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Greetings! I hope you are enjoying your summer! But we still have work to do as active citizens - voting in our Runoff Elections! Below please find the results of our May 24 Election to the State House, Election Runoff Candidate forum information, January 6 House Committee hearings, and in the Community events.
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Thank you for your 10,065 Votes in the May 24 Primary!
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In the May 24th Primary for the new district of HD 89 for the 2023/24 term, I am excited to announce that, thanks to you, I received the most votes of any House Democrat in Georgia, with 10,065 votes. Click HERE for the results- if you wish to view by precincts, make sure to say “DeKalb” in the county. I am humbled and honored by your support! On to November, where we do have a Republican opponent! (My term as the HD 83 representative will end at the end of 2022.)
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The Election Runoff is 6 Days Away!
Early Voting is Now through this Friday, 7am to 7pm.
Election Day is next Tuesday, June 21st.
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Early Voting for the Primary Runoff has begun. Check HERE for voting locations and hours and HERE for your sample ballot.
Vote in your local precinct on Election Day! Check HERE for your local precinct.
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Runoff Elections - Choose your Candidates!
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Several Georgia Races head to quick runoffs under voting law. We have many excellent candidates who need our votes in the June 21 Runoff, where we will decide who will represent us on the Democratic ticket in November.
If you are undecided about who to vote for, I encourage you to go to Ballotopedia and scroll down to look up your Runoff sample ballot. I hope you will take the time to watch the Candidate Forums from June 11, hosted by the DeKalb Democrats. and I am providing the timing of the different races if you want to fast forward to the races where you are undecided. I have taken the time to listen to the candidates in these forums and found them helpful. Thank you to all our candidates for offering yourself for public service and to DeKalb Democrats for organizing!
Statewide Democratic Primary Runoff Candidate Forum - This is two hours, with 30 minutes per position: Lt. Governor, with Charlie Bailey and Kwanza Hall; at 30 min - Secretary of State, with Bee Nguyen and Dee Dawkins Hagler; at 1:00 hour - Insurance Commissioner, with Janice Laws Robinson and Rapheal Baker; at 1:30 - Labor Commissioner, with Nicole Horn and William Boddie.
DeKalb Democratic Primary Runoff Candidate Forum - This candidate forum begins at minute 7 with DeKalb Board of Education, District 2, with Candice McKinley and Whitney McGinnis; Minute 26 with DeKalb Board of Commissioners District 2, with Lauren Alexander and Michelle Long Spears; Minute 52 State House District 86 with Imani Barnes and Jacqueline Adams; and at 1 hour, 26 minute State House District 90 with Dr. Michelle Schreiner and Saira Draper.
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For Lt. Governor, I am supporting Charlie Bailey, a former prosecuting attorney, and our Democratic candidate for Attorney General in 2018. He was asked by leaders in the Democratic Party to run for Lieutenant Governor to help the entire ticket fight to win this fall and bring positive change to our state Capitol. I am also concerned about this: Lt. gov candidate uses opponent's absence at debate to hammer record and Former council member's $137k City Hall job violated Atlanta charter .
For Secretary of State, you already know that I am supporting Bee Nguyen. She is a trusted colleague in the State House and DeKalb Delegation. Bee’s dedication to ensuring Georgians have safe and fair elections is unparalleled. At a time when Republicans are trying to take away our rights and make voting more difficult, Georgia needs and deserves a leader like Bee.
Both Charlie and Bee have been endorsed by Stacey Abrams.
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January 6 House Select Committee Hearings
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David and I have been riveted by the January 6 House Select Committee Hearings and being reminded of how close we were that evening to losing our democracy. These hearings remind me of the Watergate hearings from my early teen years in the 1970's. January 6 was the culmination of an attempted coup. We are so grateful for the American patriots who followed the constitution and rule of law instead of caving in to the former President, a narcissist who could not accept that he lost the election fair and square- that he is a loser. They are showing to us how the former President knew he lost but chose to lie to the American people; dupe his small donor supporters of their hard earned dollars - “The Big Rip-Off” - $250 million dollars to support his personal causes, not to fund court battles; recruit members to right wing extremist groups - membership to the Proud Boys increased three fold after his “Stand Up and Stand By” comment; and incite his followers to storm the Capitol to overturn the peaceful transition of power. They came because he asked them to come.
The testimony from UGA grad and hero Capitol Police Officer Caroline Edwards about looking out and seeing the chaos and carnage at the Capitol was compelling. Her point about being trained as a police officer did not train her for hand to hand warfare and combat caught my attention, as I know sometimes many of us conflate the police and military. For more takeaways, other revelations, and to see what will be covered in future hearings, I encourage you to read and watch from NPR here.
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On July 4th, I will be marching in the Druid Hills and Decatur parades, and as my Republican opponent also lives in Druid Hills, I would like to invite anyone who is available and interested to march with me, to show strong neighborhood support. You can let me know if you are interested at becky@beckyevans.com
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I was glad to join fellow legislators and other elected officials and business members at the annual Council on Quality Growth event at the recently renovated Colony Square on May 12th! I caught up with Scott Haggard and Aileen Aiken on transit news from the ATL and talked with Josh Marks of Parker Poe about where we might mine lithium for batteries in North America among many conversations!
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After the controversy of renovation plans for Druid Hills High School, your legislative team whose constituent families attend DHHS- Senator Parent, Chairwoman Oliver, and DeKalb Chair Drenner - wanted to tour the facilities and understand the problems and future plans. On June 1 we toured DHHS with Principal Joyner, Red Devil Task Force leader Ken Schroeder, and Interim Superintendent Tinsley and key DCSD operations personnel. We saw progress from the problems identified in the DHHS student videos, and heard the plans for rebuilding. I am thankful the school board agreed to include $50 million for Druid Hills in their state facility plans at their May 31 meeting and will continue to actively monitor the situation. I have requested a facilities tour of the schools that are in need of repair that I share with School Board member Diedre Pierce and School Board Chair Vicki Turner as well. All of our students deserve clean, well maintained, and safe environments so they can learn and thrive.
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Thank you to the Georgia Junior League for their advocacy for women, children, and families at the state house. On May 18 I was thankful to join several Junior League leaders and legislative colleagues to honor Chairwoman Sharon Cooper and Rep Teri Anuewicz as Legislators of the Year for their work on increasing Medicaid postpartum coverage from 6 months to 12 months.
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At the Georgia Public Safety Memorial Ceremony on May 26, I was honored to meet Eric Mobley, son of DeKalb Police Officer Daniel Marcus, who gave his life in service on January 2, 2021. Officer Mobley was killed when he stopped to provide roadside assistance. Please be careful out there on our highways, especially when passing people roadside! Thank you to DeKalb Police Chief Ramos for introducing me to Eric and his adopted mom, Sue Wilbanks.
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Thank you to Science for Georgia and the Dogwood Alliance for the advocacy for Environmental Health and Climate Protection at the state house. On May 26 I enjoyed attending their conference in Macon, and also enjoyed joining them in honoring my colleagues Chairwoman Darlene Taylor and Rep Debbie Buckner for their work to Protect the Okeefenokee Swamp.
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What a joy and pleasure to work with these two women, Bridget Goodman and Muriel Kennedy, as they were two of my legislative interns this session. Here we are celebrating several events - Bridget's graduation from Decatur HS, Muriel's beginning of a new fellowship at a church on the Westside, and my primary election - and the beginning of summer! Bridget will be a freshman at University of Georgia and Muriel will begin her third year in the Public Theology program at Candler School of Theology.
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Bans Off Our Bodies Rally
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I was proud to stand in solidarity with thousands of other Georgians at the Bans Off Our Bodies rally on May 14 at Liberty Plaza. It is urgent that we all vote to elect statewide and local Democratic leaders to who will fight to protect a woman' right to make a decision that is best for her. Everyone's situation is complicated and unique, and we need to trust women to make these decisions on what is best for her based on her own circumstances. It is wrong for politicians to try to dictate to women how to make their own medical decisions. The law has worked for 50 years and Republicans want to take away abortion rights.
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Southern Regional Environmental Legislators Conference
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So great to connect with fellow environmental and clean energy legislators and non profit leaders at the Southern Regional Environmental Legislators Conference. I especially enjoying meeting Dr. Shelley Francis of EVHybridNoire, who spoke about how we need to increase awareness of benefits of electric vehicles in ALL communities! We need to normalize the EV option for Everyone! How will we benefit? Cleaner air, decreasing asthma, is a wonderful public health benefit. And EVs are a part of the new economy - they will provide a wealth shift and create new jobs! How about that new Hyundai plant and 13,000 new jobs? And EVs require so little maintenance - tires and windshield wipers to replace and that's it!
Chairman Don Parsons told us that Conservatives do care about climate change. He spoke about how the EV charging bill was fully vetted and voted unanimously out of committee, and that although it didn't come up for a floor vote this year, he thought it would next year. Georgia is becoming a hub for electric vehicles and batteries. We are doing a lot with technical schools, training for a particular job companies need.
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This past weekend I I had the life affirming experience of joining friends from my church, North Decatur Presbyterian, and thousands of other multi-cultural and intergenerational Georgians at the March for our Lives march and rally, standing up and shouting out to protect life - protect our kids - protect our families - and stop the madness of gun violence and our obsession with easy access to guns.
Our youth are leading the way and holding us accountable. I was proud of and inspired by my former intern, Jordan Madden, who spoke passionately and eloquently about his experiences with high school shootings, and to see James Wilson, a Georgia State intern from this year working at the event. Jordan and James are in the blue March for our Lives shirts.
I pledge to do everything in my power to fight for common sense safe gun ownership laws in Georgia. This also means electing Stacey Abrams and more Democrats throughout the state to change the partisan balance in our legislature.
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Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter all the way through. June is a wonderful family and friend filled month for David and me, with three family weddings, entertaining out of town guests, and hosting our youth group (and the six week old newborn of our youth minister) for youth conference at our Montreat cottage. I hope you are enjoying your summer also.
It is my honor and privilege to serve as your state representative. Please let me know if I can be of service to you.
With gratitude,
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Representative Becky Evans
Georgia's 83rd House District, DeKalb County
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