Georgia State Election Board Requests DOJ Intervention Ahead of Midterm Elections

The Georgia State Election Board has requested the Justice Department to intervene in the state’s voting systems prior to the November midterm elections, according to a letter from the board’s executive director, James Mills. The letter, addressed to Attorney General Todd Blanche, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, and Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon, seeks an investigation and intervention regarding ballot secrecy, preservation of election records, and the sharing of voter registration and motor vehicle data with outside organizations. Mills also requests that the DOJ hold Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger accountable if he withholds information or obstructs the review. Raffensperger, a Republican, previously faced pressure from President Donald Trump to find votes in Georgia to overturn the 2020 election results. In his letter, Mills raises concerns about the use of QR codes for ballot tabulation, potential compromises from ballpoint pens, and other technical issues with voting machinery. He outlines specific relief requested in six areas, including ensuring ballot secrecy, investigating alterations of election records, and compelling immediate software updates for voting machines. Early in-person voting in Georgia is scheduled to begin on October 13. The Secretary of State’s Office stated that it was not informed prior to the election board's letter to the DOJ. A representative for Raffensperger's office commented that serious election security efforts do not create chaos shortly before an election. Gabe Sterling, former chief operating officer for the secretary’s office, criticized the board's actions as irresponsible and lacking legal weight, claiming they only serve to confuse voters and undermine confidence in the election. Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett, a Democrat running for Georgia Secretary of State, suggested that the letter aims to undermine confidence in the election process to claim fraudulent results on November 3rd. Barrett referenced past efforts by the state election board and the DOJ to seize Fulton County ballots during the 2020 presidential election, asserting that the current actions are about controlling future election outcomes.