criticism
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia lawmakers are retreating from election proposals that could have allowed a Donald Trump-aligned state board to strike thousands of challenged voters from the rolls and would have required polling officials to count the number of ballots by hand. House Bill 397 was rewritten to remove those provisions before it was passed Thursday by the Senate Ethics Committee, sending it to the full Senate for more debate. The bill still seeks to force the state to leave the Electronic Records Information Center. Some question the funding and motives of that multistate group, which tries to maintain accurate voter rolls. But Georgia now would not be required to exit until mid-2027 instead of within months, as was earlier proposed. Republican Rep. Tim Fleming of Covington said he and others decided to remove some of the most controversial provisions after they were panned by officials who work for Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, county election directors and others in hours of testimony Wednesday night. 'After hearing a lot of concerns, we realize there's some things in the bill that probably needed some more work, some more time to be focused on, which we are going to work on during the off-session on our side,' Fleming said. Supporters said poll workers need to make sure the number of ballots collected on Election Day matches the total counted by ballot-scanning machines. But county officials warned that a requirement to count by hand the number of ballots — although not individual votes — could lead to delays in reporting results, mistakes by tired workers and problems with ballot security. Some counties in Georgia conducted hand counts until a few years ago. Similarly, supporters said the State Election Board needs to hear appeals of challenged voters because counties are turning down thousands of challenges. But opponents questioned whether the Republican-controlled board can adequately or fairly hear appeals. GOP activists challenged more than 63,000 voters statewide last summer, but most were rejected by counties. The State Election Board adopted a series of rules amid intense scrutiny last year only to see a judge throw most of them out, finding that the board overreached its legal authority. An appeal of that ruling was argued last week before the Georgia Supreme Court. The bill still seeks to put some rejected rules into law. That includes allowing increased access in election offices for partisan-appointed poll watchers and requiring counties to publish more statistics about absentee ballots. The measure also includes other Republican goals, like a ban on counties opening election offices the weekend before an election to let voters hand-deliver ballots. State and federal judges slapped down Republican lawsuits to block the practice last November. Other items cater to Republicans' continuing distrust of the election system, like requiring live nighttime video surveillance of ballot drop boxes that are emptied and then padlocked shut inside government buildings closed to the public.
