2018 Georgia Secretary of State Voters Guide
John Barrow (D) vs Brad Raffensperger (R)
Secretary of State | Election | Dec 12, 2018
The Candidates
No. “Of course, you have to maintain the list,” but can use change of addresses and death certificates. “No need to be purging lists of voters who choose not to vote….you’ve got a God-given right not to vote.” “It’s just as bad to kick somebody off the rolls who has a right to participate & has done nothing wrong as it is to let somebody in who has no business voting.”
No specific position. “Ensure free and fair elections by regularly cleaning up Georgia’s voter registration list and continuing to require photo ID.”
Yes. “The number one way to undermine the right to vote is through partisan gerrymandering.” Has become so sophisticated that can create permanent majorities that also fuel hyper-partisanship. Redistricting needs to establish “a rule of maximum achievable neutrality.”
No. “There are some who are attacking the elected General Assembly members’ right to draw district lines & are seeking to replace this with an unelected board to draw district lines, along the idea of the California redistricting commission, where it has been a disaster.” More accountability if elected officials decide.
Yes. Increase the speed of licensing investigations, explore self-regulation for industries, “streamline regulations,” and make Georgia “a friendlier place to do enterprise.”
Voter suppression. Important to ensure all votes are legal, but “We ought to be able to make it easier to vote without making it easier for someone to cheat.” “I don’t think you can say our elections are fair if it’s a whole lot harder for some folks to register than others & a whole lot harder for some folks to stay registered than others.”
Voter fraud. Specifically sees preventing noncitizens from voting as a key issue; “strongly believes that only legal American citizens should vote.” Also pledges to combat identity theft, “so someone can’t steal another’s identity & then vote masquerading as that voter.”
Mixed. Supports “common sense measures” for voters to identify themselves. But has opposed ID laws that disenfranchise people.
Yes. Supports voter ID as a key platform position: “Will continue to protect Voter ID laws that require proper identification to vote.”
Yes. Is concerned about foreign interference, particularly Russian. Current machines aren’t “good enough for elections because they can be hacked.”
No position found on Russian hacking. On data security, “A focus on cybersecurity is needed…combined with rigorous employee training on information security.”
Immediately replace the machines. ”What we need is hand-marked paper ballots, optical scanners to provide a quick but unofficial tally of the vote at the end of Election Day, plus audits…to make sure we’re not relying on an unofficial count that’s misleading in any way.” “Provide an accurate record that’s absolutely reliable & can be counted & recounted if necessary.”
“Update the current 2002 voting machines that were put into service 16 years ago—that’s before we even had iPhones.” Prefers a touchscreen system that would print a paper ballot that would then be fed into an optical scanner. This will provide a secure technology with a verifiable paper audit trail.
Yes. More regional offices. “In those offices, there is a human being to talk to…We need more of them.”
Yes. Supports “bottoms-up style of governance” in local supervision of elections.
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