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Hope you had a restful Labor Day! We’ve officially made the transition into campaign high season!
I’m trying to keep folks up to date with the news Georgia is making, particularly on the Democracy subversion front. I’m trying a new platform for the newsletter– feel free to provide feedback. One of the best features of this new platform is you can now forward this email to friends who might be interested in elections, voting rights and Georgia politics and they can subscribe to the newsletter directly from the email!
In this Edition of the Draper Paper:
The SEB Saga Continues
When the most recent edition of the Draper Paper came out last month, the State Election Board (SEB) was voting on a new set of rules for election certification, poll watching, ballot drop boxes and voting by mail – all changes to be implemented in each of Georgia’s 159 counties before this November's election.
The SEB also tried to pass a rule that would allow the state to reinvestigate 2020 allegations of fraud in Fulton County. These same allegations had been thoroughly investigated in 2022 and a detailed report was released in February 2023; investigators found some errors that did not affect the outcome of the election and were due to negligence, not fraud.
However, unsatisfied with the results of the bi-partisan investigation, the MAGA-majority on the SEB called for a second bite at the Fulton County apple. A bad faith, intrusive reinvestigation of Fulton during the busiest time of the election cycle would have been devastating to our largest county. Thankfully, after the SEB passed a rule allowing for the reinvestigation, the state attorney general issued an opinion that the reinvestigation of Fulton County was not permissible, bringing their attempts to sow chaos in Fulton to a screeching halt.
Which brings me to my point. I'm grateful Attorney General Chris Carr stepped in and took the legally sensible position that another investigation was not allowed. In other words, I’m glad he did his job and didn’t bow down to the pressure of the far right. I’m also grateful Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger issued a public statement about the absurdity of the SEB’s 11th hour rule changes.
But it’s not enough. We need other Republicans in positions of power to find their courage and stop this runaway MAGA train before things get worse.
They got us into this mess, now they need to get us out. Georgia would not be in this position– with MAGA taking over the SEB and driving us toward chaos– if “mainstream” Republicans hadn’t rolled with the Big Lie when it was politically expedient for them to do so. The GOP pointed to the lack of confidence in our elections as justification for multiple major election overhauls since 2020 – overhauls that will undoubtedly give Republicans a partisan advantage in November. But in doing so, they poured kerosene onto the election denialism movement. And as a result, our voters and election workers are less safe, political violence is a frighteningly real possibility, and a peaceful transition of power is not guaranteed.
We are in a pressure cooker situation. Those in positions of power can either release the steam valve now, or they can wait for it to explode on Nov. 5 when things come to a head.
I stood with Democratic colleagues and faith leaders at a press conference last Monday to call on Governor Kemp to pursue ethics hearings against the three MAGA SEB members and to remove them from their positions. In response, the governor sought a legal opinion on whether he has that authority. So, it appears we are waiting on Kemp, and now also Carr to work fast.
Time is of the essence. The SEB meets again Sept 20, at which time they will consider 11 more rule changes.
Eleven!
These additional changes could be adopted mere days before in person early voting begins. The far right members of the SEB are truly setting up our counties to fail. It's all part of their plan– overwhelm counties with last minute changes, watch things go wrong, and to point to those errors (even if they are inconsequential) as evidence of fraud, to sow doubt, and to justify certification delay or refusal.
Do I think Governor Kemp will use his power to rein in this chaos? I don’t know. It would mean going against a very loud faction of his party. However, I think it’s a much easier thing to do now than on election night, when passions will be even higher– especially because Vice President Kamala Harris has an excellent chance of winning in Georgia.
My full remarks from the press conference are below.
Want more regular updates? Follow me on social media. Twitter is where I am most active with election commentary.
Who is on the Ballot?
On Aug. 26 an administrative law judge determined that four independent and third party candidates could not appear on Georgia’s presidential ballot.
Administrative Law Judge Mike Malihi offered various reasons for finding ineligible independents Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West, the Green Party’s Jill Stein and the Party for Socialism and Liberation’s Claudia De la Cruz.
But the final decision was left to Secretary of State Raffensperger, who overruled Judge Malihi as to all the candidates except Kennedy. Raffensperger agreed that Kennedy was not qualified to be on the ballot, but also the issue was moot since Kennedy had withdrawn from the race and requested removal. Raffensperger found that West and De La Cruz had qualified to be on the ballot through a signature petition.
And finally, he found that Stein qualified because of a new law passed earlier this year that says a candidate automatically qualifies to be on Georgia’s ballot if he or she appears on at least 20 other state ballots. You might recall, this provision was slipped into SB 189 at around 9 pm on the last day of the 2024 legislative session. It was never brought up in committee, much less discussed. (SB 189: GOP Sneaks in Last Minute Ballot Access Change, Stacking Deck in its Favor for November).
The Georgia Democratic Party is considering its options at this time, but they don’t have long– Sept. 17 is when ballots are mailed to military and Georgia residents living overseas.
Join Sen. Ossoff and me in support of Rep. Farooq Mughal
On Oct. 8, I’ll be throwing a fundraiser in Candler Park for my dear friend and Democratic colleague, State Rep. Farooq Mughal. And I’m thrilled to share that Senator Ossoff will be the keynote speaker!
Rep. Mughal has the tightest race in the state. In 2022 he won his race by about 700 votes. And this year, Republicans messed with his boundaries during redistricting, removing likely democratic voters from the district. Plus, Kemp is pouring money into his opponent’s coffers.
I know Rep. Mughal can win again. But he can’t do it alone and he can’t do it without resources. All are invited to attend our fundraiser, and any contribution level is greatly appreciated.
Every seat counts as we work toward a Democratic majority in the House (and all the policy changes that come with that! Expanding medicaid! Reasonable gun safety laws! A woman’s right to choose! Oh my!). We’ve got to protect our democratic incumbents.
District 90 (and surrounds!) has an incredibly generous spirit. Please help me help Rep. Mughal.
Are you interested in co-hosting this event? We’d love to add you! Please reach out.
Canvass with me in support of Harris-Walz and Rep. Dr. Michelle Au!
Ready to knock doors? Join me this Saturday Sept 7 for the Georgia AANHPIs for Harris-Walz rally and canvass launch.
Get double output for your efforts by knocking for the Harris ticket and for one of my other favorite Democratic colleagues in a tight race, Rep. Dr. Michelle Au! We must keep her in the House.
The event begins at 10 am and is in Johns Creek. My goal is to recruit 20 canvassers from our neck of the woods. Happy to carpool of course.
And no, you don’t have to be Asian American to participate!
Please use this link to sign up.
Debra Shigley Fundraiser Recap
Thank you to all the good friends who attended our fundraiser for Debra Shigley last week. It was a phenomenal event, and Debra is a phenomenal candidate. She is taking on the Republican incumbent who was principally responsible for pushing through the school voucher law that will drain funds from our public schools.
Let’s flip this seat! If you’d like to learn more about Debra or donate, her website is here.
With Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, Candidate Debra Shigley and my daughter, Amira.
Young Dems Convention in Atlanta!
The youth are going to save us!
I had a great time speaking with young Democrats from around the state this weekend at the Young Democrats of Georgia annual convention. Many are still in high school and college and I’m so impressed with how profoundly they understand the importance of civic engagement. They are lightyears ahead of where I was when I was their age! They bring an energy and enthusiasm to our party that makes me proud.
Young Dems, thank you for having me!
Get in Touch
There are several ways you can share your concerns, request assistance, or let me know about activities in our neighborhoods.
The best way to get in touch is through the contact us form on my website. But, you can also reach me by calling the office (404-656-0265), sending an email to [email protected], or visiting the Capitol. My office is 604-D in the Coverdell Legislative Office Building across the street from the Capitol.
Support this Work
The work to turn Georgia blue is not possible without donor support. Your contribution goes toward staff salaries, operations, and communications with voters (like this newsletter!).
If you found value in this newsletter, or if you value what I bring to the Georgia legislature, please consider supporting my campaign today.
Contributions to Friends of Saira Draper are not deductible for tax purposes. State law allows individuals, corporations, and Political Action Committees to contribute a maximum of $3,300 for the primary, $1,800 for the runoff, and $3,300 for the general election. |
Yours in service,
