Alan Tinsley Powell, born on November 10, 1951, is an American politician who has been serving in the Georgia House of Representatives since 1991. He was born and raised in Hartwell, Georgia, and continues to reside there. After graduating from Hart County High School, he attended Georgia Southwestern College, where he earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Political Science.
Powell’s career experience includes owning Red Clay Properties. He was originally elected as a Democrat, but switched to the Republican party in 2010, citing his conservative views. Over the years, he has represented various districts in the Georgia House of Representatives, including the 13th district (1991–1993), 23rd district (1993–2005), 29th district (2005–2013), 32nd district (2013–2023), and currently the 33rd district (2023–present).
Before his election to the Georgia General Assembly, he served as Chairman of the Hart County Board of Commissioners. In the Georgia House of Representatives, he has served as Chairman of the Motor Vehicles and Public Safety & Homeland Security Committees. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Regulated Industries Committee and is a standing member of Appropriations, Governmental Affairs, Motor Vehicles, Public Safety & Homeland Security, Rules, and Small Business Development Committees.
Powell supported the Election Integrity Act of 2021, a Republican-supported law to restrict voting rights in Georgia. Among its many provisions, it would restrict where ballot drop boxes can be located and when they can be accessed, require photo identification for absentee voting, shift back the deadline to request an absentee ballot, limit early voting hours, and prevent anyone other than poll workers from giving food and water to voters standing in lines. Most controversially, it would restrict early voting on Sundays, when Black churches traditionally run “Souls to the Polls” get-out-the-vote efforts. Powell defended the bill, saying “Show me the suppression. There is no suppression in this bill.”
The legislation was passed by the Republican-controlled legislature in Georgia shortly after the 2020 elections when Democrats won the two U.S. Senate seats in Georgia and Joe Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate to win Georgia since 1992. Then-President Donald Trump and his allies made false claims of fraud in multiple states, including Georgia, after they lost the elections.
