Secretary Raffensperger Commends General Assembly's First Step to Eliminating Foreign Interference in Elections and Campaigns
Atlanta - Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger applauds Senator Rick Williams for the passage of SB368, which prohibits foreign nationals from contributing to state candidates or campaign committees, and requires foreign agents conducting business in Georgia to register with the state ethics commission. Today’s legislative action marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing effort to safeguard against foreign influence in our elections.
“With President Joe Biden's open borders and failed policies, the number one issue facing our Nation is foreign interference in our campaigns and elections,” said Raffensperger. “That is why I am calling on the General Assembly to immediately pass legislation banning foreign funding in elections and campaigns and to require political consultants and lobbyists who are agents of foreign entities to register and disclose their work to the state.”
“Georgia’s elections are the safest in the nation and I work every day to keep it that way,” said Secretary Raffensperger.
The Senate Ethics Committee first demonstrated its commitment to upholding election transparency and safeguarding campaign finance with the passage of SB 368, which passed the full Senate today. Sponsored by Senator Rick Williams, this bill bans any campaign or political entity from taking foreign funding, and mandates lobbyists and political consultants who are agents of foreign entities to register and disclose their work to the state.
As this bill and others that strengthen Georgia’s elections make their way through the legislative process, Secretary Raffensperger remains vigilant in his commitment to a secure and transparent electoral system and calls for the General Assembly to immediately address the concerns of Georgia’s voters. We will continue to monitor developments and provide updates to the public as we work together to protect the sanctity and security of Georgia’s elections.
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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 17 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 turnout in 2020, and 2022. 2022 achieved the largest single day of in-person early voting turnout in Georgia midterm history utilizing Georgia’s secure, paper ballot voting system. Most recently, Georgia ranked #1 for Election Integrity by the Heritage Foundation, a top ranking for Voter Accessibility by the Center for Election Innovation & Research and tied for number one in Election Administration by the Bipartisan Policy Center.