ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp Monday sought advice from the state Attorney General regarding calls to remove three GOP members of the State Election Board for approving late changes to state elections laws state Democrats say could disrupt the November elections.
The board has adopted rules changes in recent weeks that, among other things, would empower local election officials to delay or refuse to certify election results. Democrats say that could sow chaos and uncertainty following the Nov. 5 elections and pave the way for former President Donald Trump to capture Georgia’s 16 electoral votes, even if Vice President Kamala Harris has won more votes.
“What is unfolding in Georgia is nothing less than an effort to subvert democracy and move us backward,” U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Marietta, said Monday during a news conference at the state Capitol. “We must not allow our State Election Board to be taken over by Donald Trump.”
“This is not just unethical. It’s illegal,” added state Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes, D-Duluth, who filed a formal complaint last week asking that board members Janice Johnston, Rick Jeffares, and Janelle King be removed from the board. “Their actions undermine the will of the people.”