Raffensperger says voters ‘should be concerned’ over new, possibly illegal, Election Board rules

ATLANTA — In an exclusive interview with Channel 2 Action News, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger blasted the actions of the Georgia State Election Board.

Raffensperger alleges the Board is overstepping its legal authority and putting the efficiency of state elections at risk.

“Now the State Election Board wants to take us back in time. I guess what they want is to see is elections take until 3 a.m. like in Detroit, Michigan. We don’t want to do that in Georgia. Not on my watch,” Raffensperger told Channel 2 investigative reporter Justin Gray at the state Capitol Friday.

“Does the election board have the legal authority to make some of these decisions it’s making?” Gray asked.

“In my opinion, no. State law is state law,” Raffensperger said.

At issue is a rule passed earlier this month by the Board requiring county election boards to have a “reasonable inquiry” before certifying results.

But state law reads that boards “shall” certify results. Raffensperger said that means certification is mandatory.

Monday, the board will vote on proposals allowing county boards to review certain documents and requiring poll workers to hand count ballots at polling places.

“What they’re doing, having multiple people touching those ballots with the hand counting of ballots is going to take time and really decreases ballot security. Voters should be concerned about this,” he said.

“Do you worry it’s going to slow down the process?” Gray asked State Election Board member Janelle King.

“I don’t. Because according to the law, there is a certain time frame at which you have to certify and that must take place,” King said.

King is one of the three Republican members of the election board that former President Donald Trump praised at his Georgia rally.

“We’re willing to take the arrows, the blows, and all the attacks right now in order to ensure that we have secure elections,” King said.

King maintains the board is not playing politics with the new rules for county election boards.

“If my attorney ever put a document in front of me and said, ‘Don’t verify, just sign,’ I’m going to fire him. So, I think that it’s important that we give these county officials everything they need in order to feel confident to stand behind their certification,” King said.

After the 2020 election, Georgia law was changed to give the General Assembly the power to appoint a majority of the seats on the State Election Board.

Previously, the Secretary of State was a voting Chairman.

“If there’s something we’re doing that the Secretary believes is violating state laws, I think the professional thing would be to reach out to us before he reaches out to the media,” King told Gray.

When asked if he believes the board is intentionally trying to create confusion Raffensperger told Gray, “I don’t know what their intentions are, but they are going to delay the results.”

Friday afternoon, former Fulton County Election Board Chair Cathy Woolard filed an ethics complaint against three members of the State Election Board, Rick Jeffares, Janice Johnston, and Janelle King alleging they “knowingly and willfully violated state law.”