by Maya Homan, Georgia Recorder
August 29, 2025

At the third meeting of a House study committee dedicated to examining Georgia’s election procedures, state legislators sought out testimony from the State Election Board, a panel which is tasked with overseeing cases involving potential violations of election laws and issuing nonpartisan guidance to help elections run more smoothly. 

The goal? To repair the fraying relationship between the board and the secretary of state’s office.

It’s no secret that the board has been facing some internal divisions in recent years. Last year, the little-known board gained national attention after President Donald Trump — who falsely stated that the ​​election was stolen from him in Georgia and several other swing states — praised three members of the board at a campaign rally who attempted to implement election rule changes that could have benefitted Trump. Those changes were invalidated ahead of the 2024 election by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Thomas A. Cox Jr., who said members of the board were illegally usurping legislative authority.

More recently, board member Janelle King has come under fire for serving as a board member as her husband campaigns for secretary of state. 

Though the board has resumed hearing elections cases this year rather than promulgating election rules, its current members frequently cast votes along party lines, and public meetings are often openly antagonistic.

At the study panel’s Thursday meeting in Clarkesville, legislators emphasized the need for a change.

“We’ve seen grandstanding, bombastic rhetoric and public disputes that have done little to serve voters and have, at times, undermined the confidence in the system itself,” said state Rep. Tim Fleming, a Covington Republican who chairs the committee and who is running for secretary of state. “This cannot continue. The state elections board must find its way. If it cannot find the way, then this committee and the broader legislative branch will step in and provide the direction that is needed for them to move forward.”

The committee also solicited testimony from members of the board on ways the Legislature could improve the current system. But members of the board presented competing visions for the best way forward.

Chairman John Fervier, who has led the board since his appointment in 2024, urged the committee not to take drastic measures overhauling Georgia’s election system.

“My belief is that Georgia already has the best and most reliable procedures for voting,” Fervier told the committee.

“We don’t have a broken system,” he continued. “It doesn’t need to be fixed. I would urge the General Assembly to continue to fund the ballot image audit for upcoming elections. The cost would be a fraction of replacing what we currently have or going to hand-marked, hand-counted paper ballots.”

Board member Sara Tindall Ghazal, the sole Democratic appointee, also highlighted what she sees as an increasing number of activists on the board, as well as a lack of consistency in decisions that she says diminishes trust with voters.

“For the most part, the vast majority of our cases are decided unanimously,” she said. “But increasingly, we’re seeing more and more politicized cases where the outcome appears to depend on the party involved.”

King, who spoke in place of board member Rick Jeffares, criticized what she called a lack of transparency from Fervier and members of the secretary of state’s office who still oversee the board’s website. She called for greater funding as the board works to further separate itself from the secretary of state’s office.

“We need to be properly funded, where we have control over all the funds. . . so that it can actually benefit us, and we can stand on our own two feet,” she said.

King also deflected criticism that her husband’s campaign presented a conflict of interest.

“It becomes a conflict if there were decisions that I was making that will directly benefit my spouse,” she said in response to questions from state Rep. Saira Draper, an Atlanta Democrat. “There is no decision that I make as a member of the state election board that directly benefits any candidate.”

She also said she would recuse herself from any potential State Election Board cases that involved her husband.

The elections committee, which will pull together a report with recommendations from all its meetings, is scheduled to meet next on Sept. 18 in Savannah.

Georgia Recorder is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jill Nolin for questions: info@georgiarecorder.com.

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Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

The content presents a balanced overview of the political dynamics surrounding Georgia’s State Election Board, including perspectives from both Republican and Democratic members. It highlights controversies and criticisms without overtly favoring one side, providing context on internal divisions, legal challenges, and calls for reform. The tone remains factual and neutral, aiming to inform rather than persuade toward a particular political viewpoint.