Alan Powell (politician)
Alan Powell | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Georgia House of Representatives | |
| Assumed office January 14, 1991 | |
| Constituency | 13th district (1991–1993) 23rd district (1993–2005) 29th district (2005–2013) 32nd district (2013–2023) 33rd district (2023–present) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alan Tinsley Powell November 10, 1951 Hartwell, Georgia, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican (2010–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Democratic (before 2010) |
| Residence(s) | Hartwell, Georgia, U.S. |
Alan Tinsley Powell (born November 10, 1951) is an American politician who has served in the Georgia House of Representatives since 1991. He was originally elected as a Democrat, but switched to a Republican in 2010, citing his conservative views.[1][2] He graduated from Hart County High School, and received his Bachelors in Political Science from Georgia Southwestern State University.
Tenure
[edit]Powell is the current representative of Georgia House District 33, which consists of Hart, Franklin and part of Madison counties. He has served on a number of committees in Georgia's House, including as Chairman of the Motor Vehicles and Public Safety Committee. Governor Nathan Deal also appointed him to serve on the Board of Homeland Security in 2018.[3]
He has been a strong advocate of the Second Amendment, pro-life policies, and elderly/rural healthcare.[citation needed] He has been recognized by numerous organizations as Legislator of the Year and has received awards from the Emory Center for Injury Prevention, the NRA Institute for Legislative Action[4] and the National FFA Organization,[citation needed] among others. He received an Associate Life Membership from the Peace Officers Association of Georgia and is a Distinguished Member of GeorgiaCarry.[citation needed]
Among other legislation, Powell supported the Election Integrity Act of 2021.[5] Some of the provisions contained in the act included restrictions on where ballot drop boxes could be located and when they could be accessed, requiring photo identification for absentee voting, shifting back the deadline to request an absentee ballot, limited early voting hours, and preventing anyone other than poll workers from giving food and water to voters standing in lines.[5][6] It also restricted early voting on Sundays, which critics claimed was "voter suppression".[5][7][8] Powell defended the bill, saying "Show me the suppression. There is no suppression in this bill."[5] The legislation was passed along party lines by the Georgia House in a vote of 100–75, and by the Senate in a vote of 34–20, on March 25, 2021. Axios later stated that "99% of Georgia voters in the 2022 election reported no trouble casting their ballots."[9]
Powell was re-elected to a seventeenth two-year term in Georgia's House during the 2024 elections, having run unopposed and garnering over 29,000 votes.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ "Representative Alan Powell". House.ga.gov. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
- ^ Zach Mitcham (2010-11-19). "Powell changes parties". MadisonJournalToday. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
- ^ "Representative Alan Powell | Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency". gema.georgia.gov. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
- ^ MJ Kneiser (October 27, 2014). "NRA Honors Powell for Gun Legislation". 92.1WLHR. Georgia-Carolina Radiocasting Company. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d Corasaniti, Nick (2021-03-25). "Georgia G.O.P. Passes Major Law to Limit Voting Amid Nationwide Push". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
- ^ Nadler, Ben; Yoganathan, Anila (1 March 2021). "Georgia House passes GOP bill rolling back voting access". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2021-03-01.
- ^ Corasaniti, Nick; Rutenberg, Jim (2021-03-06). "In Georgia, Republicans Take Aim at Role of Black Churches in Elections". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
- ^ Scott, Eugene (24 February 2021). "New Georgia legislation would curb 'souls to the polls'". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2021-02-24.
- ^ Hurt, Emma (2023-01-27). "UGA poll: 99% of Georgia voters saw no issues in 2022". Axios. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
- ^ "Alan Powell". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
