Atlanta – As the Democratic National Committee and Democratic Party of Georgia’s lawsuit against the MAGA Georgia State Election Board’s rule changes on election certification isheard today, it’s important to remember that the board’s actions and rules changes have received widespread and bipartisan condemnation.

Statewide and local Republican officials, nationally-known Republican attorneys (including a former Trump White House attorney), and former Republican officials, including a governor, have criticized the board, condemned their actions as an overreach, and filed lawsuits against their election rules changes.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger:‍

Secretary Raffensperger has called the Election Board “a mess” and characterized their rule changes as “activist rulemaking” that “went past state law.”

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr:

Before the board’s September 20 meeting, Attorney General Carr issued a stark warning that their rule changes likely exceed their authority, violate state law, and would not hold up against a legal challenge. The board ignored the AG’s warning and passed a rule change that was put forward byRepublican party activist and election denier Sharlene Alexander which mandates ballots be hand counted. The Democratic National Committee and Democratic Party of Georgiafiled a lawsuit yesterday against this rule change.

Before the MAGA board members coordinated to illegally hold a meeting when the other two board members, including the chair, were not available,AG Carr warned that the meeting likely violated Georgia’s Open Meetings Act, a criminal offense punishable by a misdemeanor.

Former Republican Lieutenant Governor of Georgia Geoff Duncan:

Duncan signed onto an amicus brief, filed today, supporting the lawsuit filed by the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Party of Georgia against the MAGA Election Board’s rule changes. The brief is also signed by other prominent Republicans.

Former Republican Gov. Nathan Deal:

Former Gov. Nathan Deal, a two-term Republican, agreed with another former governor, Democrat Roy Barnes, at an Atlanta Press Club event last that the MAGA Election Board’s proposed rule changes this close to an election are “destroying confidence” in the system.

Republican Attorneys Criticize MAGA Election Board and Call on Gov. Kemp to Act:

A group of fifteen Republicans, including Ex-Trump White House Lawyer Ty Cobb and Natalie Crawford, a former Habersham County Commissioner,sent a letter urging Gov. Kemp to hold the board accountable.

Republican Lawsuit Against MAGA Election Board:

Republicans Rep. Scott Turner and Chatham County Election Board member James Hall filed a lawsuit alleging the board exceeded their authority.

Republican Amicus Brief Against MAGA Election Board:

Georgia First, a nonprofit organization led by former Habersham County Commissioner, RepublicanNatalie Crawford, joined The Lincoln Project in filing an amicus brief supporting the lawsuit by the Democratic National Committee against the MAGA Election Board.

Former Republican Georgia Senate President Pro Tempore Eric Johnson:

Johnsoncriticized the board for changing rules that could be used to “justify delayed certification or refusal to accept legitimate results.” Johnson is alsoleading a new conservative organization called RightCount that launched a series of ads,including one featuring Georgians expressing their faith in the state’s voting system.

Georgia Local Election Officials (Republicans and Democrats):

At a recent meeting of local election officials from across the state, many were “angry and frustrated” at the MAGA State Election Board for their recent Trump-backed changes to election rules. Many say the changes have caused “new uncertainty” in Georgia’s election process, and it’s all coming just before the November election.

“I'm very concerned about some of the rules they have passed,” said the Cherokee County elections director, a suburban county north of Atlanta. Some of the new rules appear to contradict state law, she said, putting local officials in a no-win situation.

“Some of the rules won't go into effect until after we have poll worker training…so we've already trained our poll workers one way, and then things change,”said the Walton County election director.

A Camden County election worker worries people will try to disrupt the certification of election results: “Those are the concerns…and it's the concerns of not only the election workers and election officials…also the public that comes to observe the certification.”

“If you write a rule that goes against the law, then are you going to turn me in to the attorney general when I break your rule? I'm of the mind-set that I will break a rule before I will break a law"said the Cherokee County elections director.

“Some…[Georgia Election Board] members may not have worked in elections, especially as poll workers…We'll implement every law and every rule…But I hope they will listen to…what our concerns are,”said the Macon-Bibb County election supervisor.

The bipartisan Georgia Association of Voter Registration and Election Officials wrote a letter to the board asking it to stop changing rules so close to the election. They said new rules couldconfuse poll workers.

MAGA Election Sabotage Conspiracy: Reports have revealed months of email coordination between Georgia State Election Board member Dr. Janice Johnston, local Georgia election officials who support Trump’s Big Lie, and MAGA election deniers. The email correspondence reveals a secret effort to rewrite Georgia election certification rules. The emails build on other reports that show direct coordination between Election Board members andGeorgia Republican Party leaders,Republican National Committee operatives, and Trump-connected election deniers, even some that supported his failed attempts to steal the 2020 election.

Certification Rules Changes: Some of the rules changes, which have been advanced by the Georgia Republican Party and Republican National Committee operatives, who emailed rules text and talking points to an election board member, could be used by local election officials who support Trump’s Big Lie to delay and obstruct the certification of Georgia’s election results. These changes essentially make the certification of election results discretionary. But, Georgia law states that local election board officials shall perform their duties. Their duties are mandatory, not discretionary.

Trump has tried to use tactics to delay certification before in Georgia. In 2020, a Coffee County elections officialdelayed certification of President Joe Biden’s victory, refusing to validate recount results and using Trump-backed false election conspiracies as the reason.

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