When twitter does a better job of reporting than the mainstream media.

While the quality of mainstream media declines, even entering negative territory (what you end up knowing is wrong), the internet and social media can produce workarounds that are quite beneficial. In this instance, there has been steady mainstream media speculation about voter suppression in Georgia at the supposed behest of former Secretary of State (now Governor-elect) Brian Kemp.

If no one else is going to respond to this, I guess I will have to. This list is intentionally misleading to give readers who don't know the facts a false impression and thus undermine a legitimate election. Thread with the truth about each of these accusations: https://t.co/uwyTMeCp96

— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) November 17, 2018

The Secretary of State provides election oversight, ensures local election official's adherence to State law, and makes policy recommendations. The actual administration of the elections, within the framework of State Law and policy, is performed by local county or city governments. Broken machines, long lines, etc. are all local issues. Electoral role purging is State level law (not Secretary of State policy). The legislations for electoral role clean-up was passed by a Democratic governor and a Democratic legislature twenty some years ago.

So all the speculation and conspiracy peddling in the mainstream media is dispositive of the truth. The facts are reasonably well-known by most informed Georgia voters. There are no secrets or ambiguities to this. It is a crying shame that some local Georgian on twitter provides a far more accurate and succinct summary of the facts than can be obtained in any of the mainstream media.

I experienced this on election day. I live in a district that votes 90% Democrat. The last Republican mayor of City of Atlanta was in 1879 for pete's sake. Administration of elections is done by City officials. None-the-less, I had three neighbors raise their concerns that the long lines reflected voter suppression by the Secretary of State. Their concerns were scarcely allayed when I pointed out that 1) the election administration was being performed by the deepest blue city officials, and 2) that within the past fifteen years we have had at least three elections in which the lines were longer.

People see what they want to see. The media is reporting what it wants to believe, not what the facts reveal. We shouldn't have to rely on twitter to get accurate information that is available to, but unreported by, the mainstream media.