Perdue proposes "election law enforcement division"
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
A voter casts an absentee ballot early in October 2020 in Athens. Photo: John Bazemore/AP
Former senator and gubernatorial hopeful David Perdue says he wants to create an “Election Law Enforcement Division” within the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to enforce election laws, investigate election-related crimes and arrest offenders.
Why it matters: This is the latest Republican proposal circulating in response to the 2020 election, in which the U.S. attorney general found no evidence of widespread voter fraud.
Yes, but: In his budget proposal Gov. Brian Kemp has included about $500,000 per year to create two full-time and two part-time dedicated election complaints investigators within the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
- House Speaker David Ralston plans to introduce a bill that would give GBI the ability to investigate election law violations without being invited by local governments.
- The GBI assisted with the Secretary of State’s Office’s election investigations last year.
The big picture: The Secretary of State’s Office already employs two dedicated election investigators within a force of about two dozen POST-certified investigators (who are also charged with investigating things like licensing violations).
- Investigators refer cases to the State Election Board, which then votes on whether to send cases to either a district attorney or the Georgia Attorney General for further legal action.
- Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has asked for more resources for his investigations unit for years, including this past week.
Of note: At one time, the secretary of state’s entire investigations unit focused on last year’s election-related allegations and launched more than 250 investigations. The State Election Board referred 35 complaints to district attorneys and the attorney general.
What he’s saying: Perdue told a Valdosta radio program that the secretary of state managing both elections administration and elections investigations is like "grading your own homework."
Context: This election law enforcement agency idea has already been proposed in Florida by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.