Georgia Board of Elections member Janelle King told Greene County Republicans on Sept. 12 that a recent controversial change in county election rules is important.
King is one of three conservative Republicans on the five-member board who pushed for the rule in a 3-2 vote, pleasing conservatives, including former president Donald Trump, who praised the action at a recent Georgia rally.
The new rule requires county election officials to “attest, after reasonable inquiry, that the tabulation and canvassing of the election are complete and accurate and that the results are a true and accurate accounting of all votes cast in that election.”
King said the rule allows any county election board member to demand that any documents related to the election be reviewed before voting to certify the election.
Democrats and other opponents say the rule does not define “reasonable inquiry” and could allow partisan county election boards to delay certification of the votes.
They fear delays would open up the possibility of more election challenges, similar to those that caused problems after the 2020 election.
King told the more than 50 people at the GOP meeting at Lakeside Church in Greensboro that the rule sets up a uniform process for counties and will ensure county election board members are satisfied before signing the affidavit.
“The affidavit says your election is perfect, accurate, and free of election problems,” King said. “Every time they sign that document, if that’s not correct and someone decides to sue, it comes back on the county. If the county made any kind of error, those county board members could be punished with a felony.”
According to a study by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, at least 19 county election board members in nine counties objected to certifying elections over four years in Georgia.
King blamed Democrats for any public concern about the accuracy of elections.
“The whole problem of election integrity did not start with President Trump. It started with Stacey Abrams,” she said, referring to the 2018 Democratic candidate for Georgia governor, who lost to Republican Brian Kemp.
“She started a whole campaign in Georgia about this. We didn’t really pay attention to this much because Republicans won . . . in 2020, the whole thing flipped . . . it does make you wonder if both sides are just disgruntled, or there is something that is impacting our elections.”
Much of King’s presentation was about how to present the Republican message to independent and undecided voters.
“I believe the ultimate messaging today is to mention our platform and not our person,” she said. “I say ‘what you believe are your values, line them up with the party’s platform’ because every candidate is tethered to their party’s platform . . . and if you see your Republican candidate veering away from the platform of the Republican party, it’s up to us to bring them back.”
Janelle King was at the Lake Country Republicans meeting with her husband, Kelvin. Together, they co-chair “Let’s Win for America Action,” a conservative political action committee.
Gary Usry on projects
Greene County Commission Chairman Gary Usry also spoke at the program and used his time to explain the various departments that make up the county government, as well as projects that have been completed and those that are in the works.
Usry discussed the county’s five fire departments, each with its own fire engine equipment and at least two paid firefighters on call 24/7.
He showed pictures of the $6.3 million renovation project at the county jail, which is expected to be completed in October and come in under budget.
A new gymnasium and larger parking lot have been approved at Union Point Road's recreation department facility. The recently purchased 52 acres of land adjacent to the rec department have been cleared, and plans are in the works for pickleball courts, an arena, and possibly concert space.
Also, a second administrative building is being constructed at the county’s C. Weldon Smith Road facility.
“We’re trying to expand because we know of the growth we’ll be having; we’re going to have to bring more people in,” Usry said.
He told the Lake Country Republicans about the new road planned to run from the Richland Connector to Club Drive, which is the main entrance road to Harbor Club.
The county-funded 6.5 miles of the Firefly Trail, which is completed from Union Point north to the county line. The trail is a 10-foot-wide concrete path for walking, running, and cycling that will run to Athens.
Finally, Usry mentioned the current multi-year Georgia Department of Transportation project schedule to widen Highway 44 to four lanes and install four roundabouts in Greene County.
According to Usry, the project will be very disruptive and will start early next year from Interstate 20 to the bridge to Putnam County.
“It’s going to be a tough time from a business standpoint and from a traffic standpoint, so everybody is patient,” Usry said. “We’re going to get through it, and once we get through it, it will be much better.”