Voters to decide on four constitutional amendments on Georgia's ballot
ATLANTA - There are four questions on Tuesday ballot which will help shape the future of Georgia’s constitution.
FOX 5 News takes a look at brief look at those amendments.
Here are the measures on the ballot:
Amendment One
“Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended to allow the state to intervene in chronically failing public schools in order to improve student performance?”
Supporters: Gov. Deal said the plan is based on similar programs in Louisiana and Tennessee to help chronically failing schools. If it passes, the governor would appoint a superintendent to oversee an Opportunity School District and choose which schools to include.
Opponents: Teachers unions, the NAACP, and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed have come out opposed to it. They say it is a "power grab" and micro-manages school districts overriding duly elected officials in a district. They are also concerned it creates another layer of government.
Related: Georgia school amendment renews debate over weak schools
Related: Governor Deal defends failing schools plan, Mayor Reed opposes it
Related: FOX 5 Poll: Amendment One will likely be defeated
Related: Like It or Not: Amendment 1
Amendment Two
“Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended to allow additional penalties for criminal cases in which a person is adjudged guilty of keeping a place of prostitution, pimping, pandering, pandering by compulsion, solicitation of sodomy, masturbation for hire, trafficking of persons for sexual servitude, or sexual exploitation of children and to allow assessments on adult entertainment establishments to fund the Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Children Fund to pay for care and rehabilitative and social services for individuals in this state who have been or may be sexually exploited?”
Supporters: The Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Children Fund would collect fines from convicted sex offenders and new taxes from strip clubs. Proponents say the state has a moral imperative to heal the mental and physical damage to some 4,000 victims of child sex trafficking and exploitation every year.
Opponents: Those against the proposal say it would add an additional regressive tax and indirectly hold legitimate businesses responsible for illegal activities.
Related: Support for Amendment 2 grows
Amendment Three
“Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to abolish the existing Judicial Qualifications Commission; require the General Assembly to create and provide by general law for the composition, manner of appointment, and governance of a new Judicial Qualifications Commission, with such commission having the power to discipline, remove, and cause involuntary retirement of judges; require the Judicial Qualifications Commission to have procedures that provide for due process of law and review by the Supreme Court of its advisory opinions; and allow the Judicial Qualifications Commission to be open to the public in some manner?”
Supporters: State Rep. Wendell Willard says the measure would abolish the Judicial Qualifications Commission, allowing the state legislature to recreate it with more oversight by elected officials. Willard says the move is necessary because some judges' rights to due process have been trampled by commissioners pursuing personal agendas, and there has been no way to address that because of the commission's autonomy.
Opponents: The agency's former chairman, Lester Tate, who has resigned over the issue, says the proposed amendment would lead to the dangerous politicization of an independent agency whose mission is to protect citizens from unethical judges.
Related: Georgia voters to decide if judicial watchdog needs overhaul
Related: Like It or Not: Amendment 3
Amendment Four
“Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to provide that the proceeds of excise taxes on the sale of fireworks or consumer fireworks be dedicated to the funding of trauma care, firefighter equipping and training, and local public safety purposes?”
Supporters: Those for the amendment say this would not create a new tax, but would rather dedicate the tax from sales of fireworks to help trauma and emergency care.
Opponents: Those against the amendment say it is unnecessary, since the state should already be setting aside money to fund trauma units.
The Associated Press contributed to this report