COVID-19

The obstacles that Georgia’s voters have faced in this election are simply unacceptable. It’s also unacceptable that the officials entrusted with administering the elections have spent the day dodging blame, rather than accepting responsibility. Georgia’s voters deserve better.

Given the uncertainties surrounding the public health situation, we urge all Georgians to consider using absentee ballots to vote in the upcoming primary elections. Absentee voting is a safe and secure way to participate in that most essential of American activities: helping to choose our government officials.

Secretary Raffensperger recently announced an “Absentee Ballot Task Force” with incredibly broad authority to investigate Georgians who choose to vote by mail. The situations that would trigger an investigation disproportionately affect voters from racial and ethnic minorities, younger voters, low-income voters and those who don’t have a traditional “residential” address.

We support Secretary of State Raffensperger’s decision to mail absentee ballot applications to all registered voters. Sending absentee ballot applications to all registered voters will make it accessible and secure for Georgians to vote by mail, if they choose to.

Today, Common Cause filed complaints calling for investigations of Sen. Kelly Loeffler. “Voters have the right to expect that our elected officials put our interests first,” said Common Cause Georgia Program Coordinator Cindy Battles. “And there shouldn’t be any question about it. Obviously, in this situation, there are questions about how Sen. Loeffler handled the information received in private briefings. There are also questions about whether she should have shared that information with her constituents, back in January when she received it. We look forward to the results of these investigations.”