#Election2018
Candidates CONTINUE Secretary of State CAMPAIGNs in georgia
bY chance Harbour • Sept. 27, 2018
Candidates John Barrow, Smythe DuVal and Brad Raffensperger are seeking the position of Georgia’s secretary of state, which is just one of the state government positions that will be filled after the midterm elections this November.
The secretary of state’s duties include “the administration of secure, accessible, and fair elections; registration of corporations; regulation of charities and securities; and oversight of professional license holders,” according to the official website of the state of Georgia.
The current secretary of state is Republican Brian Kemp, who has served since he was elected in 2010. Kemp did not seek re-election, as he is now running for governor against Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams.
This year’s Democratic candidate for secretary of state is John Barrow.
Barrow studied at both the University of Georgia and Harvard Law School. From 1990 until 2004, Barrow was a commissioner for the Athens-Clarke County Commission. From 2005 to 2015, he was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Georgia’s 12th District before losing a re-election bid. He has since taught courses at the University of Georgia and been a pro bono attorney for the Atlanta Legal Aid Society.
During his time in Congress, he worked to open a Veterans Affairs clinic in Statesboro.
Barrow has dozens of endorsements including those from federally elected officials, state legislators, mayors, county commissioners, city council members, sheriffs and chiefs of police.
Democratic nominee John Barrow has degrees from The University of Georgia and Harvard Law School. Photo credit: house.barrow.gov
Smythe DuVal ran unopposed to become the Libertarian party’s representative for this election.
DuVal is a veteran of the U.S. Army and worked in the IT industry before becoming a registered nurse. More recently, he has become the IT Director at a medical practice and is pursuing a Master’s in IT from Kennesaw State University.
He is running on the basis of election reform, supporting ranked choice voting in Georgia, same-day voter registration, ballot access equality, new and transparent voting equipment, congressional term limits, revamping the professional licensing requirements and renewals process and eliminating gerrymandering and voter fraud.
Libertarian Smythe DuVal is running as the "election reform candidate." Photo credit: twitter.com/SmytheDuVal
The Republican candidate for secretary of state is Brad Raffensperger, who won in the primary runoff against David Belle Isle.
Raffensperger is the owner and CEO of Tendon, a contracting and engineering design company, as well as the owner of steel plants.
Raffensperger previously served on the Johns Creek City Council and is currently a member of the Georgia House of Representatives and has represented District 50 since 2015.
He has received high ratings from the National Rifle Association, the Faith and Freedom Coalition and the National Federation of Independent Business, is certified pro-life by the Georgia Life Alliance and is endorsed by Georgia Right to Live.
Raffensperger identifies as a conservative and has plans to eliminate the income tax and replace it with FairTax, strengthen voter ID laws, support paper ballot verification and eliminate drug and sex trafficking operations.
Republican candidate Brad Raffensperger owns an engineering that has operated in 35 states. Photo credit: johnscreekpost.com
Georgia is currently under a Republican majority, with Republicans holding the governorship and a majority in the state House of Representatives and Senate following the 2016 general election.
Following Raffensperger's victory in July's Republican primary runoff election, the nominees appearing on the ballot have been made official. They will continue to campaign until later this year when Georgia voters ultimately decide on which candidate will best represent them as secretary of state.
The official date of the midterm election is November 6, 2018, though early voting will allow Georgia residents to avoid longer lines at the polls.