Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger spoke about election integrity at a Thursday luncheon hosted by The Exchange Club of Augusta.
Raffensperger focused on the significance of providing clarity about the state’s elections in the meeting held at the Augusta Country Club. Well-known names within the CSRA were also present, including Augusta Mayor-elect Garnett Johnson, who introduced Raffensperger.
“Election security has been my number one priority since day one,” said Raffensperger,
With questions surrounding what occurred in the 2020 election, Raffensperger summarized Georgia’s effort to investigate and combat accusations of mass voter fraud. He said necessary steps were taken to ensure machine counts were accurate including the issuing of a hand recount of all ballots. Because disinformation and misinformation concerning the voting process rapidly spread, Raffensperger said he wants Georgians to have trust and confidence in the state’s election process.
As Raffensperger travels across the state, he said providing information is important for individuals to come to a conclusion about their values.
“I want to make sure I am respectful and give people facts,” he said. “As secretary of state, my job is to make sure we have fair and honest elections and I think I’ve shown the people that I am going to stand firm.”
Raffensperger highlighted points within the Election Integrity Act of 2021, which allows for early voting weeks leading up to an election and aims to shorten the time voters wait in line. He said the bill also provides training for poll observers to understand the process as poll workers.
Raffensperger praised the local community’s efforts in ensuring the voting process of last election cycle was implemented in the most honest way possible.
“The counties have really done a great job, particularly in Richmond and Columbia counties,” he said.
In addition to speaking about the Election Integrity Act of 2021, Raffensperger mentioned that he outlawed ballot harvesting, the collection of absentee ballots by an individual other than the voter, with House Bill 316.
“We will prosecute anyone who is harvesting ballots in Georgia,” he said.
In Georgia, there was record turnout for early voting in May, a pattern that Raffensperger said is common for the state. With expectations that voter turnout will be high in the fall, he said national issues like inflation are most likely going to be key motivators for voters.
Georgia’s secretary of state has faced criticism on a national level by those who were disappointed the outcome of the 2020 election. Raffensperger, who is also the republican candidate for secretary of state in the upcoming election, said many Georgians have responded to him kindly amongst the controversy.
“They’ve been supporting me, so I’m just really grateful,” said Raffensperger.
For the local area, Raffensperger said there is much to expect from the city.
“It’s very dynamic, you have a lot of great things happening,” he said. “Augusta’s a great place to live. People should be very proud of their community.”
