ATLANTA – Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) today proposed that the Constitution of Georgia be amended to empower the Georgia General Assembly to elect the Secretary of State.
“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,” said Speaker Ralston. “When the Secretary of State refuses to fulfill his Constitutional duties to answer questions from House members, it comes time to re-evaluate how that statewide officer is selected.”
The House Governmental Affairs Committee today held a hearing on election processes in Georgia. Chairman Shaw Blackmon (R-Bonaire) invited the Secretary’s Office to participate in and answer questions at that hearing. The Secretary of State’s Office declined to appear.
“I have great personal respect for our current Secretary of State; however, I cannot ask the members of the House of Representatives to face questions about our elections and their integrity without the cooperation of the Secretary of State’s Office,” said Speaker Ralston. “It is unfair to the members of the House of Representatives and those Georgians they represent. As Speaker of the House, I must advocate for our chamber, and that is what I am doing by advancing this proposal.”
Speaker Ralston also recounted several instances in which the Secretary of State’s Office had acted without the input or consent of the General Assembly earlier this year including entering in a consent agreement that changed the process for signature verification and sending out absentee ballot applications to every registered voter.
“As the branch of government closest to the people, we take seriously our oversight responsibility,” said Speaker Ralston. “This measure will bring greater accountability to this important office.”
The Secretaries of State of Tennessee, Maine, and New Hampshire are all elected by their respective state legislatures.
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