The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
All amendments, ballot questions likely to pass
Voters appeared eager Tuesday to amend the state constitution to give a $200 million boost to land conservation and to ensure crime victims’ rights with a Georgia Marsy’s Law.
Five constitutional amendments and two referendum questions appeared on the general election ballot. In early and unofficial vote counts, all seven appeared to be headed for passage.
Here’s a recap of the ballot questions, including argu- ably the most publicized one, writing victims’ notification rights into the Georgia Constitution. Supporters of Marsy’s Law flooded Atlanta television with compelling fall-through-the crack stories by actor Kelsey Gram- mer and others.
■ Amendment 1: Land conservation: This would set aside 90 percent of existing sales taxes on sporting goods for conservation efforts. The forecasts are that this could raise $200 million over 10 years. The designation of this money for conservation, which was championed by the Nature Conservancy and others, would end after 10 years.
The vote: Appeared headed for passage
■ Amendment 2: Business courts: This amend- ment would create statewide business courts. The sticking point is a provision that would allow the governor to appoint the judges with the approval of the Senate Judiciary Commit- tee and its House counterpart. Currently, all trial court and appeals court judges stand for election by voters.
The vote: Appeared headed for passage
■ Amendment 3: Tax break for timberland: This amendment would create a new classification of “timberland property.” The owners of this land are expected to see their taxes go down but not to the level of the 2008 Forest Land Protection Act. For almost a decade, the state has been sending millions of dollars to local school boards and county governments that have been losing tax revenue because of that 2008 tax break. Supporters of the amendment said a study shows that the state’s working forest is taxed at rates three times higher than those imposed by neigh- boring states.
The vote: Appeared headed for passage
■ Amendment 4: Crime victims’ rights: Georgia law already requires that crime victims be notified of hear- ings and other proceedings in their cases. This would put these rights of crime victims into the Georgia Constitution, something advocates say is needed to make sure cases don’t fall through the cracks. Across the country, states are considering sim- ilar “Marsy’s Laws,” named for Marsy Nicholas, a University of California Santa Barbara student who was stalked and killed by her ex-boyfriend in 1983. Only a week after Nicholas’ slaying, her mother and brother walked into a grocery store and were confronted by the suspect.
The vote: Appeared headed for passage
■ Amendment 5: Local option sales taxes: This would eliminate the requirement that a county school district and city school district agree before calling a referendum to raise sales taxes for education.
The vote: Appeared headed for passage
■ Referendum A: This would allow a homestead exemption in jurisdictions such as the city of Atlanta that straddle more than one county.
The vote: Appeared headed for passage
■ Referendum B: This would provide a tax exemption for certain homes for the mentally disabled.
The vote: Appeared headed for passage