The November election is not just quickly approaching — it’s here. Sure, Election Day is still six weeks away, but ballots are already in the hands of military voters. Absentee voting applications are also being received, and ballots are set to be mailed in two weeks. Early in-person voting begins just a week after that.
As Georgians, we can feel lucky that we have some of the strongest voting safeguards and election reforms in America. And yet, despite the fact that voters here can be confident that their vote will count and our elections process is secure, partisan interests are pursuing last-minute changes that could test that confidence.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
As a state senator, I took an oath to support the U.S. Constitution and the Constitution of the State of Georgia. These documents, along with the rule of law, guarantee that the people possess the powers of self-government through free and fair elections. That’s why I’m working with RightCount, an organization dedicated to fortifying and protecting the rule of law in Georgia’s vote-counting process and defending election officials who perform their constitutional and statutory duties without fear or favor.
Georgia maintains a rigorous and open process to ensure that the voice of every voter is heard. Before a single vote is cast, counties first have to build and proof ballots. This is the process that ensures that candidates are listed correctly on the ballot and that they are tied to the correct districts so that voters receive the proper ballot when they vote. In addition to preparing ballots, every single piece of election equipment must be tested to ensure proper functionality prior to use. Testing involves tens of thousands of ballot-marking devices and printers, thousands of poll pads used to check-in voters and scanners used to tabulate ballots. It’s a rigorous and transparent process that poll watchers from both sides can freely observe.
Everyone knows that once the game has started, it’s not fair to change the rules and procedures. You would hope that the major political parties would ascribe to such a basic principle, but the fact is that there are currently efforts by those affiliated with both parties to change the rules, even though the election process is already underway.
On one side, the three members of the State Election Board that former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president, has praised as “pit bulls” for “victory” are seeking to pass a series of 11 last-minute rule changes on Sept. 20 that require hand-counting of ballots at polling places, modify the manner in which counties distribute absentee ballots and even change the way absentee ballots are printed. The board has yet to identify any emergency circumstances that could possibly justify changing the election rules so close to the start of voting. In fact, the Georgia Association of Voter Registration and Election Officials, an organization of election officials who will bear the brunt of these changes in a compressed time frame, has expressed concern that these new rules would create confusion and could lead to errors or delays in vote counting.
At the same time, Georgia Democrats are working to remove the names of Green Party candidate Jill Stein and independent candidates Cornel West and Claudia de la Cruz from the ballot so they don’t draw support from Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president. Each of these candidates was found to be qualified for the ballot by Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, and Georgia law already allows election administrators to post notices at all polling locations informing voters that votes for a particular candidate won’t count if a candidate is disqualified late in the process, but Democrats are instead pushing to have the state squander taxpayer money and place election timelines in jeopardy by reprinting ballots.
Enacting rule changes and modifying ballots so close to an election can lead to the very sort of technical mistakes that election deniers will use to justify delayed certification or refusal to accept legitimate results. Now is the time to ensure the smooth operation of Georgia’s elections and strengthen voter trust and confidence. Both parties must step back and recognize that what’s most important is not winning at any cost — it’s ensuring that all Georgia voters have their say, without confusion, obstruction or last-minute surprises.
The stakes are high, but the solution is simple: Let the 2024 elections proceed under the established rules and safeguards that are already in place. We owe it to the voters of Georgia to protect their right to vote, unimpeded by partisan gamesmanship.
Eric Johnson, a Republican, spent 17 years in the Georgia Legislature. In the state Senate, he represented all of Bryan and Liberty counties and part of Chatham County from 1995 to 2009. He represented the Albany area in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1993 to 1995.
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