Loeffler, Greater Georgia question fairness in APS voter registration events

ATLANTA - Former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler said her voter registration and engagement group is not being allowed to hold an event at one Atlanta high school, while an organization founded by Democrat Stacey Abrams is.

"When you think about, okay there's 2,000 kids, certainly there would be room for another organization that can help mobilize kids and they declined to offer us an invitation," said Loeffler.

The New Georgia Project has held two voter registration events at North Atlanta High School this year--one in September and one just last week.

Stacey Abrams, who founded New Georgia Project, is also running as a Democrat for Georgia governor in 2022.

When a representative from Loeffler's group, Greater Georgia, reached out to the school and asked to schedule a similar event, an employee told them:

"We are already committed with the New Georgia Project for another voter registration drive next month, which will close out our year. I also think there are tentative dates with New Georgia Project in the fall as well. Therefore, we will not need another voter registration day with another organization before the fall general election."

In an email to FOX 5, a spokesperson for Atlanta Public Schools said, "Greater Georgia or any other organization is free to contact other high schools in Atlanta Public Schools, or in any other school district in Georgia, to inquire about available dates for possible enrichment opportunities for students."

But Loeffler said the schools should strive to offer a level playing field for any voter registration organization.

Abrams founded New Georgia Project in 2014 as a non-partisan voter registration and engagement effort, but the Committee for a New Georgia, the group's political action committee both supports and endorses Democratic candidates for office, including Abrams.

Greater Georgia also bills itself as non-partisan, but does seek to engage conservative voters who did not participate or felt disenfranchised after the 2020 election.

Loeffler said the decision by the school to bar her organization from campus shows APS does not care about civic engagement, but instead want to "indoctrinate and transform students into progressive activists."

Kelly Loeffler, a Republican who served Georgia in the US Senate, founded Greater Georgia. (FOX 5)

ATLANTA PUBLIC SCHOOLS CELEBRATES DEMOCRACY CURRICULUM WITH EVENT AT MERCEDES-BENZ STADIUM

In August, APS announced a partnership with New Georgia Project, Rock the Vote, the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United to launch Democracy Class Atlanta, a two-month course on the history and importance of voting for 11th and 12th grade students.

"Inviting our youngest generation to be active participants in the civic process is a necessary step to not only ensuring that we are training up the state's next generation of progressive champions, but also reaffirms our commitment to uplifting the voices of all Georgians," said New Georgia Project COO Kendra Cotton in a press release about the program.

New Georgia Project, Rock the Vote, the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United launched Democracy Class Atlanta in August. (FOX 5)

According to APS, the program was "designed to inspire students to take civic action by registering to vote, signing up to be poll workers or volunteers, or pledging to talk to three friends about voting."

They estimated 2,450 students took part across all 11 APS high schools.

"Coupled with the curriculum that we saw taught to children last fall where children were encouraged to show up and be activists and progressive activists in campaigns and now a progressive organization is the only one that's allowed to come in, APS is picking not just winners and losers, but it's unfair to the kids," said Loeffler.

APS maintains the Democracy Class Atlanta program was voluntary and non-partisan.