From a 538 interview, with GD = Galen Drake from 538:
GD: I know that you supported overall the election changes in Georgia this year. But those laws included making you no longer chair of the state election board, which is responsible for overseeing elections in Georgia. That chair is now selected by the state legislature. Does that make Georgia’s elections more susceptible to meddling from the legislature?
BR: Well, what it really does is it diminishes accountability of the state election board right now.
GD: Well, accountability for potentially doing screwy things?
BR: Exactly.
GD: Why even do this?
BR: Well, and that’s one aspect that I did not support. Because when the secretary of state chairs the state election board, I am held accountable by the voters. And so I understand that I report to the voters. Now the chair of the state election board actually reports to the General Assembly. So if you don’t like the decision that’s being made, who do you call? How do you have accountability? It’s so diffuse that everyone can start pointing fingers and it becomes like Washington, D.C. “Oh, I didn’t do that. It was this person, it was that person…” How do you hold anyone accountable? But when the state election board is chaired by the secretary of state, like it has been since the beginning of time here in Georgia, then all of a sudden, you know that you have accountability.
GD: Did you view that as personal retribution?
BR: Oh, yeah, [inaudible]. You know it was. It was really a blame-shifting. People didn’t know who and what had happened, and no one wanted to take responsibility and really speak truth to everyone and say here are the facts: President Trump did not get any votes from 28,000 voters. They skip. 28,000 people skip the presidential ballot.
GD: Why won’t Republicans in Georgia speak that truth?
BR: Moral courage. Lack of moral courage. And General Patton said that is probably one of the most lacking aspects of humankind.
GD: I mean, that’s a pretty big indictment of the Republican lawmakers in your party, that they lack moral courage. Does that make you question whether it’s the party for you?
BR: Oh, no, it doesn’t. It’s both parties. And we have to be honest about that. People don’t stand up on the left side to a lot of the diatribes that they hear from their hard left, and people don’t want to stand up to the hard right. I’m a capital-C conservative. But sometimes you have to say to people, I think with kindness and gentleness, but you need to speak the truth.