Georgia’s Secretary of State says political parties must address their losing candidates’ claims of election fraud.
“That is not healthy for America, and so we need to really confront people that are just trying to tear apart our social fabric and not accept the results of the election,” Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s secretary of state, said.
Whether it’s former President Donald Trump’s allegations of voter fraud in 2020 or Democrats’ claims of voter suppression, such claims must be addressed.
“It’s really up to us to clean up our own house. I think I’ve done that. I think my governor has done that,” he said.
Raffensperger spoke about these issues with journalists during a conference in Chicago on April 27. He told the gathering of young reporters that the key to solid election reporting is to understand election laws.
“I would recommend that you become a subject matter expert. So that you really know what the law is and then what we’re trying to do,” he said.
According to Raffensperger, becoming intimately acquainted with the election process will help journalists recognize attempts to shift the blame for losing strategies.
At a CNN town hall in May, Trump reiterated his belief that the 2020 election was “rigged.” He said his loss was due to multiple factors, including voter fraud and negative social media. This included a controversial letter signed by intelligence veterans who called the Hunter Biden laptop story “Russian disinformation.”
According to Raffensperger, Trump’s claims have dominated the headlines mainly because they involved a presidential election. However, he claimed the $787.5 million settlement between Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems dispelled most of Trump’s claims.
Raffensperger was at the center of the 2020 election controversies. Then-President Donald Trump’s telephone call urging him to find additional Trump votes was cited in the first article of Trump’s second impeachment and is the subject of a current investigation being run out of Fulton County, Georgia.
After 2020, Raffensperger spoke in public often to civic groups telling disgruntled Republicans that the election wasn’t rigged and that his office had followed the law.
Raffensperger said the only thing election officials can do is tell the truth. He said he does what President Ronald Reagan did, and that is to talk to people.
“When enough people believe [Trump’s claims], what can we do?” he asked.
Raffensperger said he has reached out to nonpartisan, nonpolitical civic groups in his state, like the Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs. He said he has found that most voters want clear answers. He said this is the same strategy used by a Republican icon.
“Reagan was the first Republican that wasn’t afraid of voters,” Raffensperger said. “Voters are smart. I’ve never doubted that.”
Raffensperger said that calmly answering questions face-to-face has done more to engender confidence in Georgia’s voters than most news broadcasts. He said politicians and their consultants blame the system to shift responsibility away from themselves.
“The biggest issue really is the disinformation. Consultants don’t want to admit that their candidate lost because that means I’m a bad consultant,” he said.
He said this could lead to candidates pushing policies that would not help.
In his own 2022 reelection bid, one of his opponents called for the return to paper ballots for security.
Raffensperger said that, while well-meaning, such a step would further erode public confidence in elections.
Electronic Voting Includes Paper
He added that electronic voting machines include paper ballots.“Over 90-95 percent of all ballots cast in America have a verifiable paper ballot. So, you can do a 100 percent hand recount and find out exactly what that is,” Raffensperger said.
According to Raffensperger, both parties have made other, quieter complaints. Democrats and Republicans have both complained about Georgia’s voter ID law.
Democrats have accused the state of voter suppression; Republicans claim the state is trying to facilitate fraud. Both parties’ claims were rooted in the signature verification requirement, Raffensperger said.
Concrete Steps Must Be Taken
He said he has worked to decrease wait times at the polls, which has restored confidence among voters. However, Raffensperger says messaging is only part of the work. He said state officials must be able to show they are taking concrete measures to increase security.Raffensperger said Georgia had joined the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). ERIC is a nonprofit, nonpartisan group of state election officials founded in 2012 and funded by member states.
At least every 60 days, the member states submit their voter registration information, driver’s license and identification data, and other information to ERIC. ERIC then produces reports on deceased voters, voters who may have moved, and additional information so the member states can keep their records current.
There are currently 26 member states and the District of Columbia in ERIC.
