Brad Raffensperger Archives - The Florida Capital Star

Georgia State Election Board Passes Ballot Hand-Count Rule for November Election

September 20, 2024 Just the News

The Georgia State Election Board passed a rule on Friday requiring precincts to hand-count ballots for the November election and ensure the tallies match the machine count before election certification. The board voted 3-2 to pass the rule, The Guardian reported. The hand count only applies to election night, not early voting. The board voted 4-1 to table a proposal on hand-counting during early voting after a board member was concerned about information leaking regarding election tallies before all results are counted.

Hundreds of Non-Citizens on State Voter Rolls, but Democrats Say GOP Concerns Are ‘Election Denialism’

May 25, 2024May 24, 2024 Just the News

Democrats insist Republicans’ claims about non-citizen voting in U.S. elections is election denialism, despite states reporting hundreds of non-citizens were found and removed from their voter rolls.

As House Republicans passed bills ensuring that only U.S. citizens vote in federal elections, Democrats claimed that concerns over non-citizens voting is merely a GOP effort to undermine faith in elections ahead of the November presidential election.

Judge Shoots Down Trump’s Attempt to Block Potential Prosecution in Georgia

August 1, 2023 Florida Capital Star Staff

A Georgia state judge shot down former President Donald Trump’s effort to halt a potential indictment over alleged interference in the 2020 election Monday.

Texas, Georgia, Arizona: Three Cases Studies of State Oversight of Troubled Local Elections

May 31, 2023 Just the News

Republican-run Texas and Georgia have given state officials oversight of some local elections following issues in Democratic counties, while Arizona didn’t do so there was a Republican administration.

Last week, the Texas House passed two pieces of election integrity legislation that were previously passed by the state Senate.

Trump-Endorsed Rep. Jody Hice Running Against Brad Raffensperger ‘to Take Him Out’

March 19, 2022 Julie Carr

Neil W. McCabe, the national political editor of The Star News Network, a constellation of 11 state-focused news sites, which includes The Georgia Star News, interviewed Rep. Jody B. Hice (R.-Ga.) about his race for Georgia secretary of state.

Hice said it was frustrating to watch Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger botch the 2020 election, and be unable to do anything about it, and this frustration motivated him to run against him.

The Star News Network’s National Political Editor Neil McCabe Visits Georgia State Capitol to Question Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger

March 12, 2022 Julie Carr

The Star News Network National Political Editor, Neil W. McCabe visited the Georgia State Capitol Thursday to ask Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger specific questions about the documents underpinning the 2020 election results.

Georgia Elections Chief Vows to ‘Follow the Money’ in Harvesting Probe, Prosecute if Warranted

March 2, 2022 Florida Capital Star Staff

Georgia’s election chief is vowing a full-scale investigation into allegations Democrats may have illegally harvested ballots in the 2020 election, saying his team is preparing subpoenas to “follow the money” and bring prosecutions if warranted.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger sought to dispel whispers in conservative circles that he is slow-walking the probe he announced in January, explaining to Just the News that the only delays are related to administrative changes on the State Elections Board. That panel possesses the power to issue subpoenas Raffensperger says his investigators need to solve the case.

Georgia’s Raffensperger: ‘Nationwide There Should Be a Law That Bans Ballot Harvesting’

January 11, 2022January 10, 2022 Florida Capital Star Staff

Sign that says "protect election integrity"

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger says he supports a national law that bans ballot harvesting, the third-party gathering and delivering of absentee ballots for voters.

“One thing that I do think we need is to make sure that nationwide there should be a law that bans ballot harvesting,” the Republican politician said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “I don’t think that ballot harvesting is good. The only person that should touch your ballot is you and the election official. So I think that’s one solid election reform measure.”

Ballot harvesting is legal in some states but not in Georgia.

11 Months After 2020 Election Georgia Secretary of State Missing Chain of Custody Documents for 6,995 Absentee Ballots Deposited in Fulton County Drop Boxes

October 4, 2021October 3, 2021 Laura Baigert

A review of transfer forms provided to The Georgia Star News in response to an open records request reveals that the Secretary of State’s office in Georgia is missing chain of custody documents for 6,995 absentee ballots deposited in drop boxes in Fulton County during the November 2020 election.

The number of absentee ballots for which the office has no evidence of the origination of the ballots represents 9 percent of the 79,460 total that Fulton County has recorded as being deposited into drop boxes during the more than month-long early voting and election day period.

Former President Trump Sends Letter to Georgia Secretary of State Raffensperger Asking to Investigate Report of DeKalb County Chain of Custody Violations; ‘If True Start the Process of Decertifying’

September 17, 2021September 17, 2021 Cooper Moran

Former President Donald Trump sent a letter on Friday to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, asking the top election official to investigate potential threats to the state’s election integrity.

In the letter to Raffensperger, Trump cited a report from The Georgia Star News, which detailed that 43,000 absentee ballot votes counted in DeKalb County, Georgia 2020 election potentially violated chain of custody rule.

Analysis of DeKalb County, Georgia 2020 Election Absentee Ballot Transfer Forms Identifies Several Problems

August 30, 2021August 29, 2021 Laura Baigert

An analysis by The Georgia Star News of DeKalb County’s absentee ballot drop box transfer forms from the November 2020 election identified a number of problems that puts the documents out of compliance with the Georgia Board of Election Emergency Rule 183-1-14-1.8-.14.

The Star News reviewed 725 absentee ballot drop box transfer forms, obtained from the DeKalb County law department in response to an open records request, that were used by DeKalb County during the November 2020 election to document the chain of custody of the 61,731 absentee ballots deposited in drop boxes .

Federal Judge Denies Injunction Request to Stop Georgia’s Voter Integrity Law

July 8, 2021July 7, 2021 Chris Butler

A U.S. District Judge on Wednesday denied one group’s request that he issue a preliminary injunction against certain sections of Georgia’s new voter integrity law, Senate Bill 202. The Coalition for Good Governance requested the injunction for the July 13 runoff election for Georgia State House District 34.

Georgia Public Broadcasting Reveals Secretary of State Raffensperger Delivered Some Fulton County Absentee Ballot Chain of Custody Documents to Them in April

July 1, 2021June 30, 2021 Laura Baigert

An interview between The Georgia Star News and Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) News revealed that they had received Fulton County’s drop box absentee ballot transfer forms from the Secretary of State’s office in April. GPB News, however, did not report on their findings until after The Star News report in June.

Stephen Fowler of Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) News requested an interview with John Fredericks, which also included Laura Baigert, of The Georgia Star News, as part of his fact-check for a story and to get comments from everyone involved.

Georgia Secretary of State Says He Wants Fulton County Elections Taken Over by State

June 30, 2021June 30, 2021 Florida Capital Star Staff

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger told Just the News on Wednesday that he wants Fulton County elections taken over by the state under a new law that addresses localities with habitual problems counting ballots, dramatically escalating his battle with the state’s largest urban center in the aftermath of the 2020 election.

“I think people are saying, enough is enough,” Raffensperger said in a podcast interview in which he discussed using the new election integrity law known as Senate Bill 202 to have the State Elections Board take over the Atlanta-area election counting in time for the 2022 elections.

Georgia Voters’ Rights on the Docket as Judge Grapples with Fulton County Election Controversy: No Decision Yet

June 22, 2021June 22, 2021 Chris Butler

McDONOUGH, GEORGIA — The lawsuit alleging voting shenanigans in Fulton County during last year’s presidential election continued Monday as Chief Judge Brian Amero heard opposing attorneys spar over voters’ rights and who to hold accountable for violating those rights. Amero presides over the case out of Henry County.

Georgia Investigator’s Notes Reveal ‘Massive’ Election Integrity Problems in Atlanta

June 18, 2021June 17, 2021 Florida Capital Star Staff

In a nationally televised interview in January, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger rattled off an impressive list of measures his state used to ensure the November election count was accurate. “We had safe, secure, honest elections,” he declared to “60 Minutes.”

Judge Halts Audit of Georgia Ballots

May 27, 2021May 28, 2021 Cooper Moran

A judge in Georgia is temporarily stopping the audit on absentee ballots in Fulton County, Georgia that was allowed earlier last week.

Henry County Superior Court Judge Brian Amero, the same judge who granted the initial audit, ruled as officials within the county have filed numerous motions in an attempt to stop the audit.

Raffensperger to Seek Another Term

May 19, 2021May 19, 2021 Cooper Moran

Controversial Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger confirmed on Tuesday that he will seek another term.

Raffensperger has been the focal point of criticism of Georgia’s election from both sides of the political aisle. He routinely ignored the widespread concerns over election security throughout the state.

85 Percent of 59,000 Absentee Ballots Placed in Fulton County Drop Boxes in 2020 Election Were Not Transported to Registrar ‘Immediately’ As Georgia State Rule Requires; 5 Percent Were Delivered BEFORE They Were Picked Up

May 19, 2021May 18, 2021 Laura Baigert

Ballot transfer forms from Fulton County reveal that 86 percent of the more than 59,000 absentee ballots analyzed from drop box locations, required to be “immediately transported” to the county registrar according to Emergency Rule of the State Election Board for Absentee Voting, took more than one hour to be transferred to election officials.

State Election Board Emergency Rule 183-1-14 relative to securing absentee ballot drop boxes, which went around state law, was adopted by the State Election Board at their July 1, 2020, meeting.

GOP Movement Afoot in Georgia to Censure Brian Kemp, Geoff Duncan, and Brad Raffensperger

April 15, 2021April 20, 2021 Chris Butler

Republican officials in two Georgia counties this week formally censured Gov. Brian Kemp, Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on the grounds that they betrayed former U.S. President Donald Trump last November. Conservative activist Debbie Dooley told The Georgia Star News Wednesday that the GOP pushback against those three Georgia officials has only just begun.

Georgia SOS Brad Raffensperger’s Office Explains Taking More than $5 Million from Mark Zuckerberg Group for State’s 2020 Presidential Election

April 13, 2021April 20, 2021 Chris Butler

A group directly linked to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg donated nearly $5.6 million to the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office last year. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger spent that money on the 2020 presidential election.

Brad Raffensperger Says Three Georgia Counties ‘Failed to Do Their Absentee Ballot Transfer Forms’ in Compliance with Rules and Regulations

April 8, 2021April 20, 2021 Chris Butler

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Wednesday announced that he had referred three counties for investigation after they bucked state law and failed to do their absentee ballot transfer forms from last November’s presidential election. Raffensperger, in a press release, identified those three counties as Coffee, Grady, and Taylor. The three counties account for only 0.37 percent of all absentee ballots cast in last year’s election, he said.

U.S. Rep. Jody Hice of Georgia Links Mass Shootings with Erosion of Traditional Values

March 28, 2021March 27, 2021 Chris Butler

U.S. Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA-10) said recent mass shootings are “a symptom of a profound moral crisis in America – one that cannot be easily solved by simply passing law after law in Washington.”

“George Washington said that ‘religion and morality are indispensable supports’ of a prosperous nation. These two great pillars have been driven from public life, and until they are restored, we cannot remedy the brutal absence of compassion in our society that leads to mass shootings. We must renew our love and faith in both God and each other,” Hice told constituents in an emailed newsletter this week.

Donald Trump Writes Letter Endorsing Jody Hice for Georgia Secretary of State

March 23, 2021March 22, 2021 Chris Butler

U.S. Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA-10) announced Monday that he wants to replace Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and will run for Raffensperger’s seat. Former U.S. President Donald Trump, in a written statement, promptly endorsed Hice’s candidacy.

New Georgia Bill Would Limit Secretary of State’s Ability to Enter into Consent Agreements

February 25, 2021February 24, 2021 Chris Butler

Georgia legislators filed a bill this week that, among other things, would limit the ability of the State Election Board and the secretary of state to enter into certain consent agreements. “The State Election Board, the members thereof, the Secretary of State, and any of their attorneys or staff shall not have any authority to enter into any consent agreement with any other person that limits, alters, or interprets any provision of this chapter without obtaining the approval of the General Assembly through a joint resolution,” according to the language of the bill.

Organization Sen. Rafael Warnock Was CEO of in 2019 Under Investigation for Possible Voter Fraud

February 13, 2021February 12, 2021 Peter D'Abrosca

A newly-elected U.S. Senator from Georgia is under investigation for his ties to a nonprofit that may have committed voter fraud, according to the state’s election officials.

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) is a respondent in a potential case against The New Georgia Project, which has been referred to prosecutors according to several reports.

Fifteen Secretaries of State Endorse Keep Nine Amendment

February 10, 2021February 9, 2021 Jason M. Reynolds

A group of 15 secretaries of state this week issued their support for the “Keep Nine Amendment” recently introduced in Congress, marking the latest victory for the organization seeking to preserve the independence of the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Keep Nine Amendment said in a statement that the 15 sent the letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and House Minority Leader of the House Kevin McCarthy.