Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced “Georgia Plan” for Congress to establish national election rules on Thursday, arguing the Peach State should serve as a model for establishing nationwide regulations that enhance election integrity.
“Voters nationwide deserve to participate in elections that have both security and integrity, along with easy access for eligible voters and quick and accurate reporting of results,” said Raffensperger in a statement, after citing Georgia’s successful early voting period for “a record turnout election that was safe, secure and accurate.”
Raffensperger outlined five “common-sense measures” he said would “strengthen public trust and reaffirm our nation’s commitment to free and fair elections.”
The secretary’s first suggestion calls for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would prohibit non-citizens from voting in all U.S. elections, including for local offices, using data gathered when an individual applies for a driver’s license.
He would compliment this citizenship requirement with a national requirement for voters to present photo identification when voting, citing Georgia’s 73 percent voter turnout as evidence the requirement does not suppress voter turnout.
Raffensperger also called for a national ban on ballot harvesting, where some states allow volunteers to distribute and return ballots on behalf of voters, in an effort “[t]o safeguard against vote buying and inducement.”
In order to more rapidly release election results after ballots have been cast, the secretary also recommended regulations to require ballots arrive for tabulation no later than Election Day, with exceptions for military and overseas voters, so they can be quickly counted. He also urges federal regulations to audit elections and modernize the National Voter Registration Act to require states more effectively clean their voter rolls.
According to Raffensperger, these actions made Georgia’s electoral process “a model of election integrity and accessibility,” and “similar reforms at the federal level would strengthen public trust and reaffirm our nation’s commitment to free and fair elections.”
The plan by Raffensperger comes after he previously feuded with President-elect Donald Trump over the results of the Georgia elections in 2020, when the secretary refused to pursue allegations of outcome-changing election fraud in the Peach State. Trump endorsed Raffensperger’s primary opponent in 2022, but the incumbent ultimately won the primary and general reelection with a commanding lead.
It is speculated both Raffensperger and Georgia Lt. Governor Burt Jones are planning gubernatorial campaigns to replace Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, as Georgia law precludes the governor from seeking a third term. Jones released an ad least a year declaring Raffensperger “missing,” citing his sparse attendance record during his tenure as Georgia’s Secretary of State.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Sec State Brad Raffensperger” by Sec State Brad Raffensperger.
