Atlanta – Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp today encouraged Georgians who are preparing to provide public comment at the Secretary of State’s Elections Advisory Council meeting in Albany to preregister on the Council’s website at www.sos.ga.gov/GAEAC. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 at 10 a.m. at the City/County Government Center, 222 Pine Avenue, Albany, GA.
Secretary Kemp stated, “The Elections Advisory Council can only fulfill its mission of producing meaningful recommendations to improve Georgia’s elections with input from the public, representatives of organizations, elections leaders and elected officials. The public comment period at each Council meeting is an opportunity for everyone to provide Council members an overview of their ideas, issues and solutions.”
Due to time restrictions and the interest in hearing the ideas of as many Georgians as possible, each speaker will be allotted three minutes during the public comment period. Please note that speakers will not be permitted to defer their time to another speaker. Additionally, citizens can submit supporting documents on the Council website or in person at Council meetings. Though speakers do not have to preregister, doing so will help the Council with planning and time management.
Secretary Kemp established the Elections Advisory Council to review the Georgia Election Code and State Election Board Rules in a series of meetings this year, and make recommendations that improve and strengthen Georgia’s election laws and procedures. The Council will look particularly at improvements that create cost savings and increase efficiencies for state, county and local governments.
The Elections Advisory Council is comprised of 16 experienced election officials and leaders from across Georgia, including city and county officials, county election directors, representatives from Democratic, Independent, Libertarian and Republican backgrounds and members of the Georgia General Assembly.
- Secretary of State Brian Kemp
State Senator Cecil Staton (R – Macon)
State Senator Hardie Davis (D – Augusta)
State Representative Mark Hamilton (R – Cumming)
State Representative Rusty Kidd (I – Milledgeville)
Anne Lewis, General Counsel, Georgia Republican Party
Mike Jablonski, General Counsel, Democratic Party of Georgia
David Shock, Associate Professor of Political Science, Kennesaw State University
Todd Blackwell, Baldwin County Probate Judge and Elections Superintendent
Beth Kish, Elections and Registration Manager, Cobb County Board of Elections and Registration
Lynn Bailey, Executive Director, Richmond County Board of Elections
Charlotte Sosebee, Hall County Interim Elections Director
Nancy Boren, Director, Muscogee County Office of Elections and Voter Registration
Jeff Sinyard, Dougherty County Commissioner
Richard Barclift, Elections Superintendent, City of Chickamauga
Charles Schwabe, Mayor, City of Swainsboro
Brian Kemp has been Secretary of State since January, 2010. Among the office’s wide-ranging responsibilities, the Secretary of State is charged with conducting efficient and secure elections, the registration of corporations, and the regulation of securities and professional license holders. The office also oversees the Georgia Archives and the Capitol Museum.
