Georgia First

05/14/2026

Governor Kemp called a June special session for lawmakers to consider two key elections issues: the unresolved July 1 deadline to overhaul Georgia’s voting system, and making changes to Georgia’s congressional and legislative boundaries.

Georgia First is encouraged to see lawmakers taking steps to bring our state election code into compliance with the law. However, we believe that any partisan redistricting efforts risk undermining public trust and the perceived integrity of our elections. We hope lawmakers will prioritize stability, fairness, and broad confidence in the electoral process during this special session. Read more:

The June special session comes on the heels of a U.S. Supreme Court decision gutting racial gerrymandering protections in the Voting Rights Act.

04/15/2026

Our Executive Director recently spoke with Georgia Public Broadcasting about Senate Bill 427, which creates a limited provisional license for internationally trained physicians to practice medicine under supervision. The bill — which passed the General Assembly and awaits Governor Kemp’s signature — would be an important step toward bringing more doctors to practice in rural areas of our state.

This is all the more important as rural access to care is under threat. While a critical step, Georgia must do more to protect rural healthcare by expanding Medicaid. Medicaid expansion would cover more Georgians, while getting us extra federal funding and, in her words “expanding Medicaid in Georgia would help to keep more people in the workforce, boost our economy, and protect our rural hospitals."

Read the full piece here:

Advocates for better health care access in Georgia say the state has taken an important step in attracting more medical professionals.

04/13/2026

As we approach a major midterm election, Georgia is facing the potential for a last-minute logistical upheaval of our voting process — one that could impede some Georgians’ right to be heard at the ballot box. Our Executive Director’s piece in the Georgia Recorder examines why Georgia is facing uncertainty about our elections process — and outlines a path forward.

Read it here:

Despite a legal requirement to address QR codes on Georgia’s ballots and bring the state into compliance with Senate Bill 189 (SB 189) — passed by this legislature in 2024 — lawmakers failed to take critical action to give Georgia voters and election officials a clearer picture of November’s...

04/09/2026

Last Thursday marked Sine Die, the final day of Georgia’s legislative session, and thus the final day the General Assembly could pass legislation and send bills to the governor’s desk. Our Sine Die Report outlines the final status of our priority bills across healthcare, democracy & elections, and the economy. Read the report here for more about Georgia’s wins this legislative session, and places where we can redouble our efforts moving forward ⬇️

Georgia First’s 2026 Sine Die Report Last Thursday, April 2, marked Georgia First’s fifth Sine Die since our founding and the end of an eventful two-year biennium. Sine Die represents the final day of legislative session, and thus the final day the General Assembly can pass legislation and send ...

03/31/2026

As we mark the 16th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act in March, Georgia remains one of only 10 states that haven’t expanded Medicaid. As our state faces an unprecedented healthcare crisis amidst federal changes, it’s time for us to do what is right for our health and our economy by expanding Medicaid. Read our Executive Director’s piece published in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Georgia is one of only 10 states that has not fully expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, and those states' health care outcomes are poorer than the 40 others.

03/13/2026

Friday, March 6 marked Crossover Day in the Georgia Assembly, a deadline by which bills must “crossover” by clearing the House or Senate to be eligible to continue toward becoming law. Crossover Day provides a narrowing of focus, where it becomes clear to lawmakers and organizations like Georgia First where to direct our energy in the final sprint toward Sine Die.

Our 2026 Crossover Report looks at the bills touching Georgia First’s key legislative priorities — economy, healthcare, and democracy and elections — that we are prioritizing through the end of session. Read them here:

Georgia First’s 2026 Crossover Report   Friday, March 6, marked Crossover Day in the Georgia General Assembly: a deadline by which bills must “crossover” by clearing the House or Senate to be eligible to continue toward becoming law. This session has included many bills across Georgia First.....

02/12/2026

This week, an unsealed affidavit revealed that the search warrant that led to federal agents seizing ballots in Fulton County relied on widely debunked claims about the 2020 election. Grounded in the principle of free and fair elections, Georgia First has filed an amicus brief calling on the Court to grant the motion to return the ballots to the Fulton County election office. If all materials are not immediately returned, Georgia First urged the Court to amend its warrant and issue a protective order to protect the integrity of the ballots. These steps are critical to protecting voter privacy, upholding the integrity of election records, and — ultimately — to maintaining free, secure, and fair elections in Georgia and the United States.

Read our full statement here:

Georgia First Calls for Critical Steps Toward Preserving Election Integrity in Georgia   Natalie Crawford, Founder & Executive Director of Georgia First and Chair of the BRIDGE Georgia coalition, released the following statement today: “This week, an unsealed affidavit revealed that the search wa...

01/22/2026

Georgia First applauds Congressional leaders for working together to invest in Americans’ health by advancing a bipartisan healthcare funding package. However, we are disheartened to see that the enhanced premium tax credits many Georgians relied on to afford their healthcare coverage are not being reauthorized as part of this deal. The expiration of these tax credits has led to premiums skyrocketing for Georgians. With competing priorities like putting food on the table and keeping the lights on, 190,000 fewer Georgians have chosen to enroll in 2026 marketplace coverage compared to 2025 when the tax credits were in place.

See the numbers here:

State level data on Marketplace Enrollment Snapshot for Open Enrollment 2026 from KFF, the leading health policy organization in the U.S.

01/21/2026

Our Founder and Executive Director, Natalie Crawford, will step into a new role of Executive Director of The Mended Hearts, Inc. Georgia First is deeply grateful for Natalie’s steadfast commitment to building a brighter future for Georgians, and knows that she will continue to center Georgia First’s values of growing the strength and welfare of our state, her people, and our collective future in all that she does. More from Natalie here:

Today, Georgia First Executive Director Natalie Crawford announced a new role as Executive Director of Mended Hearts   Statement from Georgia First Founder and Executive Director Natalie Crawford “With deep gratitude, I am proud to share that I have been appointed Executive Director of Mended Hea...

01/12/2026

Georgia First is proud to share our updated policy agenda for 2026, promoting pragmatic solutions that strengthen the wellbeing of our state and its people.

“As Georgia faces increasing pressure on our state budget — including from unprecedented federal funding cuts — Georgians are counting on our state leaders to enact policies that allow us to make our voices heard at the ballot box, strengthen and expand our middle class, and ensure we can all access the care we need.” – Natalie Crawford, Founder and Executive Director

Read our robust agenda spanning economic, healthcare, and democracy and election policy priorities here: