A member of the Georgia State Election Board (SEB) participated in and voted on cases involving counties that he was a registered lobbyist for, The Federalist has learned.
In Georgia, members of the State Election Board are required to avoid any appearance of conflict and/or impropriety, according to the boards Code of Conduct. In fact, members are expected to recuse themselves from any matter before the SEB in which the member or members employer has provided services to a respondent, complainant, or witness.
Georgia law also prohibits members of state boards from engag[ing] in any business with the government, either directly or indirectly, which is inconsistent with the conscientious performance of his governmental duties.
However, it appears SEB member Edward Lindsey voted on matters brought before the board involving DeKalb and Cobb Counties. Both counties appear to have contracted with a law firm where Lindsey is a registered lobbyist, according to lobbyist disclosure reports.
Disclosure reports also list the DeKalb County government and Cobb County government among Lindseys direct lobbying clients, but when asked to confirm that fact, Lindsey did not give a direct answer. Instead, he told The Federalist I have in the past taken the position regarding the counties in question that since the counties election operations were governed by law by an independent County Election Board which my firm does not represent that there was no conflict.
Lindsey was appointed to serve on the SEB by Georgias Republican-controlled House of Representatives in January 2022 and is up for re-confirmation in the coming weeks. Prior to his appointment, he served as the Georgia House majority whip from 2010-2013.
According to Georgia lobbyist registration and disclosure reports, not only is Lindsey registered as a lobbyist for the governments of DeKalb and Cobb Counties, hes also a lobbyist for Dentons US LLP, a global law and lobbying firm. According to its website, Lindsey is a partner in Dentons Public Policy practice and serves as the head of the Firms Georgia State Government Affairs team.
Documents reviewed by The Federalist show that DeKalb County first contracted with Dentons in January 2018, and has paid the firm $1.2 million to date. In December 2023, the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners requested the countys Purchasing & Contracting Department extend DeKalbs contract with Dentons to Dec. 31, 2024, which would pay the firm an additional sum of up to $240,000.
The Federalist also obtained a contract proposal between Cobb County and Dentons. Cobb County paid $60,000 to retain Dentons in 2023, according to OpenSecrets.
Despite these ties, Lindsey has declined to recuse himself from some matters involving the aforementioned counties that have been brought before the State Election Board. On Oct. 3, 2023, for instance, the SEB heard a case pertaining to a complaint filed against DeKalb County over several election-related issues, such as late poll openings and poor practices surrounding absentee ballot tabulation. Investigators alleged that DeKalbs election board and former elections director Erica Hamilton violated state law.
During the meeting, Lindsey made a motion for a technical violation with a letter of instruction to DeKalb County, saying to the DeKalb respondents: I do understand what you guys were going through.
Similar to what Ive done before. I dont see a reason to send this to the [attorney general], Lindsey said. It looks like you guys are doing what you are fixing the problem. I think it is a technical violation. So well send I make a motion for a finding of a technical violation with a letter of instruction to DeKalb County.
The board ultimately voted to send a letter of instruction to DeKalbs election board and referred Hamilton to the attorney generals office. More recently, Lindsey presided over a case involving Cobb County last month.
In a statement to The Federalist, Lindsey said, If a claim involves a direct allegation against a client of our firm, I have in the past and will in the future recuse myself.
If, however it involves merely an individual in a county or an independent entity separate from our client given the nature of our representation, I have not recused myself, Lindsey said. I have to look at the particulars of the matter involved. I think in the end I have been fair and tried to be judicious in this regard.
A deeper dive into Lindseys background reveals that the SEB member also previously lobbied on behalf of the National Vote at Home Coalition, which, according to InfluenceWatch, works to lobby for the nationwide adoption of a mail-balloting system through the regulatory and legislative processes. The group revealed plans in its 2019 annual report to expand the use and acceptance of vote-from-home policies during the 2020 election, and enjoys ties to several left-wing organizations, including Rock the Vote and Democracy Fund.
The National Vote at Home Institute also gifted $35,104 to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffenspergers office in 2020, according to the groups tax filings.
The organizations interference in the 2020 election was much more expansive. According to InfluenceWatch, National Vote At Home CEOAmber McReynoldsprovided consulting to various state- and county-level governments on implementing mail-in ballots, and, as Time Magazine reported, was in frequent communication with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in the months leading up to the contest.
Georgia adopted several of Vote at Homes key recommendations, including a new online portal for voters to request absentee ballots, expanded absentee ballot drop boxes, ballot tracking so that voters can follow their ballots progress and, crucially, a rule change that allowed county election workers to begin processing absentee ballots 15 days before Election Day, the Time report reads.
The Center for Renewing America filed an IRS complaint against the group and the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) in September 2022, alleging the organizations engaged in a partisan electioneering schemeto boost Joe Biden in the 2020 election. The IRS did not disclose whether it has acted on the complaint when The Federalist probed the agency over the matter in September 2023.
Lindsey has used his position on the State Election Board to protect the states mail-in voting policies. Last month, he helped defeat (3-2) a proposed SEB resolution that would have sent a recommendation to the state legislature to repeal no-excuse mail-in balloting. Lindsey was joined in his opposition to the measure by the boards sole Democrat appointee and Chairman John Fervier, who was appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp.
Lindsey previously supported the switch to no-excuse absentee voting during his time in the Georgia General Assembly, according to the Georgia Recorder.
DeKalb County one of Lindseys clients has also been a major proponent of mail-in voting policies. Last year, the locality accepted a $2 million grant from the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) as part of its membership with the U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence, an $80 millionventureby left-wing nonprofitsto systematically influence every aspect of election administration and advance Democrat-backed voting policies such as mail-in balloting in local election offices. The Alliance was launched by CTCL in April 2022 and seeks to build upon CTCLs 2020 Zuckbucks scheme.
Its worth mentioning that Lindsey has regularly penned op-eds in CNN decrying concerns about election integrity issues in Georgia.
While Georgia Republicanspassed a law (SB 202)in March 2021 banning the private funding of local election offices, DeKalb officials used a loophole in the statute to justify accepting the grant from the Alliance. Instead of having their election office accept the funds, DeKalb officials had the countys finance department apply for the grant. As Democrat and DeKalb Board of Registration and Elections Chair Dele Lowman Smithadmitted, this was done since election offices are not allowed to receive grants directly, Decaturish.com explained.
While Georgia Republicans fast-tracked a law (SB 222) closing the loophole, the final version of the bill signed by Kemp was not as strong as the one originally introduced. According to CNN, the House Rules Committee jettisoned a provision included in the initial draft of the bill that would have forced DeKalb County to return the $2 million grant to CTCL.
Lindsey told The Federalist he did not lobby the Georgia General Assembly to strike the language from SB 222 seeking to force DeKalb County to return the $2 million grant to CTCL.
The countys acceptance of the grant prompted DeKalb County GOP Chair Marci McCarthy to file a complaint with the SEB on Feb. 5. 2023. She alleged the DeKalb elections department circumvented the spirit of SB 202. Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections (RITE), an election integrity legal group, filed a similar complaint.
On Monday, McCarthy sent an email to Raffensperger, Georgias election board, and House Speaker Jon Burns, in which she inquired about the status of her and RITEs complaints. She also claimed that Raffensperger told her colleague in the election integrity movement who inquired [about] the status of the complaints that they have been dismissed.
When asked if a report of investigation had been issued, Secretary Raffenspergers response was that his office did not issue reports,' the email reads.
Georgia State Election Board Paralegal Alexandra Hardin told The Federalist that an investigation into the allegations raised in McCarthys complaint is still pending and open, and findings have yet to be presented to the board.
Burns did not respond to The Federalists request for comment on whether he still plans to move forward with Lindseys re-confirmation, given these revelations. He also did not say whether hes concerned about Lindseys objectivity as a SEB member on matters involving his clients.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
View original post here:
GA Election Board Member Voted On Cases Involving His Clients - The Federalist
- Court: Trump Can Appeal Attempt To Disqualify Fani Willis - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Media Give Blasey Ford Another Chance To Smear Kavanaugh - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Exclusive: Jordan Demands Docs From CISA About PA Election 'Task Force' - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- The Columns Spotlight: The Federalist Society Washington and Lee University - The Columns - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Democracy Under Pressure at the EU Level - The New Federalist - Le Taurillon - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Justice Jackson's 'Hamstringing' Comment Wasn't Her Worst - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Andrei Illarionov and Morgan Wirthlin, Author at The Federalist - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Democracy Under Pressure in Hungary - The New Federalist - Le Taurillon - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Mike Johnson Needs To Grow A Spine And Fight Biden's Border Invasion - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- High Gas Prices Don't Bother Biden Because They Cut Car Use - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Hemingway: All Of Biden's Interactions With The Press Are Coordinated And Protected - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Zuckbucks Group Teaches Election Offices How To Target Speech - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Gov't Says 'Once-In-A-Lifetime Pandemic' Excuses First Amendment Violations - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Speaking Openly About Isolation Can Help Us Resist Tyranny - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Trans Zealots Revolt Against Reality Rather Than Admit They're Wrong - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Trump's 'Bloodbath' Is The Fake Media's New 'Guy' And 'Sir' - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- It's Time For Georgia's AG To Indict Fani Willis For Perjury - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- What's New In Bragg's 'Get Trump' Hush Money Lawfare In NY - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Clutch Your Pearls, This Isn't The Last Trump 'Bloodbath' - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- DC Doesn't Just Spend Too Much, It Spends On The Wrong Things - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- CNN Analyst Asks Feds To Meddle In Elections To Defeat Trump - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- NYC Subway Shooting Is A Result Of 'Tolerance And Diversity' - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Keeping Trump In Court While Biden Campaigns Is Election Interference - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Disenchanted Democrats Should Be Asking Deeper Questions - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Olivia Rodrigo Hands Out Free Morning-After Pills To Teen Fans - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Poll Shows Biden Bombed State Of The Union Address - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- GOPers Pass Bill To Keep OK Free Of Ranked-Choice Voting Chaos - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- CISA Admitted 'Risks' Of Vote-By-Mail In Internal Docs From 2020 - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Democrat Bill Aims To Stifle Regulation Of Big Fertility Market - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Group Behind 'Zuckbucks' Is Now Meddling In The 2024 Election - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- California Democrats Work To Make Discrimination Legal (Again) - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- A Haley Win In New Hampshire Will Not Be The Victory She Thinks - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Votes Without Citizenship Proof 'Exploded' In AZ After Dem Lawfare - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Congressional Republicans Need To Start Fighting Abortion - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Matthew Malec, Author at The Federalist - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Larry Taunton, Author at The Federalist - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Congress's $1.7 Trillion Spending Bill Goes On Trial In Texas - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Chicago Abortionists Advertise Possibly Illegal Late-Term Abortions - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- How DeSantis's Disappointed Supporters Can Move On From Ron - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Thousands Attend March For Life Hoping To Make Abortion 'Unthinkable' - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Putting An End To Race-Based Hiring Is 30 Years Past Due - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Ever-Closer Union: Brussels Plots Federalist Reforms The European Conservative - The European Conservative - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- 4 Years Too Late, DOJ Admits Biden 'Laptop From Hell' Is Real - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Heritage Foundation President Slams Davos Elites To Their Faces - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- TSA Sign Says Migrants Without ID May Opt Out Of Photos - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Two-Thirds Of Elites Say There's Too Much Freedom In America - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- How Disgruntled Fishermen Could Prompt SCOTUS To Capsize The Administrative State - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- No Testing Needed To Prove Hailey Davidson Isn't A Woman - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Democrats Promise To Save 'Democracy' By Destroying It - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- 7 Takeaways From SCOTUS Case That Could Slay The Bureaucracy - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Haley Woos Her Real Constituents In New Hampshire: Democrats - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Men, Ignore The Bad Advice To Seek A 'Low-IQ' Wife - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- By 'Protecting Election Workers,' Democrats Mean Protecting Control Over Election Administration - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Harbaugh Champions Right To Life After Football Championship - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Oppressor Matrix Gives Leftists Like Hasan Piker Brain Worms - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- How And Why The Ivy League Will Die - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Gorsuch Gleefully Leads Right-Wing Cohort In Fulfilling Their Federalist Society Quest - TPM - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Only 6% Of Americans Approve Of GOP Leader Mitch McConnell - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- Knowing Of Hunter's Plan To Defy Subpoena Puts Biden In Legal Jeopardy - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- PA School Board President Sworn In With Pornographic Books - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- The 'Ukraine War Is Good For Business' Argument Is Vile And Also A Lie - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- Data: Banning Therapy For LGBT People Increases Suicide Risks - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- John Yoo and Jeremy Rabkin, Author at The Federalist - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- From Woke Walkouts To 'Equity,' Illinois Schools Are Melting Down - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- Hunter Biden Invokes Gun Rights Ruling That Joe Called Unconstitutional - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- China's Cyber Warfare Surges With Hacking Of U.S. Infrastructure - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- Every Biden 2024 Scenario Is Deadly Dangerous - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- Study Finds NewsGuard Overtly Biased Against Conservatives - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- Republicans Need To Learn How To Go After The Left - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- Biden Overdrew America's Account With Blank Checks To Ukraine - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- Meet Michael Dreeben, The Man Behind Major Anti-Trump Ops - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- Senate Dems Block Bill To Allow Whole Milk In School Lunch Programs - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- 'Experts' Who Discredited Biden Laptop Call To Extend Warrantless Spying - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- Ranked-Choice Voting Proponents Are Lying To WI Voters To Hide The System's Flaws - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- The Case for an AUMF Against Iran and Its Proxies - The Federalist Society - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- Bari Weiss's Olson Lecture: You Are the Last Line of Defense - Reason - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- Book Review: The People's Justice - The Federalist Society - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- Farewell to the Mayflower - Reason - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- FBI Targets Trump Voters Ahead Of 2024 Election - The Federalist - October 9th, 2023 [October 9th, 2023]
- 10 Ways Democrats Are Already Rigging The 2024 Election - The Federalist - October 9th, 2023 [October 9th, 2023]