Editor’s note: This is part of a series of IAG interviews with Georgia’s candidates for statewide office
When Brad Raffensperger talks about his campaign for Secretary of State, he only needs three words — three strong words. “Protect Your Ballot.”
As the Republican nominee in the race, Raffensperger’s message is to the point. “Voter integrity — that’s the bottom line,” he says. “We have to protect our Voter ID laws, and that’s why I am running to be Georgia’s next Secretary of State.”
It’s also the issue that Raffensperger says best separates him from his Democratic opponent, former Congressman John Barrow. Libertarian Smythe DuVal is also in the three-man race.
“I am the only candidate who is going to protect photo identification and make sure we update the voter rolls. All of us know people who have been victims of identity theft, and by updating the voter rolls, we can help reduce voter fraud.”
“My opponent (Barrow) is against both of those measures,” Raffensperger adds. “When he was in Congress, he voted against the Federal Election Integrity Act of 2006, which included photo identification. And four years letter he signed on to a memo that was sent to every Secretary of State in the country opposing voter identification. He is on record twice opposing voter ID. Elections touch every person in this state, and we have to make certain that only American citizens can vote in our elections.”
The current State Representative for District 50, Raffensperger also believes that it is equally important to keep Georgia’s official list of registered voters clean and accurate.
“That’s something else that sets us apart,” Raffensperger says “My opponent has said that he would never remove voters from the current list. My concern is that if we don’t keep voter lists updated, clean and accurate, we set ourselves up for voter fraud.”
In his campaign promises to protect Georgia’s ballots and ensure voter integrity, Raffensperger also believes the state has to update the current voting machines with improved paper ballot verification for ballot security.
In fact, Raffensperger believes that updating the state’s voting machines is the No. 1 priority for Georgia’s next Secretary of State when he takes office next January.
“I believe that in Week 1 of the 2019 legislative session, Representatives and Senators are going to have start working on this with the new Secretary of State,” Raffensperger says. “It will be a three to four month process, and one that should be the top priority for the next Secretary of State.” That’s why he has this in his 100-day plan.
“The current machines are 16 years old,” Raffensperger says. “They were put into place in 2002. That’s six years before we had iPhones. With technology constantly changing, Georgians need to ensure that we have the best and most secure way to tabulate votes We must have a verifiable paper audit trail in place, and we need stronger encryption to keep your private confidential voter information secure. That’s very important for voter confidence.”
Licensing reform is also a critical issue facing the next Secretary of State, according to Raffensperger. The Secretary of State oversees 40 licensing boards with over 130 different licenses. “Let’s only license what truly needs to be licensed and make that process fast and easy for the licensed professionals so they can focus on their careers and not paperwork,” he says.
As CEO and owner of Tendon Systems, LLC. — a specialty contracting and engineering design firm with nearly 200 employees– Raffensperger brings a unique skill set to the office.
“I am the only candidate in this race who has run an organization the size of the Secretary of State’s office, and that makes a difference going into office.”
His firm has operated in 35 different states. Raffensperger also owns and operates specialty steel manufacturing plants based in Columbus and in Forsyth County.
As a businessman, Raffensperger has created hundreds of jobs for Georgians. And, as a licensed contractor and engineer, he understands the importance of licensing, with first-hand knowledge of the process.
Raffensperger has also served during two terms in the Georgia General Assembly from 2015-current. And as a state lawmaker, he says he always worked to defend taxpayers, small business owners, Life and the 2nd Amendment. He is endorsed by Georgia Right to Life, Georgia Life Alliance and the only candidate in the race with a 100% rating from the Faith & Freedom Coalition of Georgia. He has also never voted for a tax increase.
As a state Representative, Raffensperger wrote House Bill 87 to reduce red tape in the licensing process. This legislation provides business owners the flexibility to do multi-year business renewals for corporation registrations. The bill requires a software upgrade, and he plans to implement as soon as moving into office.
“I’m the only person in this race that has a business background, and I understand the importance of streamlining this process.”
While Raffensperger’s top priority is “Protecting Your Ballot,” you can add a few more words when talking about his campaign – “ ensure Georgia is a great place to find a job and a great place to build a business.”
