Eli

@elium2.com

1329 Followers 515 Following

Leftist political analyst focusing on Georgia & RI. Notorious optimist. | cishet, autistic, 27 📍Sandy Springs, GA elium2.com

“Two paths” meme. “ED Twitter” is at the fork in the road. The paths lead to “posting” and “treatment”. Posting has a sunny background and treatment has a gloomy background.
The coin bears a pentagon with star-like vertices, an Arabic numeral 5, and the word Ű±ÙˆÙŸÙŠ in calligraphy.
State of Georgia vs. Kenneth Henderson, Case No. 25CR-106, Superior Court of Towns County. Order The State having made a Motion to enter a Nolle Prosequi of the above-styled indictment in open court and after consideration of same, said Motion is herein granted for good cause shown. This 4th day of June, 2026. Order signed by the Hon. Randy Rich, Senior Judge, Enotah Judicial Circuit (Towns County Superior Court). Order prepared by District Attorney Pro Temp Frank H. Wood III.
Map of my District Attorney ratings.
Map showing all 180 district ratings.
Map of ratings. Generally, seats south of metro Atlanta are more likely to be uncontested. All three competitive districts contain Atlanta exurbs and suburbs.
Republicans have 9 safe seats, all currently held by them: CDs 1, 3, 7-12, and 14. Republican incumbents in CDs 1, 10, and 11 are retiring or seeking higher office. Democrats have 5 safe seats, all currently held by them: CDs 2, 4, 5, 6, and 13. In CD 13, former incumbent David Scott is deceased, with a July special election for his successor.
U.S. Senate: Likely Democratic Governor: Tilt Dem Lieutenant Governor: Lean Dem Sec. of State: Tilt Dem Attorney General: Pure Tossup Comm'r of Agriculture: Lean Republican Comm'r of Insurance: Likely R State School Superintendent: Tilt Rep Comm'r of Labor: Pure Tossup Public Service Commission 3: Lean Dem PSC 5: Tilt Dem The chart also provides the incumbent for each seat and the party nominees for the seat.
Image from a White House Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) memo claiming disability rights enforcement under the Olmstead decision has been overbroad. I have highlighted an error where the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, commonly abbreviated CRD (Charlie-Romeo-Delta), is instead mistakenly abbreviated “CRT” (Charlie-Romeo-Tango).
Image of page A3 of the Wednesday, June 17 edition of the Gwinnett Daily Post. Includes two news articles, an ad, and three legal notices, including the following: “Notice of Intention to Introduce Legal Legislation: Notice is given that there will be introduced at the 2026 special session of the General Assembly of Georgia a bill to provide a homestead exemption from Gwinnett County ad valorem property taxes; and for other purposes.”
A photo of me with Josh McLaurin. Taken May 19.
School Board District 3 (Republican) Deanna Berry 347 (37.55%) David McKalip 577 (62.45%) ⅓ precincts reporting
School Board District 3 (Republican) Deanna Berry 347 (37.55%) David McKalip 577 (62.45%) ⅓ precincts reporting
AI summary from DuckDuckGo: “Tim Fleming has been endorsed by prominent Republican figures, including former Governor Brian Kemp. He is recognized for his efforts in promoting election integrity and has a strong conservative background.” [Links to Fleming's website and WABE are provided, along with a disclaimer.]
Screenshot showing the color key for the U.S. Senate primary runoff.
“10. Would you be in favor of Data Centers (supporting artificial intelligence) being located in Putnam County?” The options “Yes” and “No” are listed below, and the voter has bubbled in “No”. This is an image from an actual Georgia ballot.
I have Googled “Fulton jail Sojourner Grimmett”. Below, Google's AI overview states, “Sojourner Marable Grimmett is not an inmate, but rather a candidate running for the Fulton County Board of Commissioners (District 5). Her platform emphasizes public safety and improving county infrastructure. [Links to Ballotpedia and three other sites] She is on the ballot for the Democratic primary runoff scheduled for June 16, 2026. [Link to Ballotpedia]” An image of the Fulton County jail displays next to the AI overview.
9. “The Crawford County Planning & Zoning Board is developing regulations and safeguards for data centers. If these protections are in place and data centers are not a burden to the community, would you support allowing a data center in Crawford County?” [The numeral heading is nearly illegible in the scanned ballot.]
O.C.G.A. § 21-2-131, subsection (a). § 21-2-131 is entitled “Fixing and publishing of qualification fees; manner of payment; distribution of fees paid.” Subsection (a), paragraph (1) reads as follows. “(a) Qualification fees for party and public offices shall be fixed and published as follows: (1) (A) The governing authority of any county or municipality, not later than February 1 of any year in which a general primary, nonpartisan election, or general election is to be held, and at least 35 days prior to the special primary or election in the case of a special primary or special election, shall fix and publish a qualifying fee for each county or municipal office to be filled in the upcoming primary or election. Except as otherwise provided in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, such fee shall be 3 percent of the total gross salary of the office paid in the preceding calendar year including all supplements authorized by law if a salaried office. (B) For [county constitutional offices and magistrates], the qualifying fee shall be 3 percent of the minimum salary specified in [the Official Code of Georgia], exclusive of supplements, cost-of-living increases, and longevity increases. For the office of members of the county governing authority, the qualifying fee shall be 3 percent of the base salary established by local Act of the General Assembly or by Code Section 36-5-25 as adjusted pursuant to Code Section 36-5-24, if applicable, exclusive of compensation supplements for training provided for in Code Section 36-5-27 and cost-of-living adjustments pursuant to Code Section 36-5-28. If not a salaried office, a reasonable fee shall be set by the governing authority of such county or municipality, such fee not to exceed 3 percent of the income derived from such county office by the person holding the office for the preceding year or more than $35.00 for a municipal office;” Paragraphs (2) and (3) are not relevant but also appear in the screenshot.
Columbus City Council Resolution No. 005-26, C.A. 01-13-2026 (4). “A Resolution establishing qualifying fees for county offices of the Consolidated Government to be filled in the 2026 elections. The Council of Columbus, Georgia hereby resolves: Section 1. Pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 21-2-131, the following qualifying fees for the 2026 elections for four-year terms for the following county offices are fixed as follows: Office: Fee Councilor: $360.00 Mayor: $1,950.00 School Board Member: $360.00 State Court Judge: $4,943.00 Section 2. Pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 21-2-131 [the same Code section previously cited], the qualifying fee for the 2026, special elections to fill the vacancies for Columbus Council Districts 1 and 9 for the remainder of the 2026 calendar year are fixed at $52.50. Section 3. These qualifying fees shall be published in the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer by the Executive Director of the Board of Elections and Registration after signing of this Resolution and prior to February 1, 2026.”
Post by @TheDataNerd13 on Threads: “The enthusiasm gap in Texas is hard to ignore. Take for example Starr County: 2024 Presidential 🔮 Donald Trump: 9,487 votes đŸ”” Kamala Harris: 6,862 votes 2026 Senate Primary đŸ”” Democrats: 6,707 votes 🔮 Republicans: 299 votes”
Special Election One Percent TSPLOST (Vote for One) Shall a special 1 percent sales and use tax be imposed in the special district consisting of Peach County for a period of time not to exceed six years and for the raising of [sic] estimated amounty [sic] of $35,016,840 for transportation purposes? Choices: Yes, No General Obligation Debt (Vote for One) [This is inexplicably a separate question] If imposition of the tax is approved by the voters, such vote shall also constitute approval of the issuance of general obligation debt of Peach County in the principal amount of $18,200,000 for the above purpose. Choices: Yes, No
Candidate information for Isaiah Hugley's mayoral campaign in Columbus. I have highlighted the email address, “NBoren at columbus GA dot org”.
Tweets by me, May 29, 2020. The first reads “Killer Mike is now speaking at Mayor Bottoms’s press conference.” The second reads “‘Beat up prosecutors you don’t like at the voting booth,’ he says (slight paraphrase).” The second tweet attaches a photo of the conference on WSB (Channel 2). Killer Mike is wearing a black shirt that reads, in all caps, “Kill Your Masters”. The chyron reads “Protest in Street”. Killer Mike stands at the podium in front of Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Police Chief Erika Shields. A split screen displays the protest.
11. “Should Columbia County favor data center development over additional residential development in the Appling and Harlem areas, given the potential for greater tax revenue and a lower long-term burden on public infrastructure and county?”
Yes 43.35% (4,065 votes) No 56.65% (5,313 votes)
A scatterplot of each race, showing that while both candidates have a low vote share in redder counties, Rankin outperformed Jordan in bluer counties. Rankin's performance increased very linearly, but Jordan's is a little more scattered.
Miracle Rankin leads Charlie Bethel by 43%, but Jen Jordan trails Sarah Hawkins Warren by 0.5%.
An obviously AI-generated image of an empty courtroom.
Signing Statement 2 Senate Bill 220 makes small changes to Georgia's medical cannabis program, including modifying the list of eligible conditions and expanding the methods of consumption for patients. These changes, while meaningful to the affected patients, do not materially alter where Georgia sits in the national landscape on this issue. This bill passed with a constitutional majority in both chambers of the General Assembly. I, like many of those who expressed opposition to this bill, have reservations about the legalization of recreational cannabis. Many states that have legalized recreational cannabis have come to regret that decision. I also recognize that for some patients, medical cannabis provides significant relief to symptoms that would otherwise go untreated or would be treated with even more harmful opioids. I do not believe that a well-implemented medical cannabis program must inevitably lead to the legalization of recreational use in Georgia, nor is the question of recreational use anywhere in the bill on my desk for signature. I therefore sign Senate Bill 220 into law.
Screenshot showing the post I am replying to on my timeline, immediately below a post about how Evenen tried to remove Cindy Burbank from the Democratic primary ballot for U.S. Senate.
Map of county coroners in the US, showing over a thousand partisan coroners, including over a hundred in Georgia
Skeet with text: “I really do want to hear a leftist explain why Harris accepting Liz Cheney’s totally unconditional support was so unforgivable they’re still bringing it up, but we should all suck up to Marjorie Taylor Green [sic] now, and how that’s different.” 3:53 PM, May 10, 2026, replies enabled 33 replies, 59 reposts, 5 quotes, 385 likes, 5 saves
Attestation Filer's name: Eli [redacted] Filer's Role: Treasurer Date: 05/07/2026, 7:15 PM [this field is locked and cannot be edited] Checkbox next to statement: “I hereby swear or affirm under penalty of law that all information on this form is true, correct, and complete to the best of my knowledge.” Buttons then appear labeled “Submit” and “Cancel”.
List of candidates supported by an independent expenditure from “Koch GA, Inc.” The candidates are: Bill Cowsert, Charlie Bethel, Trent Brown, Elizabeth Gobeil, Craig Schwall, Russ Goodman, Jason Anavitarte, Katie Dempsey, Todd Jones, Matt Hatchett, Bill Werkheiser, Jon Burns, Al Williams, and James Burchett. Williams is the sole Democrat on the list.
Spencer Deery (incumbent) 6,334 (50.0%) Paula Copenhaver 6,331 (50.0%)
Contribution of $1,000 from “C S. Chambliss”, a lawyer in Moultrie, Georgia, dated February 21, 2026.
Record showing that, as of April 30, Jasmine Clark has benefitted from over $2.7 million in spending from “Protect Progress”.
“The State Election Board is recommending that counties get ready to conduct elections using hand marked paper ballots after the July 1 deadline. That’s unless there are changes to a 2024 law prohibiting the use of QR codes on the back of ballots to tally election results.” I have highlighted the phrase “on the back”.
Map of the special election in Georgia's 14th congressional district from the official result website. Both candidates are assigned the exact same color.
Upcoming Events (Georgia General Assembly calendar) 03/31 at 10:00 a.m.: Floor Session, LD 39 (House) 03/31 at 7:30 p.m.: Rules (House) 04/01 at 11:00 a.m.: Public Saftey [sic] and Homeland Security (House) 04/01 at 11:00 a.m.: Transportation (House) 04/01 at 1:00 p.m.: Higher Education (House) 04/01 at 2:00 p.m.: Motor Vehicles (House)
MARTA ticker from 3:22 PM. Eastbound Blue line train (Indian Creek) 1 min away Southbound Red line train (Airport) 2 min away Northeastbound Gold line train (Doraville) 3 min away Southbound Gold line train (Airport) 4 min away
Biss 31,308 (29.8%) Fine 21,351 (20.4%) Abughazaleh 26,802 (25.5%) Total 104,913 Over 90% of precincts are reporting in both Chicago and suburban Cook County, which combine for 98.5K votes so far. Lake and McHenry counties still have no Election Day results.
Screenshot of Notice IR-2026-36, posted to the IRS website yesterday (March 13, 2026). The notice is titled “Update on IRS Commissioner position”. The content of the notice is as follows: “WASHINGTON — Consistent with applicable law and longstanding practice, the Secretary of the Treasury oversees the operations of all Treasury offices and bureaus, including the Internal Revenue Service. Secretary Scott Bessent’s service as Acting Commissioner of the IRS under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act has expired, and he has not served in that capacity since that time. In accordance with the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, the Secretary retains the authority and responsibility to perform the functions and duties of vacant Treasury offices that are not filled on an acting basis. The IRS continues to operate without interruption, with Chief Executive Officer Frank J. Bisignano successfully leading day-to-day operations and reporting directly to the Secretary.”
Precinct results. Cunningham trails badly in every precinct, including early voting in the three unreported precincts.
NC State House Democratic primary for District 106. Rodney Sadler has 6,510 votes (71.7%), while incumbent Carla D. Cunningham has 1,902 votes (20.9%), with a minor candidate taking the other 7.4%. 8/11 precincts are reporting.
“Notice of Candidacy and Affidavit” to be completed by nonpartisan candidates for local office in Georgia. The form refers to the “general electon”.
Termination statement for Nikia Smith Sellers, dated February 24, 2026.
O.C.G.A. § 36-5-20, entitled “Official names of county governing authorities”, strikes the phrase “roads and revenues” from the names of county governing authorities.
Donor City identified as “Houchton, Georgia”. The correct spelling is “Hoschton”.
The City argues that the case is moot because repeal of the leasing ordinance would not change the status quo and could not invalidate the actual lease agreement because of Georgia's constitutional prohibition against the impairment of contracts, but this argument confuses the mootness inquiry with the merits. The plaintiffs' ultimate prospects of success and the legal availability of certain types of relief are not pertinent to the mootness inquiry.
Statewide map of Georgia showing the results of the 2025 Public Service Commission (PSC) “District 3” special election by congressional district. The PSC is elected statewide, but each seat has a defined region and candidates for that seat must live in the region. I, Eli, hold any applicable copyright on this map and performed all calculations and tabulations for it. The map shows that Peter Hubbard, the Democrat, carried 8 of 14 congressional districts, while Fitz Johnson, the Republican, carried 6. Statewide, Hubbard received 62.9% of the vote; the race had only two candidates. Hubbard carried the Democratic-held seats in metro Atlanta by large margins, winning GA-05 with 93.5%, GA-04 with 86.9%, and both GA-06 and GA-13 with 80-85%. He carried GA-02 in southwest Georgia with 67%; this is also a Dem-held seat. He additionally carried three Republican-held seats – the first, tenth, and twelfth districts. Although the map does not differentiate between a victory at 50.1% and at 54.9%, he carried those three seats with over 53% of the vote, and nearly hit 55% in the twelfth district. Johnson carried the third, seventh, eighth, and eleventh districts with less than 55% of the vote. In the seventh and eleventh districts, which include parts of the Atlanta metro, he won with less than 51% of the vote. Johnson carried the ninth and fourteenth districts in north Georgia with 56-57% of the vote in each. All percentage ranges are inclusive for the lower number but not the higher number, but no rounding was performed on the raw data, so this should not be relevant.
In this screen recording from Farewell, a stage in the 2018 video game Celeste, I steer the protagonist, Madeline, through a gauntlet of electrical walls and obstacles. After clinging to a wall and grabbing a crystal to restore her trademark dash, I dash right, bounce off a pufferfish (which falls down and obstructs my path), fall and dash up-right into a feather, then turn around and narrowly steer over the pufferfish. I round the corner and dash to successfully grab a nearby falling block. When the block comes to a stop, I panic and jump off and Madeline immediately dies.
Zohran Mamdani standing in front of a photo of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Recorded gameplay from the final screen of Chapter 9 of the 2018 video game Celeste. In the video, Madeline clings to a series of jellyfish which are vaporized in succession. At one point, she narrowly misses a dash crystal and falls to her death. I believe I was almost to the end.
I am wearing a suit and tie. My face bears a wild expression as I attempt to eat a piece of legislation. This photo was taken in the Georgia Capitol.
A map of the December 2, 2025 general election runoff for mayor of Roswell, Georgia. The map is copyrighted by me, Eli H. Spencer Heyman; I grant a Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC-ND license for its reproduction. The runoff featured Mary Robichaux, listed first on the ballot, and Kurt Wilson, the incumbent, listed second. The race was officially nonpartisan, but Robichaux was effectively the Democratic candidate, and Wilson likewise was effectively the Republican candidate. Robichaux won the election with 9,759 votes, or 53.2%, to Wilson's 8,593 votes, or 46.8%. 4 voters cast blank ballots, for a total turnout of 18,356, which was 28.9% of registered voters. The map shows that Wilson received his strongest support in the city's northwest, receiving 62-64% in two precincts there. He won one precinct with 55-60% of the vote and five with 50-55% of the vote. All but one of Wilson's precincts were northwest of Georgia 120 (Alpharetta Hwy, North Atlanta St, and Marietta Hwy), with the other lying in the area just north of where Holcomb Bridge Rd crosses the Chattahoochee. Robichaux's support was strongest in the area north of Holcomb Bridge Rd, west of Georgia 400, and east of Alpharetta Highway, bounded on the north by the city limits. She received 75-80% of the vote in three precincts there and 68% in the fourth, although all had very low turnout. She received 70-75% in the two precincts bordering Georgia 400 south of Holcomb Bridge Rd, and won other areas more modestly, including four precincts northwest of Georgia 120 and eight other precincts. The map also contains sourcing notes, a legend, a sample ballot image, a key showing Roswell's location in Georgia (it is in North Fulton County, some 20 miles north of Atlanta) and depictions of major roads and the Chattahoochee River. The depicted roads are all state routes in Roswell, along with Canton St/Crabapple Rd; Roswell's historic downtown is centered around Canton St.