Dawsonville, GA – On Wednesday, the State Board of Elections dismissed a complaint against North Metro Republican Assembly Chapter President Richard Jordan after Ann Dover failed to present any real evidence of election interference. Ann Dover, Director of Cherokee County Elections, filed a complaint alleging that on August 26, 2025 Richard Jordan “displayed unacceptable behavior while inside Cherokee County elections and voter registration office” when he voted.
“I now seek full and complete vindication from criminal accusations for merely asking two legitimate questions of a trained poll worker,” said Richard Jordan. “A procedural question was asked to verify my confidence that the QR code and the specified printed candidate name read by the tabulator accurately reflected my candidate of choice.”
The complaint was referred to the State Election Board after the Secretary of State office initiated an investigation. This is the second time Richard Jordan has found himself in trouble for merely asking questions at the polls. There was a previous polling incident in 2022 where an almost identical complaint was filed by Dover against Jordan seeking criminal sanctions and it was dismissed as frivolous.
In addition to leading a GRA Chapter, Richard Jordan has served as a poll watcher for 15 years and currently serves as the precinct chairman of the Mountain Road precinct in Cherokee county. He is a well known election integrity advocate in his community.
“Even if it could be construed that I was engaged in some kind of interference with a poll worker, my intention was simply to get information,” said Jordan. “Does the tabulator read the QR code or the name that is written there? I don’t know. I genuinely don’t know.”
GRA Member and attorney David Oles represented Richard and argued from the law that voters have a right to informed participation in the election process. He cited the Election Board’s own rule which states: “A voter may request information from poll officers concerning how to use the electronic ballot marker or any other voting system component, at any time during the voting process. (SEB Rule 183-1-12-.11 subsection 9)”
“Peaceful, good faith questions from electors are not only lawful, they are affirmatively protected so that every voter can cast their vote with confidence,” said Oles.
Oles cited other passages in the law that confer not only permission but also responsibility to poll workers to answer questions about the voting machine or the process.
“These statutes exist to safeguard the orderly administration of elections, and to protect poll workers from actual misconduct that hinders voting. Not to punish or chill, peaceful, lawful, and statutorily authorized inquiries by voters seeking to understand the election equipment.”
Attorney for Cherokee BOE and Ann Dover argued that there was a pattern of aggressive behavior from other incidents, but in none of those incidents was there any election interference substantiated.
The hearing bore a strong resemblance a to middle school squabble in the principle’s office with allegations such as “he violated my personal space,” and subjective claims that “he made me feel intimidated.”
The complaint accuses Richard of pushing his ballot in a poll workers’s face. Richard denied it and said he held his ballot in his left hand and merely pointed at it and there was no way she could see the front of his ballot.
“I would not do that. That’s not who I am,” said Richard.
They claimed there was a pattern of aggressive behavior from other incidents, yet State Board of Elections member Janelle King pointed out that Richard had been allowed to serve as a poll watcher since the previous incident, a fact which raised questions about the sincerity of the concern. Richard said he was calm and the poll worker overreacted to the content of his question regarding the QR code and began raising her voice, at which time he stepped away.
It was a lot of contradictory testimony without any other evidence, since recording is forbidden in polling locations. The attorney for the Cherokee Board of Elections attempted to make the case that this was election interference because the poll worker got flustered, and therefore was not able to do her work. This argument was not persuasive to the board members.
“What I am assessing is that there is heightened emotions on both sides,” said Board Member Janelle King. “You are tired of him, you are tired of dealing with him. And then Mr. Jordan is frustrated with things that are outside of your control.”
Both Dr. Janice Johnston and Salleigh Grubbs had to recuse themselves from the vote because of their relationship with Richard Jordan on the GA GOP Executive Committee, they said, but they participated in the discussion.
“He has the right to ask the same question every election, and be patiently told that no one knows the answer to that question,” said Dr. Jan Johnston.
Attorney David Oles stated he could not find any case in legal history in which a voter has been held criminally liable for merely asking a question about a voting system.
He pointed out that the law Richard was accused of violating had to be “willful” and had to have actually “prevented a poll officer from fulfilling their duty.” Of all the accusations made, on Wednesday, none of them proved these things.
Instead of making a criminal referral to the Attorney General, as the Cherokee Elections Director wanted, Janelle King made a compromise motion to merely issue Richard Jordan a letter of reprimand.
“The late Charlie Kirk said ‘whatever you believe about the US Constitution, you need to speak up. You need to ask questions or we will lose our constitutional freedoms!’” said Jordan.
One comment
Richard, I am sorry you had to go through this. You are a man of good character and high morals. The desciptions of your personality were 100% the opposite of who you are!