All posts tagged "Georgia Election Board"

As Democrats sue to block recent rule changes by Georgia’s State Election Board that could embolden county officials who want to refuse to certify an election, one expert believes that the Republican-led efforts are "desperate" and likely to fail — but could fuel bogus claims in other states and lead to violence.

Three Republican Trump allies gained control of the five-member regulatory board this year, according to The Associated Press. Trump has praised the trio as "pit bulls fighting for honesty, transparency and victory."

State and national Democratic parties sued this week to block the panel's rule changes, which would allow election officials to conduct a reasonable inquiry before certifying election results, as well as allow county election boards to investigate ballot counts. The changes have been criticized by watchdogs as a second attempt to repeat the so-called "Big Lie" in 2024 and overturn or delay elections....

A former chair of the Fulton County elections board filed an ethics complaint against three far-right members of the Georgia State Election Board over a series of rule changes that would allow MAGA county officials to block certification of results at their discretion, according to Anna Bower of Lawfare.

Cathy Woolard wrote in her complaint to Gov. Brian Kemp she felt compelled — again — to express "grave concerns" about the conduct of three members on the board: Rick Jeffares, Janice Johnston and Janelle King."

"Since the appointment of Member King in May, these three members have made significant changes to the rules governing Georgia’s elections even though the election is just months away. They have also knowingly and willfully violated state law in pursuing those ends, and have repeatedly disregarded the advice of the Attorney General’s office, turning instead to outside parties for both legal counsel and the substance of proposed rules," she wrote....

Former President Donald Trump's allies have been quietly engineering a takeover of the Georgia State Elections Board, staffing them with MAGA extremists whom Trump affectionately refers to as "pit bulls fighting for victory" to enshrine the "Big Lie" that the election was stolen into the law for 2024, reported Rolling Stone.

The three board members, Rick Jeffares, Dr. Janice Johnston, and Janelle King, met earlier this month, days after the former president praised their work at a rally, and overruled the Democrats on the board, as well as a fourth Republican, to make multiple changes to election administration that Trump and his allies have long sought.

The first change, wrote Justin Glawe, "allows pro-Trump election officials in Georgia’s 159 counties to arbitrarily refuse to certify election results."...