Several Republican Georgia congressmen said Monday that they’re concerned about the potential for election fraud, criticizing states elsewhere in the country that automatically mail absentee ballots to voters.
The congressmen, during a Zoom meeting with Georgia election officials, asked Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to keep the presidential election secure amid a sharp increase in absentee voting. Almost half of voters cast absentee ballots in the state’s primary.
Raffensperger responded that absentee ballots in Georgia will only be sent to voters who have requested them, and they must be verified by matching voters’ signatures and registration records.
“The integrity of the election is just as important as access to the election, and we’ve got to find that balance,” U.S. Rep. Austin Scott said as he objected to mass-mailing ballots to all voters.
In Georgia, any registered voter is eligible to request an absentee ballot without having to provide an excuse under a state law passed in 2005. It’s illegal in Georgia to automatically mail ballots to voters. Nine states are mailing ballots to all voters this year.
Absentee ballot fraud is rare in Georgia, with few violations in recent years, according to State Election Board records.
“We want to make sure that Americans, and particularly Georgians, have access to a mechanism to vote, but I think that we all share concerns about fraud and abuse,” U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson said. “We want to make sure that the integrity of the voting system is upheld.”
Raffensperger focused his responses on preparations for the presidential election since the June 9 primary, when some voters waited in lines for hours to cast their ballots.
Election officials are recruiting more poll workers, increasing training and installing absentee ballot drop boxes. In addition, a state website where voters can order an absentee ballot is scheduled to go online soon.
But Raffensperger acknowledged that there will probably still be problems in November.
“We have learned the lessons from the June 9 election,” Raffensperger said. “No election is ever perfect. It’s likely November will have its issues. We have dedicated time, effort and significant resources to make November a success.”
The meeting was hosted by U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, a Republican from Illinois and the GOP’s highest-ranking member on the U.S. House Administration Committee, which oversees election operations.
Davis last month criticized Fulton County, where many of the longest lines occurred on June 9, for missing absentee ballots, polling place closures and inadequate staffing.
Joining Ferguson and Scott in the meeting were fellow Georgia Republican U.S. Reps. Rick Allen, Buddy Carter and Barry Loudermilk.
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