ATLANTA — The tense back and forth over recent actions of the State Election Board in Georgia is intensifying with another lawsuit, this time aimed at the governor’s office.
State Senator Nabilah Islam Parkes joined former Fulton County Board of Elections Chair Cathy Woolard and former state Representative Randal Mangham at the Georgia State Capitol to announce plans for a lawsuit against Gov. Brian Kemp for what they say is a lack of action to rein in the state board.
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The three politicians accused the governor of “abdicating” his responsibility by not investigating ethics complaints against the board over its actions in recent months.
Among the issues highlighted by state Sen. Islam Parkes and the rest of the group, a meeting in July said to have violated Georgia’s Open Meetings laws and a series of decisions they say are politically and partisanly motivated which needed to be the focus of an official investigation by the governor.
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“Under Georgia law, the governor is required to investigate ethics complaints against the State Election Board. But Kemp has engaged in delay tactics and refused to take action, hiding behind an opinion from the Georgia Attorney General that states the governor is not required to act because the ethics complaints filed were not ‘formal’ – however, no definition of a ‘formal’ complaint exists under Georgia law. This all comes 42 days out from Election Day and with early voting set to begin on Oct. 15,” Islam Parkes and her fellow complainants said in a statement.
The group said the latest legal action builds upon previous steps, including an ethics complaint the state senator filed against three members of the State Election Board, Janelle King, Janice Johnston and Rick Jeffares.
In response to questions about the legal action from Channel 2 Action News, a representative for the governor’s office said they have not yet been served.
However, the spokesman continued that while it isn’t their office’s practice to comment on pending or active litigation, they said “Per the standard stated in the Attorney General’s opinion, there have been no formal charges filed that would trigger the governor’s statutory authority to take act on these matters. As he has done in the past, the governor will follow the laws and constitution of our state.”
Additionally, the governor’s office directed Channel 2 Action News to a recent opinion from the Georgia Attorney General’s Office regarding investigative authority in regard to the ethics allegations.
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