Augusta voters head to the polls, Tuesday, to decide whether to continue the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, or S.P.L.O.S.T. Voters are looking at a more than $180 million package. Supporters are confident it will pass. WJBF News Channel 6’s George Eskola has more.

Advance voting is underway and the numbers are picking up, as ballots are cast in Augusta’s sales tax election. That shows the interest is growing, but also reflects that two additional voting sites are now open. It’s more convenient for voters, but is it worth the cost? WJBF News Channel 6’s George Eskola has the story.

The U.S. Supreme Court has decided not to hear an appeal to the oft-challenged Georgia law that requires voters to show photo identification before they cast their ballots. The move on Monday means a January 2009 ruling by a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold the state’s photo ID law is final.

The Justice Department has rejected Georgia’s attempt to require prospective voters in the state to provide proof of citizenship. Gov. Sonny Perdue signed the bill last month making Georgia the second state in the nation to require newly registering voters to prove they are U.S. citizens before casting a ballot. Under the Voting Rights Act, the state was required to get preclearance for the measure from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Debate is normal at the South Carolina Statehouse. Heated debate is occasional. But on Thursday, members of the Legislative Black Caucus and some other Democrats were so upset they walked out of the House chamber in protest. They had fought for hours against a bill that would require all voters to show a state-issued photo ID to be able to vote. WJBF News Channel 6’s Capitol reporter, Robert Kittle, has the story.

The 200-year wait for D.C. residents to get a vote in Congress is a step closer to ending as the Senate has cleared a major obstacle to ultimate passage of the measure.

Republicans say voters would have to have a photo IDs to prove who they are before heading to the voting booth. A House subcommittee will discuss requiring that type of identification Wednesday.

Georgians newly registering to vote would need to provide proof of citizenship beginning in 2010, under a bill introduced in the state Senate.

Fresh off his double-digits runoff win, Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss says his party must return to its conservative roots.

The U.S. Senate race may have grabbed much of the headlines, but voters also quietly decided contests to fill open seats on the Court of Appeals and the Public Service Commission.

GOP’s Chambliss Wins US Senate Runoff In Georgia

Voting is underway in Tuesday’s Senate runoff in Georgia. The race between Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss and Democrat challenger Jim Martin could decide whether Democrats get a 60-vote super majority in the U.S. Senate. Neither candidate got the required 50% plus one in last month’s election. But, what kind of interest has the runoff generated? Election officials say voter turnout was expected to be light. WJBF News Channel 6’s Renita Crawford was out and about to gauge the turnout.

Polling precincts around Georgia have closed after reporting a light turnout and few problems. Thousands of Georgia voters cast their ballots to decide the runoff between U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss and Democrat Jim Martin.

The U.S. Senate runoff is set for Tuesday, pitting imcumbent Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss against challenger, Democrat Jim Martin. Both made stops in Augusta on Monday.

Advance voting ends for next Tuesday’s runoff, in Georgia. A big U.S. Senate race is on the ballot, and that’s bring out thousands of voters, but not the numbers we saw, four weeks ago. WJBF News Channel 6’s George Eskola has the story.