PERRY, Ga. — Monday marked the first day of early voting for the 2022 general election. This voting period will take place from Oct. 17 to Nov. 4.
The Journal spoke over a Zoom interview Monday with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger regarding the work completed by state and county officials in preparation of this time.
“We’ve had 60,000 people already vote early as of one o’clock, so we’ll go over 100,000 our first day,” Raffensperger said. “Obviously, we’ve been sending out absentee ballots to people that requested those last week.”
If you are interested in voting absentee, ballot applications are due by Oct. 28. All absentee ballots have to be in by no later than 7 p.m. on Nov. 8. A photo ID is required for all forms of voting in the state of Georgia.
Raffensperger, the incumbent, commented on his campaign for the secretary of state position. Addressing misinformation and disinformation before, after and during election season are topics he said he wanted to prioritize.
“People need to understand that we have honest, safe, accessible elections here in Georgia, and I’ll defend those and I’ll stand up and protect peoples’ right that we can verify the results of the race,” he said. “We’re here to make sure everyone knows that their right and vote has been protected.”
When asked what makes him different than the Democratic nominee, he said he would stand up and push back against anyone wishing to deny the results of the elections — even if that person happens to be someone from his own party. Standing for the rule of law and upholding the values of the Constitution are also part of his goals, he added.
He said that, as a business owner himself, he understands what other people statewide are going through. Also, the secretary of state position calls for attention on a broad range of topics such as corporations, charities, securities and professional licensing.
“Having someone having some business background and making sure we understand your pain points, we understand about inflation, we understand about regulation,” Raffensperger said. “So, it’s our job to make your workday a little bit better by reducing those burdens any way we can.”
You can renew your corporation status for up to three years, with a choice of one-year, two-year or three-year options. He said 25% of Georgian business owners are using the two and three-year options, adding that the implementation of this came from his time as secretary of state and developed from his time in the State House.
Raffensperger said there has been a verifiable paper ballot introduced in the last four years. This can lead to audits in any particular race when appropriate, including a 100% hand count of the presidential race in 2020.
“What that did is, it showed that the machines accurately recorded the vote totals,” Raffensperger said. “Many of the counties had not a single vote total difference when they hand-recounted it.”
ERIC, Electronic Registration Information Center, is comprised of 34 member states, including South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida among others that are also in the process of joining. Raffensperger said if you move to one of those states, they can share your other information with the state you move to and the voter rolls can update accordingly.
He closed, adding that 50% of Georgians are voting early, and it can be an effective way to place the voter in charge of when they cast their ballot.
The Journal reached out to the Secretary of State Democratic nominee, Bee Nguyen, but had not heard back by the time this story was published.
Absentee ballot drop-off locations include the Houston Health Pavilion Conference Center at 233 N. Houston Road in Warner Robins as well as the Board of Elections at 2030 Kings Chapel Road, PO Box 945 in Perry. The ballots can be returned to the Board of Elections Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., during Early Voting Hours and on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Visit the Houston County Board of Elections website for more information. Some exceptions apply.
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