Republicans Win Major State Offices While Voters Say Yes to Amendments

Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp has won his race for a second term as Georgia's top elections official.

Early returns Tuesday showed that Kemp defeated Democrat Doreen Carter, who serves as Chamber of Commerce president in her hometown of Lithonia. The secretary of state oversees Georgia elections, business incorporations and professional licensing.

Kemp campaigned on his success at embracing technology to allow Georgians to register to vote or renew their professional licenses online. Carter criticized Kemp for supporting the state's voter ID law, which she called a "direct attack on eligible voters." Kemp insisted requiring voters to show a photo ID at the polls was common sense.

Kemp raised $1.2 million to fund his re-election bid, while Carter reported raising less than $22,000.

Republican Richard Woods is replacing Republican John Barge as the state schools superintendent.

The Tifton resident beat Democrat Valarie Wilson of Decatur in one of Georgia's most competitive midterm elections for statewide office. Incumbent schools chief John Barge stepped aside to mount an unsuccessful challenge to Republican Gov. Nathan Deal in the May primary.

Woods is a former social studies teacher and school administrator in Irwin County. Much of his campaign focused on asserting Georgia's independence from education standards set by the federal government and national groups.

Wilson is a former chairwoman of the Decatur school board and former president of the Georgia School Boards Association. In the last two weeks of the race, Barge crossed party lines to endorse Wilson.

Voters Say Yes To Amendments and Referendum

Voters have adopted an amendment freezing Georgia's top marginal income tax rate.

A constitutional amendment prohibiting the Legislature from raising income taxes above the current top rate of 6 percent was approved in voting Tuesday. It was among three ballot questions Georgia voters were asked to settle in the midterm elections.

A second amendment authorizing state lawmakers to impose additional fines for reckless driving that would fund medical treatment and rehabilitation for people with brain and spinal injuries also passed.

Finally, voters approved a referendum to allow Georgia's public universities to extend their exemption from property taxes to private companies hired to operate campus dorms.

Tags: elections2014, state school superintendent, state secretary of state, amendment, referendum