Atlanta keeps putting up roadblocks as organizers push to vote on Cop City

Atlanta has never hosted a citizen-led referendum before, and therefore has few established structures in place to govern the process.

The city government has thrown up barriers at every turn, miring the petition gathering and signature approval process in bureaucratic and legal delays.

Organizers are now debating whether to aim for the ballot in May , when local primaries happen, or November .

Stop Cop City Vote organizers have found themselves in limbo as they wait for a federal appeals court decision.

Atlanta 's city charter gave organizers 60 days to collect more than 58,000 signatures from city voters in order to get on the November ballot.

The city has also fought organizers on who can collect signatures, including residents in unincorporated areas of Dekalb County .

If the court rules in favor of the coalition, an entirely new scramble will ensue.

Per its charter, the city has 50 days to stand up a referendum process.

With more than 100,000 signatures collected, coalition members say they’re confident that they will cross the threshold.

An analysis by the Associated Press and several local news outlets found a high number of seemingly invalid signatures.