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Roy Barnes
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Roy Eugene Barnes (born March 11, 1948) was the governor of the U.S. state of Georgia from January 1999 until January 2003. He is a member of the United States Democratic Party.
es was born in Mableton, now a suburb just west of Atlanta. He first became successful in politics in 1974, when he was elected to the Georgia state Senate. He served there from 1975 until 1990, when he ran in the Democratic primary for governor of Georgia.
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Roy Eugene Barnes (born March 11, 1948) was the governor of the U.S. state of Georgia from January 1999 until January 2003. He is a member of the United States Democratic Party.
Biography
Barnes was born in Mableton, now a suburb just west of Atlanta. He first became successful in politics in 1974, when he was elected to the Georgia state Senate. He served there from 1975 until 1990, when he ran in the Democratic primary for governor of Georgia. He was defeated by Zell Miller, who later won the election and became an ally of Barnes. Barnes returned to politics in 1992, serving in the Georgia state House of Representatives until 1998, when he ran for governor again, this time winning the Democratic primary. Barnes defeated then-Secretary of State Lewis Massey to win the Democratic Primary. He defeated Republican businessman Guy Millner 53%-44% in the General Election. The Democrats retained control of both houses of the legislature and retained all but two state level offices (Republican were elected Insurance Commissioner and School Superintendent). Pushing education reform, Barnes focused on a smaller teacher-pupil ratio and more accountability by raising academic standards. He also supported legislation that guaranteed patients the right to choose their physicians and helped pass legislation that allowed insurance companies to be held liable for denying or delaying health care for individuals. Barnes successfully pushed for tax cuts on family farms and established a sales tax holiday for Georgia.
Governor of Georgia
His tenure as governor was also marked by controversy over education reform and the redesign of the state flag, which, since 1956, had featured the Confederate battle emblem. Barnes made the decision to push for, and succeeded in, removing the Confederate Emblem from its prominence on the flag. The resulting flag was referred to a Denny's placemat on many occasions. Barnes used a more centralized approach to education and eliminated tenure for newly hired teachers. He also pushed through a controversial initiative to end social promotion by requiring students to pass a test before advancing to the next grade. Many educators strongly disagreed with Barnes' criticisms of teaching methods and the education system as a whole. He further pushed the building of the Northern Arc, an outer perimeter north of Atlanta that met with opposition from the locals. During most of his tenure, his former law partner, State Senator Charles B. Tanksley, who was a member of the United States Republican Party, served as his floor manager in the Georgia Senate.
Facing re-election in 2002, he lost in an upset in November 2002 due to his stands on those issues, as well as part of a larger GOP midterm sweep. Particularly important was the impact the flag decision had had on rural south Georgia counties, where his vote percentages shrank by 20% in places. Following his defeat, he decided to lend his talents to a legal aid group and offer his talents in the field of private consulting and certain legal defense. For his stance on the Flag Issue and the price it ultimately cost him, Roy E. Barnes was awarded the 2003 Profile in Courage Award by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. Barnes founded the Barnes Law Group with his daughter soon after leaving the Governor's Mansion, where he works with his family.
According to Georgia Trend, Democrat Roy Barnes was one of the most powerful governors in history. His nickname "King Roy" was an affectionate term accorded him by supporters because he knew how to pull the levers and make things happen in the legislature. Barnes' Republican opponents used the term in a not-so-friendly manner, as a sort of slur.
Georgia Supreme Court dismisses Barnes case challenging voter ID
The Georgia Supreme Court on June 12 2007 unanimously dismissed a legal challenge to the state's voter ID law. Former Gov. Roy Barnes, argued before the court that the voter ID law was unconstitutional because Ms. Lake the plantiff and others did not have driver's licenses and were therefore excluded in a discriminatory manner.
The state's highest court said the only plaintiff in the case, Rosalind Lake, a first-time voter after moving to Georgia, had photo identification that would have qualified her to vote in July of last year, so she did not have legal standing to file suit.
"Because Lake possesses a photo ID acceptable for in-person voting under the 2006 Act, once again, she lacks standing to challenge the Act as an unconstitutional restriction on her right to vote," Justice Harold Melton wrote in the five-page opinion.
Legislators passed the law in 2005. Previously, Georgians could show one of 17 forms of ID, including those without photos, such as utility bills, to check in at the polls. Supporters said it would increase voter confidence through a better verification process. Legislators revised the law and made it easier for people to get free photo cards for voting, but the rules were repeatedly barred from implementation until of the law in early 2008.
External links
- (the New Georgia Encyclopedia)
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