Georgia’s elections are secure. Let’s keep them that way

Because here’s the truth: our elections are working. They are secure. They are accessible. And, importantly, Georgia voters know it.

According to a statewide survey conducted before the 2024 presidential election, 63% of Georgia voters say they are confident that votes in Georgia elections will be accurately cast and counted — a strong endorsement of the current system. Even among Republicans, a majority say they believe the 2024 election was more accurate than 2020. Those numbers speak volumes and highlight the true impact of Senate Bill 202, which was passed and signed into law nearly four years ago.

Further, the survey also highlighted that a plurality of Georgia voters back the state’s landmark election reform law, with large majorities of supporters citing stronger voter ID rules and increased oversight of election offices as reasons for their confidence.

This is what progress looks like: voters who trust the process, strong turnout across the political spectrum and reforms that are actually doing what they promised.

Just look at last year’s presidential contest — more than 4 million Georgians voted early, breaking the state’s previous record. And in Fulton County, often the focus of national scrutiny, independent monitors described the election as “organized and orderly.” That’s not a system in crisis. That’s a system moving in the right direction.

And yet, this session, we saw a wave of proposals that would have undermined that progress. Some sought to take power away from local election officials. Others aimed to politicize nonpartisan roles, place new limits on vote-by-mail and drop boxes or open the door to widespread voter challenges. Many would have confused voters and made the job of election administrators even harder — all in the name of solving problems that, quite frankly, don’t exist.

Let’s call it what it is: a solution in search of a problem.

Since 2020, Georgia has enacted significant changes to make elections more secure and more transparent. Those changes are working. We’ve had smooth elections in both 2022 and 2024, and turnout continues to rise. That’s something to be proud of — and something to protect.

All of us have held office in this great state. We know firsthand that public trust is essential to a healthy democracy, and we know what real, pressing elections issues look like. But today’s Georgia is a national model — thanks to bipartisan cooperation, dedicated election workers and engaged voters who keep showing up and making their voices heard.

So, let’s keep moving forward — together!

Let’s support the people who run our elections. Let’s give voters clear rules they can count on. And let’s protect the confidence that Georgians — Republicans, Democrats and independents alike — have worked so hard to build.

To Georgia’s leaders: thank you. Thank you for resisting the urge to play politics with our elections. Thank you for putting voters ahead of partisanship. And thank you for knowing that real leadership sometimes means standing firm and simply saying “no.”

To our fellow Georgians: your voice matters. Your vote matters. And the system in place is working — because you’ve made it work. By participating, by showing up and by holding leaders accountable.

This isn’t about party. It’s about Georgia. It’s about America. And it’s about protecting something bigger than any one election — our democracy itself. Georgia’s elections are secure, strong and trusted. Let’s keep them that way.

Credit: AJC file photos

Credit: AJC file photos

By former Govs. Nathan Deal (R) and Roy Barnes (D), former U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R) and former Mayor Shirley Franklin (D).