Lone Democrat on Georgia Election Board Issues ‘Chaos’ Warning

Less than two months before the 2024 election, the Georgia State Election Board is pushing through rules which, according to reports, could jeopardize election certification in the crucial battleground state.

Sarah Tindall Ghazal, the board’s only Democrat warned that the rules could cause “chaos.” Speaking to CNN, she said, “We can’t be doing this at the last minute because it creates chaos. And chaos undermines confidence in our elections, full stop.”

Ghazal also said that her Republican colleagues on the board are “not taking the advice of attorneys, they’re not taking the advice of election administrators – who are really critical in this whole calculus – and they’re certainly not listening to anybody who doesn’t think that the elections are rigged.”

Concerns regarding rigged elections in the U.S. stem from a number of factors, including claims of voter fraud, foreign interference and voting system security.

No credible evidence of widespread voter fraud in Georgia or any other state during the 2020 election has been found. Numerous investigations, audits, and court cases across multiple states, including Georgia, confirmed that the election results were accurate and secure.

What Is the Georgia State Election Board?

The five-person election board is comprised of four members and a chairman and has a Republican majority.

The board was once led by Georgia’s Secretary of State, Republican Brad Raffensperger. He was removed from the board following legislative changes made by the Georgia General Assembly in response to his actions during the 2020 election. After Raffensperger refused former President Donald Trump‘s request to “find” enough votes to overturn the election results in Georgia, the Republican-controlled state legislature passed laws altering the structure of the State Election Board.

One of the key changes removed the Georgia Secretary of State as a voting member and chair of the board, transferring control to members appointed by the state legislature.

Raffensperger, who had been a defender of the integrity of Georgia’s 2020 election, has been critical of these changes, arguing that they undermine election efficiency and security in the state.

Today, the board is comprised of Rick Jeffares, a former Republican state senator, Janice Johnston, a retired obstetrician, Janelle King, a right-wing media personality, Sarah Tindall Ghazal an attorney, and chairman John Fervier, an army veteran and former Waffle House executive.

Fervier, an independent, has also voiced opposition to some of the Republican board members’ proposals, according to CNN.

While the state election board in Georgia does not certify election results, it does make rules that guide election administrations and local boards that certify results before they are sent to the secretary of state, and then the governor. The board also investigates election irregularities.

What Are the New Rules?

The rules affect how counties can certify election results. A ruling passed on August 6 will require county election boards to conduct a “reasonable inquiry” prior to certifying the results of an election. The word, “reasonable” was not defined.

Another ruling, passed on August 19, will allow local election officials to request and review an expanded number of documents before certifying an election. An additional ruling, passed in the same meeting, will require counties to verify vote counts prior to the deadline for overseas absentee ballots.

Next month, the board will take up another rule. This would require counties to perform hand recounts of ballots at the local precinct level, on the night of the election.

What Is the Controversy Surrounding the Rules?

Raffensperger described the board as a “mess,” in an email shared with Newsweek.

A spokesperson for the Georgia secretary of state said in the email that, “The State Legislature removed the Secretary from any role with the State Elections Board earlier this year, and we have neither input nor insight into their decision-making process.”

In a press release shared on his website, Raffensperger said that “Activists seeking to impose last-minute changes in election procedures outside of the legislative process undermine voter confidence and burden election workers.”

“The General Assembly knew that quick reporting of results and certification is paramount to voter confidence,” the statement read. “Misguided attempted by the State Election Board will delay election results and undermine chain of custody safeguards.”

The statement continued that, “These misguided, last-minute changes from unelected bureaucrats who have never run an election and seem to reject the advice of anyone who ever has could cause serious problems in an election that otherwise will be secure and accurate.”

Newsweek spoke with Deidre B. Holden, the Director of Elections and Voter Registration of Paulding County, Georgia, who expressed her support for Ghazal’s comments.

“Voters already do not trust the election process,” she said in an email. “Now you have a board that is making decisions that will fuel this distrust. The [state election board] needs to realize that they are not law makers. They are rule makers.”

“They should not be passing rules that go against the laws that have already been set forth. They should also respect the federal law that states that no changes are to be made 90 days prior to an election.”

GOP board member Janelle King has argued that the recent rule changes are necessary to ensure vote counts are accurate, and that local election board members have the information they need in order to certify the vote.

Speaking to CNN, she said “I don’t care because I know we haven’t done anything wrong.”

“This is a method of trying to weaken the Republican side by making it seem like we’re out here trying to steal elections. There’s no win for me to steal the election for anybody.”

She added, “The concerns around these rules creating chaos, I do not see that happening at all.”

Newsweek has reached out to all members of the Georgia State Election Board via email for comment.

Do you have a story Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com.