Political Rewind: Dismal Biden numbers and election mistrust headline new Georgia poll

The Panel:

Rep. David Wilkerson — Democratic state representative (D-Powder Springs)

Eric Tanenblatt — Republican insider

Stephen Fowler — Politics reporter, Georgia Public Broadcasting 

Dr. Tammy Greer— Professor of political science, Clark Atlanta University

The Breakdown:

1. New polling in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is a snapshot of Georgia politics in an election year.

• The poll was conducted by the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs. It surveyed 872 registered voters and reported a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points.
• Only a third of the Georgia voters polled approved of the job President Joe Biden is doing. 
• Moreover, 71% of Georgians think the country is on the wrong track, while 48% say the state is on the wrong track.
• Gov. Brian Kemp’s numbers are split roughly even between approval and disapproval. But a notable percent of those who describe themselves as conservatives say they are unhappy with him.
• The GOP-led campaign to paint the 2020 election as fraudulent seems to be dissolving trust in elections.
  • Overall, about 56% of Georgians were confident in the fairness of this year’s upcoming elections.
  • Among Republicans, 74% said there was widespread fraud in 2020.
  • Over half of Republicans polled doubted the integrity of upcoming elections, compared with a quarter of Democrats.
  • Georgians now say that election integrity is the No. 1 issue of concern to them, ahead of the economy.

2. Mental health is top of mind in the state legislature. 

• Speaker of the Georgia House David Ralston unveiled a bipartisan bill reforming mental health services on Wednesday.
• Rep. David Wilkerson is a sponsor of HB 678. His legislation aims to improve mental health resources in county jails.
  • Wilkerson said jails are often the only resource some families have for dealing with a family member in a crisis.

3. Election changes in a small corner of Georgia make national headlines. 

• Lincoln County has a population of about 6,000 registered voters.
• GPB's Stephen Fowler reported on the consolidation of polling locations in that rural community, where the county's election director says polling places are often understaffed.
  • Fowler spoke to NPR's All Things Considered about how residents are feeling about elections changes in Lincoln County.

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Fowler said an atmosphere of mistrust surrounds conversations on election changes, in Lincoln County and beyond.

Tomorrow on Political Rewind:

Bill Nigut and the panel are back on video. Find us on GPB.org or on Facebook.com/GPBnews, or watch us on GPBTV at 7 p.m. Friday.

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