Incompetence and mischief: Georgia State Senator calls out Fulton and Raffensperger
News, Politics December 31, 2020
ELLIJAY, Ga – Senator Brandon Beach (R – Alpharetta) didn’t mince words when addressing the incompetence of Fulton County and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
Beach was one of four Georgia state senators who called for a special session concerning election integrity earlier in the year. The others were Sen. Greg Dolezal (R – Cumming), Sen. William Ligon (R – Brunswick), and Sen. Burt Jones (R – Jackson).
“We were very upset that Brad Raffensperger entered into an agreement with Stacey Abrams and the Democrats on signatures and absentee ballots that we didn’t have any say on as a General Assembly, and we believed we should have had a vote on that. We were very concerned that we weren’t following state law,” Beach commented.
The Senate Judiciary Special Subcommittee on Elections held a second hearing on December 30 with another five hours of testimony about voting irregularities. Beach mentioned being “appalled” that Judge Leslie Abrams Garner, Stacey Abrams’s sister. The judge didn’t recuse herself from the voting registration case asking for 4,000 change-of-address to be removed from the rolls. Raffensperger stated opposition to the judge’s decision.
One witness Jovan Pultizer, a self-described inventor, claimed he could authenticate Fulton County’s ballots within a couple of hours through kinematic artifacts. Apparently, he can determine counterfeit marks, printing, folds, etc.
“[Fulton County] is incompetent. They don’t get the results to you until two or three in the morning. You add 500,000 absentee ballots, and it’s a recipe for disaster, mischief, shenanigans, and fraud. I think that is what happened in Fulton County. I’ve never had any confidence in Fulton County for 26 years,” Beach added.
The Judiciary Subcommittee sent a letter to Fulton County asking elections officials to turn over absentee ballots to Pultizer and the Cheeley Law Group. Senate Pro Temp Butch Miller (R – Gainesville) called Raffensperger to ensure Fulton follows through with that process. The committee doesn’t have subpoena power to enforce these letters, but they will look into creating subpoena power next session.
Voter Implementation Manager, Gabriel Sterling, confirmed this week that a Maryland woman listed his home address as her own and tried to vote. Sterling’s been the Secretary of State’s Office’s face for most press conferences following the November election. However, he’s a contractor receiving $200,000 before returning to his state job as chief operating officer.
“Brad Raffensperger out to be the one behind that podium,” Beach remarked. “He was elected, and Gabe Sterling was not, nor was Jordan Fuchs, but they’re running the Secretary of State’s Office.”
The money used to secure Sterling’s contract money came from bond money, and Georgia must pay 3.7 percent interest on it until 2037.
“That is not a good steward of taxpayer money,” Beach stated. “I would never have made that deal.”
The senator doesn’t believe Raffensperger or his office possess any “urgency” to protect Georgia voters when it comes to the drop boxes, the chain of custody, or the mobile unit in Fulton County.
According to Georgia law, voting locations are limited to state buildings, libraries, schools, or churches. Mobile voting units aren’t listed under the current law.
As for the drop boxes, each one should follow a chain of custody with two people picking up the ballots and then directing dropping them off at the registrar and elections office. Beach received evidence when ballots were picked up on October 22 and not delivered until October 25.
“Why were they three days later arriving at the county elections office? That is breaking the chain of custody. It leads you to believe there was some mischief,” Beach said. “I have no confidence in the Secretary of State’s Office to do anything between now and January 5.”
130+ ballot drop boxes are in the metro area. The grant money for these boxes came from third parties, not the state of Georgia.
The latest audit from the Secretary of State’s Office didn’t find any evidence of voter fraud.
Perdue: “Georgia’s not turning blue” in anticipation for Jan. runoff
Featured Stories, News November 17, 2020
U.S. Senator candidate Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue talked to Georgia voters in Forsyth County. They hosted a large crowd at Black Diamond Grill at 3 p.m.
The goal was to reach voters in the area to encourage voting for the runoffs on Jan. 5. The race between GOP Sen. David Perdue and Democrat Jon Ossoff will be the first runoff.
The second runoff will be between Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Democrat Raphael Warnock. The outcome of the runoff will determine which party will have control over the Senate.
Loeffler made it clear to the Georgia voters that she plans to continue to be the voice for each of them.
“Make no mistake, we are the firewall, not just for the U.S. Senate but for the future of our country,” Loeffler said.
The runoff is crucial to the representation of the Republican party. All Georgia citizens have to do is get their vote out, Perdue said.
“Georgia’s not turning blue,” Perdue said.
Loeffler said Perdue and herself ensure the “conservative values” for each Georgian, and further stressed the importance of voting in the runoff.
“No one is going to outwork us to make sure that Georgian’s have what they need,” Loeffler said. “America has the freedoms that we deserve and that our God given rights of the Constitution. We’re going to continue for conservative rights, for affordable healthcare, for school choice, for conservative values that lift everyone up. We will be your voice in Washington if you’re our voice on January 5.”
Kemp still refusing to call special session, commends House’s efforts toward election reform
Feature News, Featured Stories, News, State & National December 8, 2020
ATLANTA, Ga – Georgia Governor Brian Kemp maintained his hardline stance against calling a special session of the General Assembly.
In a joint statement, Kemp and Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan declared they would not bend to party pressures. They asserted that a special session to select presidential electors isn’t allowed under federal and state law.
Read the full statement from Kemp and Duncan:
“While we understand four members of the Georgia Senate are requesting the convening of a special session of the General Assembly, doing this in order to select a separate slate of presidential electors is not an option that is allowed under state or federal law.
“State law is clear: the legislature could only direct an alternative method for choosing presidential electors if the election was not able to be held on the date set by federal law. In the 1960s, the General Assembly decided that Georgia’s presidential electors will be determined by the winner of the state’s popular vote. Any attempt by the legislature to retroactively change that process for the November 3rd election would be unconstitutional and immediately enjoined by the courts, resulting in a long legal dispute and no short-term resolution.
“The judicial system remains the only viable – and quickest – option in disputing the results of the November 3rd election in Georgia.”
However, Kemp commended Georgia House of Representatives, Speaker David Ralston (R – Blue Ridge), and House Majority Leader Jon Burns (R-Newington) for proposing reforms to the election process. The governor’s also been a strong proponent for signature verification reforms.
I thank Leader Burns, Speaker Ralston, and members of the House for proposing necessary reforms that will help restore confidence in our elections. https://t.co/niD9UsBzSW
— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) December 5, 2020
In a letter to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) and State Elections Board, Burns and more than 100 House members suggested improvements to the absentee ballot application and envelope signature verification process.
“Many Georgians, including my colleagues who have signed this correspondence, have serious concerns about Georgia’s elections,” said Leader Burns. “As we approach a critical election on January 5, 2021, Georgia voters must have confidence in the election process going forward. To that end, my colleagues in the House and I have submitted two common-sense suggestions to help ensure secure elections on January 5. I thank Secretary Raffensperger and the State Election Board for considering these suggestions that would rebuild some of the trust that Georgians may have lost in our election process.”
The letter called for robust verification process reforms, such as allowing independent observers to witness signature reviews. They also proposed the Secretary of State’s office partner with other state agencies.
“Multiple news outlets reported significant failures in counties across our state before, during, and after Election Day,” added Leader Burns. “These counties were rural, suburban, and metro-area and represented all demographics and areas of our state. We hope these suggestions can help Georgians rest assured that each and every legal vote is counted here in Georgia.”
Last Thursday, Trump legal team presented a witness who contended Kemp could convene a special session for this purpose. However, the move would tie the state up in legal battles. Most alleged voter fraud evidence has been rebutted by the Secretary of State’s Office. Raffensperger also opened 250 voter fraud investigations last week but claimed there’s no evidence of systemic fraud. Since Georgia effectively moved to a paper ballot system, election officials can review paper records against the Dominion system.
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger likened Trump’s tactics to Stacey Abrams (D).
He told the WSJ that the November election was “the most secure in history” and that election problems started long-before 2020. Calling out politicians and pundits who refuse to accept election results like Stacey Abrams, who “still refuses to acknowledge she lost,” Raffensperger pointed to a loss of confidence in the system.
Many Georgia GOP senators echoed a similar sentiment last Thursday during Oversight Committee and Special Judicial Subcommittee hearings. Constituents have expressed a loss of trust in the election process and an unwillingness to return to the polls.
Georgia Senate Majority Whip Steve Gooch (R-Dahlonega_
“I’m going to try to build this statement based on a consensus of what I’m hearing from the people that I represent: We have totally lost confidence in our election system this year,” Senate Republican Whip Steve Gooch of Dahlonega said. “I’m here on behalf of those citizens. I have a duty to let you know that this issue isn’t going to go away unless we make some changes.”
Later this week, the Georgia House of Representatives will hold a Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on elections.