The chair of the State Election Board says his Republican colleagues have gone too far, taking the law into their hands by passing new Georgia election rules since Donald Trump praised them at a campaign rally.
“Our job is to clarify law, not create new law,” John Fervier, who was appointed by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, said in an exclusive interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “This doesn’t need to be an activist board. This board needs to stay within its boundaries.”
Fervier’s comments come ahead of critical court hearings this week on lawsuits attempting to revoke the board’s recently passed rules, including requirements for an undefined “reasonable inquiry” before certifying elections and an election-night hand count of the number of paper ballots.
The three Republicans ― a majority bloc Trump called “pit bulls” ― haven’t shied away from changing election procedures when they see fit. The board has passed nine rules since this summer in advance of the presidential election.
“John is a lot more risk-averse than I am, and so I understand that he would rather not rock the boat,” said Janelle King, the swing vote on the board since her appointment in May by House Speaker Jon Burns. “I’m OK with rocking the boat if it’s going to lead toward success.”
Fervier, a Waffle House executive who describes himself as a traditional conservative, said his role as the board’s chair has been undermined at times by the Trump-aligned Republican faction.
The board’s disagreements have been on display during meetings packed with voting machine critics, paper ballot supporters, election fraud believers and Trump backers.
They cheer on the election rule changes by pushed by the three board members, led by Janice Johnston, who waved to the crowd at the Trump rally; King, a media personality who appears on Fox News; and Rick Jeffares, who has proposed himself as a candidate for a regional director of the Environmental Protection Agency if Trump wins.
It’s been too much for Fervier.
“We all represent every voter in Georgia, and we should act like that,” he said. “This hyper-partisanship doesn’t serve anybody, and it certainly doesn’t serve this board, and I think it creates dissension.”…