Dear Chairman Pitts and Commissioners Abdur-Rahman, Arrington, Barrett, and Hall,
On behalf of the Democratic Party of Fulton County, I am writing to state our opposition to the current candidate for Chairman of the Fulton Board of Registration and Elections (BRE), and to urge the Board of Commissioners to select a Chairperson who brings demonstrated experience working to protect voter access.
The Chairman’s current candidate voted twice as a Fulton County Commissioner to support Senate Bill 202, the harmful legislation that limits voter access through numerous means and creates the chaotic system by which private citizens can challenge voter registrations, even on the basis of fraudulent and inaccurate data. These challenges, repeatedly filed in Fulton over the past year, have consumed inordinate board and staff time, interfered with regular operations by elections staff, and resulted in no significant improvement of registration data. Secondly, the Chairman’s current candidate voted against a resolution in favor of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, a Congressional proposal that would guarantee basic voter protections across the United States. These votes clearly fly in the face of free and equal access to the ballot, a value held dear by our party.
As Fulton County Democrats, we expect that you will select a new BRE Chairperson who is deeply committed to an inclusive voter recruitment and registration strategy, who brings knowledge and experience to promote the full range of voter protections available under the law, and who can lead a bipartisan board effectively during a potentially polarizing election cycle in 2024. We wish to underscore the need for a BRE Chairperson who will fulfill key requirements of the bylaws: assure compliance with elections law, provide financial oversight of public resources, guide and assess the performance of the Elections Director, and clearly articulate departmental goals so that public confidence in the integrity of our elections is supported and sustained.
Thank you for your service to Fulton County. We look forward to working with a new BRE Chairperson who will advance transparent, free, and fair elections in Fulton County.
Sincerely,
Lewanna Heard-Tucker
Chairperson
