Secretary of state candidates debate amid looming vote-counting problem
Republicans and Democrats campaigning to become Georgia’s next chief election officer are arguably facing the toughest question ahead of the May 19 primary: How will Georgia count ballots in a state that has outlawed its vote-counting method with no plan to replace it?
Georgia relies on machines that count ballots by reading QR codes that are undecipherable to humans. The Republican-controlled state Legislature passed a law outlawing these QR codes starting July 1. But they did not approve a new system or method of counting votes, potentially leaving the midterms in limbo.
The crisis could end up forcing Gov. Brian Kemp to call a special session of the state Legislature this summer. Meanwhile, the candidates for secretary of state must answer how they would fix the problem. Many Republicans pointed to using hand-marked paper ballots.
Republican candidate Tim Fleming, a state representative from Covington, chaired a special legislative committee last year aimed with updating Georgia’s election laws. But the Legislature did not act, and Fleming skipped Tuesday’s televised debate.
Fellow Republican Gabriel Sterling, a former top aide to outgoing Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, argued the state could keep using its touchscreen voting machines. He said state officials could use optical character recognition technology to count votes by reading the printed text on the ballots instead of the QR codes.
The Democratic candidates, including former Fulton County State Judge Penny Brown Reynolds, focused on how the state should respond to doubts about Georgia’s elections and its voting machines. Many sought a system with an auditable paper trail.
“When you have no voter confidence, that undermines the very system,” Reynolds said. “I believe in printable, verifiable ballots. It’s the only way people can feel secure about the election.”
Georgia’s voting machines have become a flashpoint in the national debate about election security after the 2020 election that President Donald Trump and his allies tried to overturn. Raffensperger resisted those attempts and has defended the state’s election system.
But in Tuesday’s debate, hosted by the Atlanta Press Club and Georgia Public Broadcasting, most of the Republican contenders spent time criticizing Raffensperger and aligning themselves more with Trump and other MAGA Republicans who still falsely claims the 2020 election was stolen.
“I stand with those who believe that there was election fraud,” said Vernon Jones, a former Democrat who was CEO of DeKalb County and a state lawmaker before switching parties and endorsing Trump. He touted his attendance at a “stop the steal” rally after 2020.
Sterling defended his tenure working for Raffensperger. He shied away from attacking his conservative rivals and instead shifted his focus on Democrats.
“I’m the only candidate who has a history of fighting the Democrats and winning,” he said.
One of the most explosive moments came when Jones targeted Kelvin King, a contractor and Air Force veteran. He criticized King for his construction company having lucrative state contracts.
“I bid on every single job I have,” King said.
Sterling’s campaign quickly clipped the exchange and put it in an ad after the debate.
In another exchange, Jones noted King’s wife, Janelle King, is also a member of the State Election Board. He said that poses a “conflict of interest” for the candidate. King denies there’s a conflict.
Democrats largely avoided squabbles and primarily aimed to defend the state from those who have cast doubts about Georgia’s elections.
Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett called the FBI’s seizure of troves of Fulton’s 2020 election records a “sham process from start to finish” and defended her record of refusing to support appointments of two Republicans to the county election board.
Cam Ashling, a political organizer and small-business owner, and Adrian Consonery Jr., a community organizer, are also in the running for the Democratic nomination. Ted Metz, who has previously run for governor as a Libertarian, is running as a Republican.
About the Author
Caleb Groves is a general assignment reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's politics team and a Kennesaw State University graduate.
