In this Edition of the Draper Paper

• The SEB is trying to sabotage the election

• What can you do? Vote Early!

• What can you do? Voter Protection opportunities

• What can you do? Knock doors with me

• What can you do? Support great candidates

Donald Trump’s three “pit bulls” on the State Elections Board (SEB) are at it again, approving a slate of election rule changes even though ballots have already started going out.

The latest betrayal by the SEB is approving a new rule that requires counties to hand count ballots after polls close on election night. 

Rachel Maddow covered the meeting on her show Friday evening (and even featured some of my public comments!)

This newest rule is one of six approved on Friday. The rule change was pitched as a simple way of making sure the numbers balance and that there is an accounting for all ballots cast. Supporters of the rule said a count will reduce the chances for miscounts and will ensure all ballots are tracked.

But it’s not that simple.

First, it’s important to note there are already three different ways in which we confirm the number of ballots cast. These processes already exist.

Hand counts are notoriously prone to inaccuracy and will delay the release of election results. Inaccurate and late counts will give Trump and his army the ammunition they want for their expected lawsuits and to support their false claims that elections here are not legitimate.

The hand counts will strain county budgets and poll workers. The rule says there must be three people counting the ballots at each precinct, so some counties will have to hire additional staff to supplement exhausted poll workers, who by the time the polls close will have been working for 14 hours or more.

And those are just the operational considerations. Just like the certification rule approved last month, this rule likely exceeds the statutory authority of the SEB, and ventures from legitimate rule making territory to illegitimate law making. Even the SEB’s own attorney, AG Chris Carr, said the rule is likely illegal!

And it doesn’t take a genius to understand you shouldn’t change the rules of the game while the game is being played. That's unfair.

On Friday, elections officials from all over Georgia drove to the state Capitol to claim their two minutes during the board meeting’s public comment period.

One-by-one and for hours on Friday almost three dozen elections officials, poll workers, election experts, and voters from both sides of the aisle pleaded with the board not to do this damage to the upcoming election.

The last-minute changes will “upend” the election, one poll worker warned. It will “introduce chaos,” said another.

My remarks made clear that the board’s stated goals for these rules– accuracy and security–were actually undermined by the rules. And that the real reason behind this (and all the other) eleventh hour rule change was to set up our counties to make mistakes, thereby setting the stage to call into question the accuracy of the election.

The “pit bulls” were unmoved, voting 3-2 to approve the rule. 

I was invited onto BBC News tonight to discuss Friday’s SEB meeting. Check out the segment here.  

It is GO TIME for the Voter Protection Team in Georgia, and we need your help!  Please sign up for one of our many programs to help voters in this critical election. 

We especially need Poll Watchers and Ballot Monitors! These are our on-the-ground eyes and ears to keep HQ informed about what is happening where ballots are being cast and where they are being counted.

In-Person Opportunities in Georgia

Poll Watching (October 15 - November 5)

Poll Watching volunteers observe in-person voting at polling locations. They are a critical resource and serve as our eyes and ears at the polls – and, they are the first line of defense against the many issues that can disrupt voting and disenfranchise voters.

To be a Poll Watcher, you must complete two training sessions:

(1) Poll Watching 101 - On Demand, or Live, and then

(2) LBJ 101 - On Demand or Live (link provided after PW 101 is complete)

Once you have completed both training sessions, you will be assigned a poll watching shift in Georgia.

Ballot Monitoring (October 21 - November 8)

Ballot Monitoring volunteers observe as elections workers open, scan, and process ballots (typically, vote-by-mail ballots). They not only monitor the process – they also watch to ensure that other actors do not disrupt the processing of ballots, and they report back on key information like vote counts. 

To be a Ballot Monitor, you must complete two training sessions:

(1) Ballot Monitoring Training, and

(2) LBJ Training (link provided after training 101 is complete)

Once you have completed both training sessions, you will be assigned a shift time and location.

Remote Opportunities 

Ballot Curing (Now - November 8)

Ballot Curing volunteers engage with Democratic voters who don't quite make it through all of the twists & turns that Georgia requires for a mail ballot or provisional ballot to actually count.

To become a Ballot Curer you must complete the Curing Training and you will then be contacted and assigned a shift. 

Poll Watcher Recruitment Phone Bank (Ongoing)

Help the Voter Protection Team recruit poll watchers and other volunteers. Sign up for a Phone Bank shift here.

One of the most impactful things you can do is have earnest conversations with voters about why you are voting for Democrats. I promise, it’s a lot of fun!

We want to make knocking doors as convenient for you as possible, so we created a canvass in House District 90.

Shifts are every Saturday (10 am) and Sunday (1 pm) until the election.

We meet in Candler Park to pick up a turf (and get trained if you need it). We won’t send you far.

Grab a friend and meet us this weekend! Sign up here!

One more opportunity I’d like to invite you to. This one is for Rep. Justin Pearson of the Tennessee Three. Please join us!

Yours in service,