The Georgia State Election Board, previously of little public interest, has gained attention due to a new Republican majority that is implementing rules that could lead to chaos in the upcoming November election. This shift in the election board, which is located in a critical battleground state, demonstrates how Republicans who previously questioned the results of the 2020 presidential election are now influencing election rules and processes. Despite Vice President Kamala Harris being a possible winner in the state, the three Republicans on the board are pushing through rules that election experts and voting rights groups fear could jeopardize election certification.
The lone Democrat on the board, Sarah Tindall Ghazal, has raised concerns about the new rules and their potential to create chaos and undermine confidence in the electoral process. The board is expected to consider additional rule changes at an upcoming meeting on September 20. Ghazal criticizes the Republican members who are driving these changes for ignoring advice from legal experts and election administrators and for not considering viewpoints that differ from their belief that elections are rigged.
Following controversies surrounding the 2020 election, Georgia’s former Secretary of State was removed from the election board. New members, such as Janelle King, a media personality, have been appointed and have defended the board’s recent decisions. Despite insisting that she does not believe the 2020 election was stolen, King supports the new rules being implemented by the board, including one that allows for partisans on local election boards to conduct an inquiry before certifying election results. These rule changes are meant to ensure vote counts are accurate and to instill confidence in the certification process.
The current membership of the election board includes individuals who have previously spread false information about the 2020 election and have expressed interest in working in a possible future Trump administration. The actions of these members, particularly their controversial rule changes so close to the upcoming election, have raised concerns among election officials and the public in Georgia. Some have criticized the seeming partisanship of the board and its potential to cause chaos and disruptions in the election process.
As election officials and organizations across the state express alarm over the board’s recent decisions, efforts have been made to challenge these changes. A statewide association of election workers and Democratic lawmakers have spoken out against the new rules and filed ethics complaints against board members. The potential impact of these changes on the election and certification processes remains uncertain, leading to calls for stability and non-partisanship in the management of elections in the state. Despite reassurances from top officials in the secretary of state’s office, concerns persist about the implications of the board’s actions on the upcoming election.
