Bryan Tyson

For all candidates, election workers, and election lawyers . . .

Business owners: don’t tie Election Day freebies to an “I Voted” sticker. Federal and Georgia law prohibit giving anything of value for voting. The easy fix is to offer the deal to everyone, sticker or not.

Georgia employers: employees who give reasonable notice can take up to 2 hours to vote, including on early voting days (through Oct. 30). The old exception for shifts with two hours of open polls is gone. You can set the timing.

Voted with no line in Cobb County this morning - go make a difference and get your fancy I Voted sticker!

Grateful for the opportunity to speak about redistricting and the Voting Rights Act to the @NCSLorg RELACS conference, helping equip legislative lawyers for what happens next after recent US Supreme Court decisions.

It was a privilege to hear from Governor Kemp and the First Lady at lunch today. Glad we got to hear their reflections on the last eight years!

Think the trick of putting a candidate with the same name on the ballot is new? Not really: "One form of election manipulation used under the plurality system consisted of entering a 'stalking horse' into a local race to split the opposition vote and assure victory to courthouse crowd candidates. Governor Sanders experienced this tactic first hand when he ran against Peter Zack Geer in the 1962 lieutenant governor's race. Sanders withdrew from the race after hearing that Geer planned to enter a candidate named Carl F. Sanders in the race to confuse voters and ensure his own victory. Sanders ran for governor instead and won." Brooks v. Miller, 158 F.3d 1230, 1234 (11th Cir. 1998).

It’s fun to meet Bills, but in the Supreme Court chamber, addressing a Law is always more important. Thanks to the Office of the General Counsel for the Georgia General Assembly for a great training this week!

As I put my American flag up outside the house this morning, I thought back to the signs reading "National Emergency: All Atlanta Airports Closed" that I saw driving home from the state Capitol 25 years ago today. We were in special session (Republicans were the minority) and voted on the congressional map on the floor of the House that day. We first heard about the attack as a "small plane" hitting the World Trade Center during the Republican caucus meeting to rally the troops for the floor vote that day. As everything unfolded, I spent the morning in the ante room of the House, getting bits and pieces of updates and rumors. I frequently looked out the window into the blue sky, half-expecting to see a plane headed toward the Georgia Capitol. Later that day, I sat with Lynn Westmoreland and Anne Lewis, stunned at "what happened" (as we called it before 9/11 had a name). When I finally drove home that afternoon I saw those signs and reflected on the fact that there were no aircraft over the entire United States that weren't military aircraft. I used to never understand why my parents teared up when they talked about President Kennedy being shot. But I tear up talking with my kids about the attacks on 9/11 and remember that numb feeling that persisted for weeks afterwards. The @WSJ this morning had a headline titled "The Long Shadow of 9/11" and I think that fits. It was so unthinkable before it happened and cast a long shadow, altering the course of lives of people close to me who went to war, entered public service, and undertook service to our nation in a lot of different ways. It's strange to reflect on how long it's been. But also how it feels so fresh. I hope my kids never have to experience something that shows them why I can't talk about 9/11 without tears the same way I learned about why my parents talked about President Kennedy's assassination the way they did. But I'm incredibly grateful for this nation and for all the men and women who work tirelessly in so many roles to keep us safe. That's worth reflecting on 25 years later.

It warms my heart to read an editorial about standing in federal court in today’s @WSJ wsj.com/opinion/trump-is-rig…

Always great to get our US Supreme Court update in our Atlanta chapter @FedSoc meeting. Thanks to @fredosmithjr and SG John Henry Thompson for a great presentation!

Honored that Chief Justice Peterson quoted our Mercer Law Review survey of Georgia election law in his concurrence in Coleman v. State, the decision where a majority of the Supreme Court of Georgia announced it will end stop hearing non-death-penalty murder appeals in July 2027. With @BryanJacoutot and Diane LaRoss.

The Eleventh Circuit takes a lawyer to task today for filing multiple briefs with hallucinated cases from AI. Judge Grant has many incredible quotes in this opinion on how bad this is for the lawyer and his clients and this is just one of many! media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opin…

Today marks two months since we hung out our shingle. And today, we officially have a sign at our office! Technology available today makes starting your own firm easier than ever. We’ve had a great beginning and look forward to continuing to serve our clients. Come visit us if you’re ever in East Cobb!

This is a fun exercise as we get ready for America 250!

Glad to talk through our new venture with the @ajc as we continue to serve our clients! ajc.com/news/2026/05/top-ele…