Raffensperger calling for bipartisan federal election reform commission

Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger (R) is calling for a bipartisan federal election reform commission to convene following the 2020 presidential election.

The state’s top election official was involved in controversy after former President Trump asked him to overturn the election results in his state.

Raffensperger told Axios that it is time for another examination of the U.S.’s election practices, 16 years after a bipartisan commission led by former President Carter and former secretary of State James Baker penned a report outlining reforms to modernize the electoral system in the U.S.

“Let them really work on it, do a lot of public policy debates, take a year or two but get it right. I think it’s been now 16 years since the last report. We’re probably ready for another one,” Raffensperger told Axios.

Election reform rocketed to the forefront of national debate during the 2020 election, when many voters cast their ballot by mail. Trump claimed at the time that the practice of mail-in ballots, among other things, leads to widespread voter fraud.

However, after several reviews in various battleground states, there has been no substantial evidence of voter fraud. 

Raffensperger became embroiled in Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election results after the Peach State shocked the country, turning blue for President Biden — the first time a Democrat won the state in more than 20 years.

Trump asked Raffensperger during a phone conversation in January to “find” 11,780 votes he needed to beat Biden in the state, contending that he actually won the race. 

Raffensperger, however, rejected Trump’s claims, calling his numbers “wrong” and telling the president that he will not follow his requests.

Trump continued his feud with the secretary in March when he endorsed Rep. Jody Hice (R-Ga.), who is challenging Raffensperger.

A number of GOP-led states have since introduced elections bills that tighten voting restrictions. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are also pushing for election reforms at the federal level, but those initiatives have since failed due partisan differences. 

Raffensperger previously criticized the Democratic-led John Lewis Voting Rights Bill in an op-ed for including “liberal wish list election items that would burden election officials and undermine confidence in elections.”

The secretary did however express support for the Georgia voting law spearheaded by Republicans which, according to Axios, is one of the bills that sparked Democrats’ efforts to pass federal election reforms.