Public Comment is not a Privilege – It’s a Right

GUEST EDITORIAL: From the Microphone to the Capitol: Public Comment is not a Privilege – it’s a Right

By State Representative Viola Davis (D-Stone Mountain)

Long before I was sworn in as a Georgia State Representative, I was an activist, organizer, community missionary, government watchdog and an overall concerned citizen who stood at the microphone during public comment sessions, sometimes speaking to a practically empty room, to hold our school boards and local governments accountable.

As the founder of Unhappy Taxpayer & Voter, I’ve long believed in a simple principle: the people should always be able to see, hear and speak truth to power. Why? The taxpayers and voters are the employers!

That principle hasn’t changed just because I now sit on the other side of the “seat of power.” In fact, it’s grown stronger.

Today, as an elected official representing Georgia House District 87, I remain committed to defending your voice, especially your right to speak during public meetings and have your comments heard not just in the room, but across the state.

That’s why I am drafting legislation that will protect “gavel-to-gavel” transparency, requiring all portions of public meetings, including public comment, to be broadcast, recorded and accessible to the public. This is especially critical for the elderly, disabled, homebound and working individuals who cannot attend in person but deserve full access to civic discourse.

The recent decision by the Cobb County School Board to stop live-streaming public comment is a dangerous step backward. While speakers may still address the board in person, their voices are now effectively erased from the public record, absent from the livestream and hidden from the broader community. When the cameras are off, so is accountability. It’s “tea” time in Georgia. Time for transparency, ethics and accountability.

Let’s be clear: this is not about “efficiency” or “risk mitigation.” It’s about controlling the narrative and shielding officials from criticism.

As someone who was once labeled a “troublemaker” simply for asking where taxpayer money was going, I know firsthand how inconvenient truth-telling can be for those in power. But public comment is not a nuisance, it is a constitutional right and a check on government, one that must be preserved and protected, not silenced.

Livestreaming the full public meeting, including the public’s voice, is not only feasible; it is already being done in many districts. The technology exists. The only thing missing in some cases is the political will.

That’s why my proposed legislation will require:

• Mandatory “gavel-to-gavel” broadcasting of public meetings, including public comment;
• Retention and public access to video archives;
• ADA accommodations for people unable to attend in person, including remote or video submission of comment;
• Restrictions on censorship, including due process before any ban from public meetings;
• And enforcement mechanisms to hold public bodies accountable when they suppress speech.

Remember, We the People are the employers. The government is not a private club. Taxpayers and voters are the employers of elected officials, not just spectators. They hire and fire us with their votes and pay us with their tax money. In this nonprofit public business called government, the elected officials are the employees. When officials shut off the camera, they shut out the boss.

As a veteran, a nurse and a former community activist turned legislator, I remain grounded in the belief that sunlight is the best disinfectant, and your voice is a vital part of that light.

I urge my fellow legislators, school board members and local officials to stand on the side of righteousness and transparency. Don’t fear public comment, listen to it. Broadcast it. Learn from it.

And to my fellow citizens: never stop speaking up. I haven’t.

*Editor’s note: a photo of Rep. Davis is included.

Representative Viola Davis represents the citizens of District 87, which includes a portion of DeKalb County. She was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2018 and currently serves on the Defense & Veterans Affairs, Health, Insurance, Natural Resources & Environment and Urban Affairs committees.

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