Georgia launches bipartisan task force to defend election integrity and combat misinformation

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger revealed the formation of a nine-member bipartisan election integrity task force, bringing together Democrats and Republicans for a series of regional roundtables. The panel features former Governor Roy Barnes, former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, former U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss, former U.S. Representative Drew Ferguson, election-law expert Ben Ginsberg, former state senator Don Balfour, Bartow County Elections Supervisor Joseph Kirk, Muscogee County Elections Director Nancy Boren, and Georgia Sheriffs’ Association executive Terry Norris.

All members are linked to the Democracy Defense Network, which seeks to rebuild public faith in the transparency and security of elections. Raffensperger emphasized the group’s role in pushing back against misinformation and highlighted a University of Georgia poll indicating that 98% of voters faced no issues casting ballots and 91.5% trust the process. He asserted that Georgia holds the nation’s most secure elections and noted that the roundtables will commence after Labor Day. Ongoing investigations by the FBI and Justice Department into the 2020 election, as well as legislative discussions on new voting systems, were also referenced.