October 28, 2026

Election Day Countdown

Early voting participation has broken all previous records!

6 Days and Counting!

You have only 2 days left to vote early—Friday, Oct. 30, is the last day to early vote and you can find info on DeKalb voting sites here. Early voting for weekend days has ended, and Tuesday, November 3, is ELECTION DAY!

Early voting participation has broken all previous records! As of this morning, Wednesday, 2.1 million Georgians have voted already—28.3% of all registered voters!

The analysts tell us that voter turn-out in democratic-leaning counties is higher than in republican-leaning counties--- Please keep this excitement and commitment going through November 3! Remind your friends, your neighbors, the people next to you in the check-out line: VOTE!!

Early voting ends Friday, and, of course, people can also vote at their assigned polling place on Tuesday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Find your specific information at GA My Voter Page.

I anticipate that this election will be well-run and that every vote will be counted legally. The narrative that Georgia elections are unsafe and subject to massive fraud is intentionally false to discourage your participation.

That said, if you need to report a suspected violation of voting laws or potential voter intimidation, call the Georgia Secretary of State voter fraud hotline at 877-725-9797 or the Attorney General election fraud hotline at 888-532-0148.

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Study Committee Update

The Joint Study Committee on Evaluating Escalating Costs in Georgia's Foster Care System met three times in the last few months and heard substantive and detailed testimony on the current reasons for hundreds of millions of dollars of deficit spending by the Georgia Division of Family & Children Services. In the midst of this analysis, the news reported that the Commissioner had spent $954,000 on a SUV specially equipped with a mobile cell tower to intercept and investigate telephone usage. This controversial expenditure resulted in the Governor reassigning the vehicle to GBI, and I anticipate there will be further discussions about the Commissioner's interest in law enforcement activities.

More importantly for the overall DFCS future, the Joint Committee will issue a report, and I hope to add my thoughts and recommendations as a committee member. I will share the report with you when it is released. I'm grateful to chairs Kilpatrick and Camp for their leadership, and I'm impressed with the quality of attention being paid to the overspending by DFCS and the gaps in services being delivered to the 10,000 children in Georgia's foster care system. The news coverage has been helpful, and I am hearing from many of you who care about how these vulnerable children are being treated.

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BHRIC Update

The Behavioral Health Reform and Innovation Commission (BHRIC) was created in 2019, and the 2022 Session passage of HB 1013 led by Speaker David Ralston enacted significant mental health reforms. I have been a member of this Commission from the beginning. The last Commission meeting was held October 23rd and will result in our final annual recommendations for further legislative and budget progress. I will share the final written report when it is published, but for now I want to highlight one issue I know we will address: The current law says the state of Georgia may take a person against his will for a 48-hour mental health evaluation if the person demonstrates “imminent” harm to himself or others. We anticipate legislation to clarify this as “significant psychiatric deterioration.” This may be controversial to some, and it deserves our thoughtful consideration. Stay tuned; we will have many additional recommendations and will need your input.

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Development Authorities

My interest in policy issues surrounding development authorities in Georgia goes back years. Here’s an AJC Op-ed I wrote in 2021.

Based in part on development authority activities relating to data centers, I am reviewing my past legislation on development authority reforms to create greater transparency and accountability. This was a positive activity in recent years but deserves a revisit. There are thousands of development authorities across Georgia, and we do not know the extent to which they offer tax incentives to a variety of projects, including data centers. Who is entitled to know about these tax incentives and when are they entitled to know? And how do we know who is responsible for the ultimate debt? Important questions.

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OUT AND ABOUT

I always like to share with you my activities as your Representative for House District 84. Please let me know at mmo@mmolaw.com if you have any suggestions for events that you would like for me to attend in your neighborhood. Thanks!

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I saw so many friends at the Decatur Book Festival—always a good time! This year, I particularly enjoyed Brian Goldstone, Tahari Jones, Charles Seabrook, and Wayne Clough, among other outstanding writers!

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I enjoyed a visit to Little Five Points Pharmacy, as part of a group who appreciates independent drug stores. One of my first civic jobs was on the board of the Little Five Points Credit Union, and it has always been one of my favorite neighborhoods. Owner Ira Katz knew my father, who was also a pharmacist for 60 years. It’s always good to visit with friends of many years and hear about their issues!

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I appreciated the chance to attend an event with Malcolm Gladwell, discussing his new book on gun violence, The American Way of Killing: The Invention of an Epidemic. Thank you to A Cappella Books and GPB Radio for sponsoring the evening.

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I enjoyed talking with the SAGES, an involved group of “Somewhat Ancient Gleeful Elders” at North Decatur Presbyterian Church, about this odd political time. It’s always fun to be around smart people discussing important topics!

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Last week, Elena Parent and I met with teachers from Berlin, Germany! They spent time in Decatur and Atlanta seeing the sights and asking good questions. I appreciate their interest and hope they can come again soon.

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I visited The Anchor School in House District 84, a state commissioned charter school for sixth to ninth graders. These 300 children come from DeKalb and other counties in the Metro area and are enjoying individual attention and success. Charter schools funded by both DeKalb County Public Schools and the State Charter Schools Commission are all over DeKalb County, and I try to keep up with all the options parents are choosing. The Anchor School will continue to grow with additional high school grades in the future.

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Emory University President Christopher Augostini’s investiture ceremony was lovely and historical. Very glad to be invited to this special celebration!

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Earlier this week, Todd Jones and I spoke to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, a national group interested in Georgia’s mental health reform. More info about current discussions of Georgia-specific issues in this area earlier in this newsletter, on the Behavioral Health Reform and Innovation Commission.

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Results from last Newsletter's Poll

And Finally...VOTE!!

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QUICK LINKS FOR YOU

I am on the following legislative committees. You can watch live every time they meet. Click on the links below for livestreams, agendas, archives and more.

Committees:

Subcommittees:

Appropriations - Human Resources
Governmental Affairs - State and Local Government
Judicial - Leverett (two)

You can search for and track bills, watch the House (or Senate) in Session, watch committee hearings, monitor legislation by committee, and find contact information —- all on the revamped General Assembly website. Here are quick links:

General Assembly website: https://www.legis.ga.gov/
House Session meetings and many committee hearings are available to watch online: https://www.legis.ga.gov/house
Archived videos of meetings and hearings: https://www.legis.ga.gov/house/media-services

Make your views known and tell me what issues interest you the most.

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