TL/DR –
Gabriel Sterling, a top Georgia election official and Republican, is part of an initiative aiming to bring together Republican officials who are willing to defend the US election systems amid growing public distrust, particularly among Republicans. The group, coordinated by the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University and the R Street Institute, is starting conversations about trust in elections primarily among conservative officials. The guiding principle is for Republican officials to publicly affirm the security and integrity of elections across the US and refrain from fueling doubt about elections in other jurisdictions.
Georgia Election Official Advocates for Election Integrity
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – On Election Day last November, Gabriel Sterling, an influential Georgia election official, addressed a voting machine issue in Pennsylvania that was trending online. Despite facing criticism for weighing in on another state’s election, Sterling, a Republican, staunchly insisted on the accuracy of the vote count.
“It’s still essential,” Sterling emphasized, reinforcing the need for Republican officials to defend elections. He played a pivotal role in forming a group of Republican officials committed to defending the country’s election systems and promoting secure and accurate elections.
The group has convened in various states and plans more meetings before the November 5 election. Amid fears of escalating distrust in voting and ballot counting, particularly among Republicans, it aims to subdue any unfounded claims about election fraud.
Indicative of this public sentiment, last year’s Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll revealed that only 22% of Republicans had high confidence in the accurate vote count for the November election.
Coordinated by the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University and the center-right think tank R Street Institute, this initiative began 18 months ago to foster trust in elections among conservative officials and outline principles to achieve this.
Matt Germer, director of governance for the R Street Institute, clarified, “It’s about democratic principles at a higher level — what does it mean to be a conservative who believes in democracy, the rule of law?”
Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, a Republican participant in these meetings, expressed the importance of staying within one’s realm to maintain trust in the state’s elections.
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