ATLANTA — Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is predicting smooth elections in the Peach State this year despite rules changes being imposed by a State Election Board he called “a mess.”
Raffensperger told members of the Atlanta Rotary Club Monday that reforms his office and the General Assembly have made since the last presidential election in 2020 should give voters confidence that the voting process is fair and honest.
A bill the legislature’s Republican majorities passed in 2021 over the objections of Democrats requires Georgia voters to show a photo ID no matter if they’re voting in person on Election Day, taking advantage of 17 days of early voting, or voting by mail. Raffensperger said both Democrats and Republicans filed legal challenges against the old signature-match system.
Raffensperger’s office has conducted a statewide audit to ensure only U.S. citizens are registered to vote in Georgia, a check that turned up 1,600 people who could not verify their citizenship. The secretary of state’s office also is working with sister agencies in other states and the Georgia Department of Driver Services to identify voters who may have moved out of state, he said.