Georgia House speaker calls for secretary of state to be chosen by general assembly, not voters

Georgia’s GOP House speaker on Thursday called for a constitutional amendment under which lawmakers, rather than voters, would elect the state’s secretary of state.

Speaker David Ralston (R) made the recommendation on the heels of Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s reported refusal to attend a state Senate hearing on the presidential election, as well as a Thursday House hearing.

“As the state’s chief elections official, it is incumbent on the Secretary of State to be responsive to the People’s House and faithfully perform his or her duties in accordance with the laws passed by the General Assembly,” Ralston said at the Thursday briefing, according to 11Alive.

Ralston said Thursday the change would be necessary to ensure the secretary of state’s office remains “accountable to the General Assembly,” calling it “the only way to right this ship.”

“Ralston and the Trump campaign want to give the General Assembly the power to select winners of elections and violate the will of the people,” Deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs (R) said in response, calling the proposal a “power grab.”

Raffensperger and Gov. Brian Kemp (R) have been targeted by other Georgia Republicans and President Trump over their refusal to overturn the results of the presidential election after President-elect Joe Biden won the state. Sens. David Perdue (R) and Kelly Loeffler (R) have both called for Raffensperger’s resignation and Trump has said he is “ashamed” he endorsed Kemp in 2018.

Despite these clashes, Kemp and Raffensperger have joined other state Republicans in backing tightened rules around voting in the state after mail-in ballots were key to Biden’s victory. These proposals include requiring photo ID to vote by mail, which voting rights activists have said ignores the dearth of evidence of widespread voter fraud.

“What is the problem that you’re trying to solve?” said Andrea Young, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia. “The rule should be first, ‘Do no harm’ when it comes to democracy, and whenever there are more restrictions being put on a process, you run the risk of disenfranchising Georgia citizens.”