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LOEFFLER CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION TO HOLD GEORGIA’S TOP ELECTION OFFICIAL ACCOUNTABLE, REBUILD FAITH IN ELECTIONS

April 28, 2021
Today, Kelly Loeffler sent a letter to Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr asking him to open an investigation into whether Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger used his constitutional office overseeing elections in Georgia to further his own political self-interests in violation of the Georgia Constitution or statutes. Secretary Raffensperger made unprecedented changes to the state's elections in 2020 amid the pandemic, including the mass mailing of unsolicited absentee ballot requests, entering into a consent decree without the legislature's awareness, accepting millions in outside money, and failing to resolve hundreds of open investigations from the primary and general elections. Loeffler's letter seeks accountability and transparency from the state's top elections official to help restore confidence in our elections.

"Georgians deserve to have confidence that their vote counts – but for too many in our state, that still is not the case," said Kelly Loeffler, Chairwoman of Greater Georgia. "The passage of the Election Integrity Act is an important step toward restoring that confidence, though numerous questions remain unanswered from the Secretary of State's role in overseeing the 2020 elections. This request is not about the outcome of an election, but about the loss of confidence in our elections and the importance of holding elected officials accountable for upholding the law and carrying out their constitutional duties. Greater Georgia will continue to fight for more transparency, accountability, and integrity in our elections to ensure voters are heard."

To read the full letter, see below or click HERE.

April 28, 2021

 

The Honorable Chris Carr

Attorney General

Office of the Attorney General

40 Capitol Square, SW

Atlanta, GA 30334

 

Dear Attorney General Carr:

 

I write to request an investigation into whether actions taken by Brad Raffensperger (hereinafter “Secretary Raffensperger”), in his capacity as Secretary of State of Georgia, put his political self-interest ahead of the people of Georgia in conducting elections, and whether these actions constitute a conflict of interest in violation of the Georgia Constitution and/or statutes. 

 

Since his term began in January 2019, Secretary Raffensperger has made unprecedented changes to elections in his constitutional duty to conduct elections, including those actions outlined below, which have reduced trust and transparency. Secretary Raffensperger politicized and minimized voters’ legitimate concerns about changes to Georgia’s elections which were related to the pandemic and legal settlements, failed to complete investigations and provide timely information, and engaged in political matters during an election. 

 

This request is not about the outcome of an election, but about the loss of confidence in our elections and the importance of holding elected officials accountable for upholding the law and carrying out their constitutional duties. If voters don’t trust the electoral process and their elected officials, we risk sustained damage to voter participation in our state. We saw the impact of reduced faith in elections in the Senate runoffs, when over 339,000 Republican voters who voted in November did not vote in January. Voting rights are not a partisan issue, and the loss of electoral confidence disenfranchises voters of any political affiliation. Following are examples of potential conflicts of interest that furthered Secretary Raffensperger’s own self-interests: 

 

1)  Georgia’s primary election on June 9, 2020 was administered so poorly the Georgia House Governmental Affairs Committee was tasked with investigating the election. The investigation identified the following: (i) multiple issues related to absentee ballots; (ii) inadequate training for the new voting machines; and (iii) procedural issues regarding COVID-19. Secretary Raffensperger glossed over these issues and failed to take sufficient corrective or legal actions prior to either the general election or run-off election.[1]

 

2)  Secretary Raffensperger announced on September 8, 2020 approximately 1,000 individuals faced investigation for double voting in the primary election by casting both an absentee ballot and voting in person. Eight months and two elections later, Secretary Raffensperger has not fully resolved the double voting issues.[2]

 

3)  Secretary Raffensperger entered into a Compromise Settlement Agreement and Release (“Consent Decree”) on March 6, 2020 that materially altered the signature verification process for absentee ballot review—without informing the Georgia General Assembly or the general public—just weeks prior to mailing out mass, unsolicited absentee ballot requests statewide. He later claimed in media interviews the settlement did not materially change the absentee ballot signature review process, yet the administrative process for rejecting ballots was increased.

 

4)   According to a March 26, 2021 report, Secretary Raffensperger’s office accepted unregulated, outside funds totaling $5.59 million from the Center for Election Innovation & Research (“CEIR”), an organization linked to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. According to CEIR, Secretary Raffensperger’s office used the funds in both the general and runoff elections to conduct messaging, including to “counteract disinformation” by issuing “public service” announcements.[3] Separately, CEIR also gave millions of dollars in grants to certain Georgia counties.

 

5)   In his role as Chair of the State Board of Elections, Secretary Raffensperger made sweeping, poorly communicated, and inconsistently applied changes to critical elections procedures including, but not limited to: (i) permitting unsecure drop boxes whose number varied across the state, with some counties having dozens and others having none, and (ii) mass unsolicited absentee ballot request mailings, which unlocked the potential for fraud.[4]

 

6)   Secretary Raffensperger’s office orchestrated the recording of a call with the President of the United States and subsequently released the recording to the Washington Post just days before the January runoff, interfering with an election that was already underway by reducing faith in the process and eroding trust in our election officials. 

 

7)   Six months after the general election, the status of hundreds of primary and general elections investigations allegedly opened by the Secretary of State’s office remains unknown. Additionally, no investigations relating the runoff elections have been announced by his office. 

 

Georgians deserve answers regarding these issues and to understand the impact these and other matters may have on future elections. Failure to acknowledge these issues and irregularities will lead to a continued loss of trust in our elections.

 

For that trust to be restored, there must be accountability from Secretary Raffensperger in his role managing our elections, and whether he has served his own self-interest by attempting to protect his own political career. Accordingly, we respectfully request an investigation into whether Secretary Raffensperger’s actions were lawful and consistent with his fiduciary and statutory obligations to Georgia’s citizenry as a statewide elected official under the Georgia Constitution and law.


Respectfully,


Kelly Loeffler


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[1] See Primary Elections Investigation, House of Representatives Government Affairs Committee, available at: https://www.house.ga.gov/Documents/CommitteeDocuments/2020/GovernmentalAffairs/Elections_Investigation_Report.pdf (last accessed April 22, 2021).

[2] 1,000 people double-voted in Georgia primary, says secretary of state, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (September 8, 2020), available at: https://www.ajc.com/politics/1000-people-double-voted-in-georgia-primary-and-may-face-charges/RR7ZPMO2SBBVLOSCUUAV7S3JEQ/.

[3] See The Center for Election Innovation & Research 2020 Voter Education Grant Program, March 26, 2021, available at: https://electioninnovation.org/download/16514/ (last accessed April 22, 2021).

[4] See SEB Rule 183-1-14-0.80.14, available at https://sos.ga.gov/admin/files/Table%20of%20Contents%20for%20SEB%20Rule%20183-1-14-0.8-.14.pdf.



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Media Contact: press@greatergeorgia.com

GREATER GEORGIA ANNOUNCES VOTER REGISTRATION RESULTS FOR 2024 CYCLE

November 26, 2024
ATLANTA – Today, Greater Georgia announced that its 2024 pre-election voter registration push registered over 7,000 new conservative voters and re-engaged over 4,000 inactive conservative voters. Inactive voters are those who had not participated in an election in the last five years - in this case, since at least 2018. "Greater Georgia has become the leading conservative voter registration group in our state - working year-round to expand the tent, rather than taking it down after every election," said Greater Georgia Chairwoman Kelly Loeffler. "Since 2021, we have registered more than 55,000 new voters, who just became part of the landslide that elected President Trump. We've proved our thesis that we can keep Georgia red as long as we work year-round, every year, to grow the conservative movement. Today, as we prepare for the next election cycle starting with municipal elections in 2025, we can confidently say that the movement has never been stronger or more energized." Greater Georgia is the state's leading conservative voter registration organization. Since it was founded in 2021, the group has registered and re-engaged more than 55,000 voters. It has also worked to build diverse coalitions and advocate for election integrity. In 2024, the group invested in multiple six-figure campaigns, including an 8-week voter registration campaign that ran from August to October, featuring digital ads, text messages, in-person voter registration drives, and over 115,000 phone calls to unregistered voters. ### Media Contact: press@greatergeorgia.com

LOEFFLER HIGHLIGHTS GOP GROUND GAME, CELEBRATES REPUBLICAN WINS

November 6, 2024
ATLANTA – Today, Former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler applauded the efforts of Greater Georgia, the Georgia GOP, the RNC, and other conservative groups after Republicans won decisive victories up and down the ballot across the state. President Trump won with a record-breaking 2.65 million votes, the most ever received by a Republican candidate in Georgia. Republicans in the State Senate maintained their 33-23 majority and Republicans in the State House will also preserve their majority, having defended three key tossup districts and flipped one Democrat-held seat. “I founded Greater Georgia to apply the strategic lessons we learned in the 2020 election, with the singular mission of creating a winning conservative infrastructure in our state. Over nearly four years, we have invested millions and worked every day to drive voter registration, diverse community outreach, and election integrity, building a new conservative coalition and solidifying Georgia as a red state,” said Greater Georgia Chairwoman Kelly Loeffler. “Last night’s victories, from the state legislature to the presidency, were years in the making. They are a testament to the candidates, campaigns, and preparation of groups like Greater Georgia, the Georgia Republican Party, the Republican National Committee, and other key partners. From the ground game to election integrity, 2024 was a massive step change for conservatives despite being outraised at every level. “We’re already evaluating the data to find ways to sustain these gains for the long term - and I look forward to collaborating with our conservative counterparts to build on this solid foundation to engage Georgia voters and keep our state red.” Leading up to this election, Greater Georgia invested over $1M in voter registration and several get-out-the-vote campaigns, making more than 14,000,000 voter contacts. Greater Georgia targeted - and saw gains from - the following conservative-leaning groups: Black, Hispanic, and Asian voters Voters aged 18-29 South Georgia voters impacted by Hurricane Helene Low-propensity male voters in North Georgia Conservative and swing voters in Fulton County Greater Georgia, launched by former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler in 2021, is a 501(c4) nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to growing participation in the democratic process by mobilizing and empowering voters. The group works year-round to educate and register voters, engage with diverse and underrepresented communities, and protect election integrity. ### Media Contact: press@greatergeorgia.com

KELLY LOEFFLER ISSUES STATEMENT ON TRUMP VICTORY IN GEORGIA

November 5, 2024
ATLANTA – Tonight, Greater Georgia Chairwoman and Former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler issued the following statement after President Donald Trump won Georgia’s 16 electoral college votes in the 2024 presidential election. “Tonight’s win is one of the greatest political victories in modern history. Despite the relentless attempts to jail, bankrupt, slander, and assassinate him – Donald J. Trump has flipped the state of Georgia red in a decisive victory for his America First movement. Voters rejected Kamala Harris’ failed record and, along with millions of their fellow Americans, cast their ballots to restore strength, security, and the American Dream. “This is a significant milestone for Georgia, and I join our voters in thanking President Trump for his relentless commitment to making America greater than ever before, and for the sacrifices of the entire Trump family. The future of our nation is bright thanks to his willingness to fight for it. And as Chairwoman of Greater Georgia, I also thank our staff, volunteers, and interns who have spent nearly four years building a winning conservative infrastructure that just helped move our state back into the solidly red column.” Senator Loeffler is the top donor to President Trump in Georgia, having contributed more than $6,000,000 in support of his re-election campaign. Greater Georgia has made over 14,000,000 voter contacts in the last six months, as part of the organization's effort to register and mobilize voters ahead of the presidential election. Greater Georgia, launched by former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler in 2021, is a 501(c4) nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to growing participation in the democratic process by mobilizing and empowering voters. The group works year-round to educate and register voters, engage with diverse and underrepresented communities, and protect election integrity. ### Media Contact: press@greatergeorgia.com

GREATER GEORGIA LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO DRIVE TURNOUT IN KEY REPUBLICAN COUNTIES

October 29, 2024
(ATLANTA) – Today, Greater Georgia announced a new digital ad, text message, and phone call campaign to drive up voter turnout in key Republican counties. Early voting turnout is currently strongest in counties that President Trump won in the 2020 election. However, Greater Georgia is targeting 80,000 Republican voters in four major counties with a turnout of less than 40%: Bartow, Carroll, Walker, and Whitfield. "Republican counties are outpacing Democrat counties on turnout, which is a clear sign that conservatives have the enthusiasm advantage in Georgia,” said Greater Georgia Chairwoman and former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler. “But Greater Georgia is taking nothing for granted – which is why we’re closely watching the data and making real-time adjustments to drive up turnout in key areas. By flooding the state with get-out-the-vote efforts where they are needed most, we will augment our margin of victory – and help President Trump and the entire ticket deliver a clear victory next Tuesday." Bartow, Carroll, Walker, and Whitfield counties are the only Republican strongholds in the state with a turnout of less than 40%. As of this morning, the average turnout in counties that went for Trump in 2020 is 41.5%. The average turnout in counties that went for Biden in 2020 is 38.9%. Several Republican stronghold counties are seeing high turnout, including Forsyth with 56.3% turnout and Cherokee with 49.6% turnout. Meanwhile, Democrat strongholds like Dougherty and Clayton counties have only achieved 28.6% and 36.4% turnout, respectively. This is the latest GOTV campaign from Greater Georgia, which has also launched targeted campaigns to encourage Black, Hispanic, Asian, and young voters to support President Trump . ### Media Contact: press@greatergeorgia.com

KELLY LOEFFLER DEMANDS MORE TRANSPARENCY, CALLS FOR ANSWERS ABOUT NON-CITIZEN VOTERS IN GEORGIA

October 23, 2024
(ATLANTA) – Today, following the publication of results from Georgia’s non-citizen voter roll audit, Greater Georgia Chairwoman Kelly Loeffler called on Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to answer key questions after he initially refused to release the results and misrepresented its findings for more than three months. She demanded greater transparency from Raffensperger and called on him to address the questions raised by the audit's findings. Raffensperger released the results of his audit late last night after Greater Georgia called on him to do so. According to his memo , Raffensperger uncovered 20 non-citizens and more than 156 potential non-citizens on Georgia’s voter rolls that require "additional investigation." Nine of the non-citizens successfully voted in previous Georgia elections. The abrupt admission, which comes in the middle of Georgia's early voting period, is a direct result of Greater Georgia’s advocacy. Last month, Loeffler wrote a private letter to Raffensperger urging him to release the results of his audit but never received a response. It was only on Monday, after Greater Georgia publicly called on Raffensperger to release the results of the audit, that his office suddenly announced its intention to share them. The office said that a previously scheduled press conference would be amended to include the findings of the audit. Raffensperger previously claimed that the audit was completed in July, at which time he announced that it uncovered “zero” non-citizens on the voter rolls. As he said three months ago: "I did a 100% audit. We found no non-citizens on the voter rolls, which means that only American citizens are voting. I just did the second audit, finished it up last week, and we got the same results. So I can tell my fellow Georgians: only American citizens are voting.” Since then, Raffensperger has made similar guarantees about the audit's findings while simultaneously refusing to release them to the public. Greater Georgia Chairwoman Kelly Loeffler issued the following statement: "The revelation that 20 non-citizens - and potentially 156 more - have registered to vote in Georgia is long-awaited information that Georgians deserve to know. But it is deeply concerning that our Secretary of State refused to share his findings for months - and during that time, repeatedly and falsely assured voters that ‘zero’ non-citizens were registered to vote. Voters just want the truth - and if state officials continue to withhold or misrepresent it, they will soon erode the trust that has been rebuilt in our system thanks to strong laws and advocacy. “Although the window to demonstrate a commitment to transparency is rapidly closing, I encourage Secretary Raffensperger to embrace it for the remainder of the 2024 election cycle. He should begin by answering the outstanding questions about the non-citizens on our voter rolls." Raffensperger's memo detailing the results of the citizenship audit leaves a number of questions that must be answered, including: Why did it take three months to release the results? Why did Raffensperger previously claim that the audit was completed in July? How did non-citizens subvert Georgia’s voter registration process to become eligible voters, and how will processes be changed to prevent it in the future? When will the review of the 156 additional voters be completed? What accounts for the sudden spike in non-citizen voters, given that zero non-citizens were found on our voter rolls during the last audit ? Were any of the non-citizens among those identified by the Oversight Project? ### Media Contact: press@greatergeorgia.com

KELLY LOEFFLER ISSUES STATEMENT ON VOTER ROLL CITIZENSHIP AUDIT

October 22, 2024
(ATLANTA) – Today, Greater Georgia Chairwoman Kelly Loeffler issued the following statement after Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger agreed to release the results of his 2024 voter roll citizenship audit. The statement comes after repeated outreach from Loeffler - who wrote a private letter to Raffensperger requesting the results of the audit last month. The letter was never answered and the findings were never publicized, even though the audit was first announced in July. But yesterday, after Fox News published a story about Greater Georgia's efforts to obtain the results of the audit, Raffensperger announced that a previously scheduled press conference about early voting would be amended to address the audit. The revised press conference is scheduled for tomorrow. "Three months after the audit was announced and one month after our request, I'm pleased that the Secretary has agreed to share the results of his citizenship audit," said Greater Georgia Chairwoman and former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler. "Although Georgia is well into the early voting period, we hope that his findings and transparency will help bolster voter confidence. A clean, thorough audit would demonstrate that despite the influx of non-citizens under Kamala Harris, only American citizens are deciding American elections." Raffensperger initially announced the audit on July 11, 2024, to uncover “potential non-citizens who may have registered to vote.” According to Raffensperger, the audit was completed just weeks later. He told NewsNation on July 30th: “I just did the second audit, finished it up last week, and we got the same results. So I can tell my fellow Georgians: only American citizens are voting.” In a separate interview on September 23rd, he reiterated: “We’ve done our second audit and we’ll report those results. Non-citizens are not voting in Georgia.” On September 24th, Greater Georgia Chairwoman Kelly Loeffler subsequently wrote a letter to the Secretary formally requesting the full audit results. The organization never received a response to either its certified mail or email outreach. Until yesterday, there was no indication of when or whether the findings would be released. In recent months, states across the country have uncovered thousands of non-citizens on their voter rolls. In Virginia, Governor Glenn Youngkin recently removed more than 6,000 non-citizens from the voter rolls. In Ohio, 138 non-citizens voted in recent elections and hundreds more are now facing prosecution for registering to vote. In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott has removed more than 6,500 non-citizens from the voter rolls, including 1,930 with a voter history. Alabama even saw an illegal immigrant steal the identity of an American citizen, register to vote with that stolen identity, and successfully cast ballots in the last two presidential elections. The Biden-Harris Administration recently began suing states to stop them from removing non-citizens from their voter rolls - underscoring the need for state election officials who are fully committed to maintaining secure and accurate voter rolls. Greater Georgia, launched by former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler in 2021, is a 501(c4) nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to growing participation in the democratic process by mobilizing and empowering voters. The group works year-round to educate and register voters, engage with diverse and underrepresented communities, and protect election integrity. ### Media Contact: press@greatergeorgia.com
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