Secretary Raffensperger Briefs European Union Diplomats on Georgia Elections

(Atlanta) – Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger met with diplomats and representatives from the European Union Consular Corps based in Atlanta to discuss elections in Georgia. The meeting was coordinated by the Georgia Department of Economic Development and was an important diplomatic exchange that increased ties between Georgia and democratic partner nations in the European Union.

“Meeting with members of Atlanta’s European Union diplomatic contingent provided a chance for my office to explain American democracy to our friends and partners abroad, increasing ties and building important relationships,” said Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. “Discussions like these are key to ensuring free flow of ideas and best practices between us and our fellow democracies around the world. Thank you to the Georgia Department of Economic Development for facilitating this important meeting and to our new friends from the E.U. for meeting with us.”

“Georgia’s Consular Corps plays a critical role in our state’s international economic development efforts. Our team collaborates with our international partners to ensure open communications on a daily basis, and we sincerely appreciate the time Secretary Raffensperger took to help us further deepen these relationships,” said Commissioner Pat Wilson of the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

Secretary Raffensperger sat down with representatives from five E.U. nations to discuss how elections in Georgia work and to answer questions from the diplomats about the elections process. During the meeting, the Secretary lauded the good work of Georgia’s local elections workers and explained the important role they play in successfully executing elections in the state. During the discussion, the E.U. consular officials compared and contrasted the elections process in their own countries, asking insightful question both about the elections infrastructure and the American cultural and historical points that shaped them. The meeting lasted an hour.

Attendees:

 

• Dr. Heike Fuller, Consul General, Germany and current chair of EU Consuls General;
• Mr. Michel Gerebtzoff, Consul General, Belgium;
• Ms. Ciara O’Floinn, Consul General, Ireland;
• Ms. Esther Smith, Senior Economic Officer, The Netherlands;
• Ms. Emily Rives, Executive Assistant to the Consul General, France;
• Ms. Abby Turano, Deputy Commissioner of Marketing, Communications, and International Engagement, GDEcD
• Mr. Nico Wijnberg, Director of International Relations and Chief of Protocol, GDEcD
• Ms. Coryn Marsik, International Relations Manager, GDEcD

 

Georgia is recognized as a national leader in elections. It was the first state in the country to implement the trifecta of automatic voter registration, at least 16 days of early voting (which has been called the “gold standard”), and no excuse absentee voting. Georgia continues to set records for voter turnout and election participation, seeing the largest increase in average turnout of any other state in the 2018 midterm election and record primary turnout in 2020, with over 1.1 million absentee by mail voters and over 1.2 million in-person voters utilizing Georgia’s new, secure, paper ballot voting system.

###