Cumming, GA – On June 4th, at the State Election Board Meeting, North Metro Republican Assembly Chapter President Richard Jordan filed notice of a criminal complaint against Cherokee County Board of Elections for coordinated efforts of voter intimidation and political retaliation against election integrity activists.
Richard Jordandelivering petitions
Richard Jordan is joined in the complaint by Truth Seekers, an informal coalition of election integrity advocates based out of Cherokee County. This complaint follows a series of unethical actions and alleged violations of election law on the part of Cherokee County elections, as well as a frivolous complaint brought against Richard Jordan for merely asking questions of trained poll workers about his ballot’s QR code. That complaint was filed by Cherokee Elections Director Ann Dover and sought felony referral for Jordan but was dismissed and Jordan found innocent by the State Election Board on April 15th.
“ ‘We the People’ possess the constitutional right to vote, freely express concerns regarding election procedures, and petition government officials for redress of grievances,” said Jordan. “This statement together with a litany of alleged felony and misdemeanor infractions of the law summarize factual allegations and legal issues arising from events occurring in the Cherokee County Elections Office and at a Cherokee County polling location while interacting with election officials and law enforcement.”
Richard Jordan asserts that he and other election integrity advocates were singled out for scrutiny and intimidation, that election officials falsely characterized his conduct as criminal trespass, and that false and misleading information was provided to law enforcement. Jordan argues that there is an pattern of targeting electors who lawfully ask questions and participate at Board of Elections meetings.
He also cites a letter from Elections Director Ann Dover in which she encouraged paid government employees to advocate in opposition of SB 568, a Republican bill mandating the use of paper ballots. Jordan believes this violated Dover’s oath of office to serve in an unbiased manner. The bill was sponsored by Republican Senator Greg Dolezal, now the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor.
Ringgold, GA — On Tuesday, primary voters in Catoosa County voted 77% in favor of having the local Republican Party organization protect the Republican Primary ballot from undercover Democrat candidates.
The question read: “Do you believe that anyone, even closet Democrats, should be able to run on the Republican primary ballots?”
76.82% of Republican voters said, “No.”
This comes after the Catoosa GOP attempted to deny specific commission candidates a place on the primary ballot who had a track record of imposing anti-Republican policies.
In case there was any confusion, Catoosa voters made it abundantly clear when a whopping 85%, 87% and 89% answered “yes” to the following:
11. “Do you want the Republican Party to ensure our candidates for office are for gun rights?”
12. “Do you want the Republican Party to ensure our candidates for office are for lower taxes?”
13. “Do you want the Republican Party to ensure our candidates for office are pro-life?”
Ballot questions like these are non-binding surveys but are used by local and state parties to guage what Republican voters (who never attend party meetings or events) actually think about the issues. Ballot questions are valuable because the results help guide the party, and inform Republican politicians what their constituents want and believe.
“I don’t pay too much attention to local politics, unfortunately, and that’s why I really appreciate the local GOP keeping these people accountable and ensuring that only true Republicans are actually on the ballot,” said Joseph Cochran, a GenX Catoosa voter.
While the Establishment and leftist media suggest that Catoosa GOP’s volunteer leadership team is a radical fringe group who are out of touch with everyday Republican voters, and that primary voters want to do their own personal vetting of all candidates’ ideology, this data proves that three out of four Republican voters in Catoosa county actually want the Republican Party to vet candidates before they are allowed on the Republican ballot.
Alex Johnson
“What I noticed from reading the answers to the ballot questions,” said GRA Chairman & attorney Alex Johnson, “is that over 76% of Catoosa County Republican voters don’t want anyone who wants to, to be able to run on the Republican Primary ballot, and over 84% of them want the party to ensure candidates are for lower taxes, gun rights, and Prolife.”
They want someone from the party ensuring a candidate meets a minimum standard. They don’t think their selection in the voting booth on primary Election Day is where the Democrats should get eliminated. They want that to occur earlier. They want to walk into the voting booth on primary Election Day and feel confident that they are choosing between two or more people who hold at least a base-level adherence to core Republican ideology.
You might say, they want the Republican party to pre-qualify the options as being “non-Democrat” before that candidate’s name ever appears on the ballot as an option. Lucky for Catoosa voters, this process already exists and it is called “candidate qualification.” This is the process by which the Republican Party serves Republican voters by eliminating rotten apples before dishing up the options to the voters. They file the paperwork with the county and the names of whichever candidates they “qualified” as Republicans.
But this process has been circumvented by the Catoosa Board of Elections and the question continues to be litigated in court.
Catoosa GOP has received significant criticism of their efforts to block specific county commission candidates from the primary ballot when those candidates had a history of supporting anti-Republican policy. For two years the argument was that any person has a right to run and have their name appear on the Republican primary ballot, no matter what they believe, no matter what kind of public record they have, as long as they pay the qualifying fee, and sign their name on the loyalty oath to the party. But in an appalling act of government coercion this year, the Catoosa Board of Elections didn’t even allow the Catoosa GOP to disqualify someone who failed to sign the loyalty oath!
The bottom line is that tests, interviews, and auditions only frighten away weak performers … or fakes. Real Republicans who believe in limited government, low taxes, family values, the right to bear arms, etc., are not scared to sit down and talk about what they believe and are not daunted by a pass or fail examination of their record on public policy. Differences of opinion and approach to public policy exist within the party, and are not disqualifiers, so long as those differences remain within the parameters of base-level Republicanism.
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.”
Attorney David Oles
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.”
Ann Dover & attorney
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.
Over the last several weeks people have been amazed by the overwhelming organic groundswell of support behind Colton Moore’s race for Congress in the 14th District. Some are at a loss to explain the army of unpaid volunteers willing to knock thousands of doors across a massive district that ranges from the Tennessee border to the suburbs of Atlanta.
With 15 Republican options, why is there so much overwhelming enthusiasm for Colton Moore?
I believe it is due to his consistent record of moral courage — a rare quality in politics. A brief examination of recent history and his voting record as a State Senator makes this clear.
While serving in the Georgia legislature Colton Moore:
• Sponsored SB 303 to establish election integrity by implementing paper ballots for Georgia elections.
• Was the only Republican Senator to vote “No” to a bill (SB144) giving pesticide makers (like Monsanto) legal immunity if their product harmed consumers.
• Stood up for the lives of babies conceived via IVF, and was the only Republican to vote “No” to the unethical In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) bill that gave IVF companies a “right” to commodify the lives of innocent children without any pro-life ethical boundaries.
• Was the only Republican Senator to vote “No” to HB 268, an outrageous bill that included massive government overreach into the lives of public school students.
• Sponsored a Second Amendment bill, SB 204, this year and was the lead sponsor of the Second Amendment Preservation Act (SB 67 in 2023) and fought hard to protect the rights of gun owners.
When Fani Willis was unjustly persecuting President Trump and the alternate electors, and when most of Georgia’s elected officials remained silent, Colton Moore called for a special session to investigate her and defund her office for its unjust politically motivated law-fare.
Moore’s defense of Trump as a State Senator drew national attention and attracted the praise of the President.
“Highly respected Georgia Senator Colton Moore deserves thanks and congratulations for having the courage and conviction to fight the radical left lunatics,” said Trump.
Moore sponsored legislation called the “Stop Political Persecutions Act” to reform Georgia’s RICO law to make sure it could no longer be abused against one’s political opponents.
Click to listen to State Sen. Colton Moore on the Charlie Kirk Show.
Charlie Kirk, who last year was assassinated for speaking truth on college campuses, said to Colton on his show, “Colton, you have courage, and we appreciate you!”
In 2020, when Northwest Georgia exploded with the second amendment sanctuary movement, where local activists worked with local municipalities to pass resolutions supporting the second amendment and resolving to protect the gun rights of citizens, even if the federal government attempted to strip them away, Colton Moore was right there supporting his constituents. He attended and spoke at the second amendment sanctuary rally in Armuchee in February 2020 as then Representative Moore giving moral support and legitimacy to the activists’ cause.
When Roe v Wade was overturned in 2022, and pro-life advocates in Georgia were clamoring for immediate action to protect innocent pre-born children from abortion, Colton Moore was one of the few legislators that participated in the series of pro-life rallies hosted by the Georgians Ending Abortion coalition. Most legislators avoided the issue and acted like it was business as usual – nothing to see here, despite the corpses of roughly 30,000 dead Georgia babies accumulating each year and the Dobbs decision giving individual states the green light to abolish abortion if they chose. Colton Moore stood out.
When there appeared to be evidence of fraud in the 2020 election, and Georgia officials failed to investigate, certifying the election in spite of valid concerns of fraud, on Dec 4th 2020 Colton Moore called the election “a national embarrassment.”
Like many Republicans, Colton was outraged by the inaction of the Governor and Secretary of State. After 2020 a movement was launched to ditch dominion voting machines and return to paper ballots, hand-counted at the precinct level to deter cheating, and ensure there was a paper trail that could be followed and audited in the event a future election was ever questioned. Sen. Colton Moore was responsive to this grassroots movement, drafting legislation (SB 303) to implement paper ballots. In September 2023 he was one of the very few legislators who participated in an election integrity rally held at Liberty Plaza outside the Capitol, publicly affirming the concerns about fraudulent elections.
In 2024, when 300 or so activists at the 14th Congressional District GOP convention passed a resolution calling for ethical boundaries for In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), Colton Moore listened. The next year a bill came to the State Senate that enshrined a “right to IVF” and Senator Colton Moore was the only Republican in the legislature to vote “no” in accordance with the expressed will of hundreds of his constituents on that issue.
In March 2024 when the Catoosa GOP began exercising their right to freedom of association by denying fake Republican commissioners a place on the “R” primary ballot, resulting in a lawsuit and a fierce onslaught of negative publicity, Colton Moore supported them with statements affirming their legal and constitutional right.
When Americans everywhere were concerned about open borders during the Biden administration and the outrageous numbers of illegal migrants in the U.S., Colton helped to expose the issue at the Atlanta airport, and was a staunch voice calling for a secure border.
While the Washington elite and the “powers that be” in Atlanta often seem out of touch and deaf to the concerns of the grassroots, Colton listens. He cares about the issues that matter to normal Republican families, and champions those issues for them.
In 2025 Colton sponsored the Anti-Corruption Act SB 378 which would end the use of taxpayer dollars to fund lobbying for government agencies, a shocking practice that left many taxpayers stunned that such a thing was ever legal and occurring under our noses.
Moore has served as Vice Chairman of the Georgia Freedom Caucus, the leading voice for sanity and real Republican policies at the Gold Dome.
While individual GRA members may all have a specific pet issue on which Colton Moore earned their trust and respect, the common thread in his record is his ability to say “No” to the lobbyists, and to the RINO Republican caucus, so he can say “Yes” to his political principles and the people he serves.
Many Republicans agree that Congress needs a lot more people with a backbone – more Dave Ramsey and less spending and debt. More loyalty to constituents than lobbyists and foreign interests. More moral courage in the face of pressure and manipulation.
“Few men are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, the wrath of society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world which yields most painfully to change.”
– Robert Kennedy
If moral courage is the need of the hour, Colton Moore fits the bill, and the enthusiasm of his grassroots supporters for the March 10th special election is not at all surprising.
If you live in Whitfield, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Murray, Walker, Paulding, Polk, or the northwest part of Cobb county, consider joining us in supporting Colton Moore in the March 10th Special Election to replace Marjorie Greene. Early voting begins Monday February 16th.
Ringgold, GA — Yesterday, the Judge David K. Smith of the Superior Court of Catoosa County contradicted the Federal 11th Circuit Court decision issued a few months ago, which upheld the Catoosa GOP’s “freedom of association” lawsuit. In 2024, the Catoosa Republican Party attempted to deny four commissioners a place on their primary ballot, due to those commissioners’ reputation for opposing and not implementing core Republican principles — such as supporting low taxes, allowing backyard chickens on private property, protecting medical freedom, and not endorsing Democrats. They set a very low bar of mainstream Republican positions, and politely denied candidates who didn’t meet that minimum standard.
Click to watch the video.
The attorneys representing the Catoosa GOP.
“While it is disappointing that the state court decision completely ignores the recent related federal 11th Circuit Court of Appeals decision that clearly recognizes the constitutional issues at play, we look forward to continued appellate review that accurately recognizes the rights of volunteer-run political parties to enforce their platform on behalf of busy citizens and not be forced by government to cover for insider wealthy interests deceiving voters,” said GRA Chairman Alex Johnson, one of the attorneys representing Catoosa GOP.
Judge Smith is a retired judge from Bartow County who was brought into this case because all four judges over Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit recused themselves.
Judge Smith’s order went so far as to state: “… there was no legal basis for the behavior of the Catoosa Republican Party” and issued a judgment against several members of the Catoosa GOP, requiring them to pay the legal fees of the four County Commissioners.
“The Supreme Court has explained that the First Amendment’s ‘freedom to join together in furtherance of common political beliefs necessarily presupposes the freedom to identify the people who constitute the association,’ Tashjian v. Republican Party of Conn., 479 U.S. 208, 214 (1986) (internal quotation marks omitted), and ‘to limit the association to those people only,’ Democratic Party of U.S. v. Wisconsin ex rel. La Follette, 450 U.S. 107, 122 (1981). In other words, ‘a corollary of the right to associate is the right not to associate.’ Cal. Democratic Party v. Jones, 530 U.S. 567, 574 (2000).
Regarding the right not to associate, the U.S. Supreme Court “has recognized that the inclusion of persons unaffiliated with a political party may seriously distort its collective decisions—thus impairing the party’s essential functions—and that political parties may accordingly protect themselves from intrusion by those with adverse political principles.” La Follette, 450 U.S. at 122 (quotation marks omitted). And generally “a [s]tate, or a court, may not constitutionally substitute its own judgment for that of the [p]arty.” Id. at 123–24.
We have recognized that a political party’s right to advance the shared political beliefs of its members may include the right not to associate with candidates on a primary ballot. (Underlining added.)
Catoosa Republicans activists supporting the freedom of association
With such overt clarity from the U.S. Supreme Court on this issue, it is shocking that a state level court would issue an order so contradictory to this legal precedent. You know, Stare Decisisand all that.
However, it is not entirely unexpected that the Federal Court might be more neutral and objective about Catoosa GOP’s case, since the Federal judiciary is not beholden to Governor Brian Kemp nor are they as closely connected to some of the state legislators whose political careers might be in jeopardy if the Georgia Republican Party began exercising its freedom of association rights more regularly. Make no mistake – Georgia politicians are watching this case very closely.
Advocates for Catoosa GOP’s freedom of association exercise on the primary ballot speak to the press.
The 11th Circuit opinion said: “…we see no reason why a county-level party, and its constituent members, would not also enjoy the right to freedom of association and the right to identify those who constitute the local party based on political beliefs. See Id. The court also suggested that the Duke cases are different because they involved a presidential primary where the party ‘enjoyed substantial discretionary power’ to select candidates, but Georgia state law ‘provides no discretion for a county party to deny qualification to candidates based on substantive concerns.’ See O.C.G.A. § 21-2-153. That state law may prevent the Catoosa GOP from excluding primary candidates for ideological reasons, though, simply shows that its right to freedom of association has been burdened. It does not negate the right. After all, a political party’s constitutional right to exclude, ‘central to its freedom of association,’ is not derived from state law. Wash. State Grange v. Wash. State Republican Party, 552 U.S. 442, 445 (2008).” (Underlining added.)
The far-left Atlanta Journal Constitution newspaper and some Establishment-leaning GOP activists were quick to report on this unfavorable ruling, even though they seemed to ignore the 11th Circuit (Federal) Court’s opinion when it was handed down on June 12th, probably because they didn’t like the outcome of that decision.
Fake Republican politicians don’t like being held accountable to a written platform. Politicians and Debbie Dooley are terrified that grassroots Republicans like you just might click the donate button and enable Catoosa GOP to continue this legal fight where SCOTUS precedent is so clearly on their side.
This aggressive decision from the Catoosa Superior Court is ripe for appeal, and Catoosa GOP members stand resolute, despite the fear-mongering efforts of their critics. They are bolstered by the knowledge that real, principled, grassroots Republicans across Georgia are behind them.
Will you pitch in $10 or $20 to help the Catoosa GOP team as they trailblaze for all Georgia Republicans? You can donate here to support the Catoosa GOP’s ongoing legal battle for freedom of association:
Rome, GA – On Monday, federal Judge Billy Ray heard arguments related to Catoosa GOP’s “freedom of association” lawsuit, and he did not grant Catoosa County Attorney Chris Harris’s motion to dismiss the case at this time.
This hearing follows a successful appeal to the 11th Circuit Court which recently affirmed the Catoosa GOP’s position, and remanded the case back to federal Judge Billy Ray.
“We are encouraged that multiple claims are definitely moving forward and are hopeful for a positive judicial decision on all the others,” said Alex Johnson, GRA Chairman and volunteer attorney for Catoosa GOP. “We are grateful we do not live in a country where the government can force political parties to associate with people who don’t share their values and principles.”
Catoosa GOP heroes, heroines and supporters outside the federal courthouse with attorney Alex Johnson in Rome after the hearing
Click to watch the video of the background story on the controversy between Catoosa GOP and Catoosa Commissioners
Catoosa County, located on Georgia’s border with Tennessee, voted 77% for Donald Trump in 2024. In State Senate District 53, Senator Colton Moore received 78% of the vote. These figures underscore the near impossibility of winning office in Catoosa County as a Democrat or third-party candidate. Consequently, control over access to the Republican primary ballot has become a fiercely contested issue.
Like many other deeply conservative counties in Georgia, the real political contest in Catoosa often occurs in the Republican primary rather than the general election.
Despite the local party’s objections, the Catoosa County Board of Elections voted 4–1 to place the four candidates’ names on the Republican primary ballot—over the GOP’s opposition and, the party contends, in violation of state law. The Catoosa GOP has since filed suit against the Board, alleging that its actions infringed upon the party’s constitutional right to freedom of association.
“Any claim related to the freedom of association should be dismissed,” argued Harris.
Attorney Johnson countered that allowing a government entity to dictate who a political party must accept on its primary ballot resembles the practices of countries such as North Korea or Cuba. Such a practice is wholly un-American and unconstitutional.
Judge Billy Ray
Judge Billy Ray gave both sides close scrutiny, posing pointed questions to each attorney and testing their arguments as though playing devil’s advocate.
The Ticking Clock and Looming Elections It was clear that both sides are eager to see this lawsuit resolved swiftly. Attorney Harris noted that the Board of Elections is seeking guidance for future elections, particularly with another primary approaching soon.
The stakes are high and tensions continue to rise, especially as another Catoosa County commissioner, Chuck Harris, faces re-election in 2026. Earlier this year, delegates at the Catoosa GOP County Convention voted to expel and ban him “from qualifying as a candidate of the Catoosa County Republican Party in any capacity.”
This motion (in the form of a resolution) which passed overwhelmingly, also demanded that:
“5. That CHUCK HARRIS is hereby demanded to cease and desist from calling himself a “Republican” or using his false claim of being a “Republican” for personal profit. 6. That CHUCK HARRIS is hereby banned from all property owned, leased, rented or in the control of the Catoosa County Republican Party and all events held by or under the authority of the Catoosa County Republican Party.”
The Court appeared to recognize the gravity of this case and the precedent it could set for county parties across Georgia.
“If you’re right, you’re right for everybody,” Judge Billy Ray told attorney Alex Johnson during the hearing. This may have been allusion to the pending order from the GA GOP State Convention delegation passed this past summer in a resolution to block Brad Raffensperger from running in the Republican Primary next year. . One of the questions the court raised was what specific harm could be demonstrated to come from voters seeing candidates’ names on the Republican primary ballot. While that question was not fully addressed in this hearing, the Catoosa GOP maintains that political parties are harmed when donors and grassroots activists withdraw their support—refusing to give, volunteer, or campaign—because of the party’s association with candidates who do not share its principles.
The 2025 Catoosa GOP Convention ha record-breaking attendance and affirmed the exercise of freedom of association rights
Many Republicans across Georgia have expressed frustration when they see candidates on the ballot (at the Federal, State, or local level) whose values appear inconsistent with the party’s platform. The damage grows when disillusioned voters, discouraged by the actions or reputations of certain politicians, choose to stay home on Election Day altogether – thereby never laying eyes on the candidates name at the polls.
Ballot Questions & Catoosa GOP’s Freedom of Speech
Another element of the lawsuit relates to the party’s free speech rights that were violated when the non-binding ballot questions that Catoosa GOP attempted to place on their primary ballot were denied.
“Is it your position that no matter what the content was, the ballot questions should be allowed?” Judge Ray asked Alex Johnson.
He questioned whether the state should allow questions that perhaps incited violence, or might be considered electioneering with the intent to sway voters. Johnson replied that, if the law allowed that speech, there could still be consequences, since the first amendment prohibits the government from restricting speech, but it doesn’t protect individuals from the consequences of their speech.
Judge Ray acknowledged that the statute says “shall” which doesn’t give the state much latitude. Johnson made the case that if ballot questions on a party’s primary may be denied for simply attempting to sway a voter on an issue, or lead a voter to a specific conclusion, one could argue the general ballot referendum questions have been electioneering for many years.
Catoosa GOP Needs Your Help
Chairwoman Joanna Hildreth and her volunteer team have remained steadfast throughout this battle, even expressing a willingness to face jail time in defense of their community’s right to preserve Republican integrity and resist Democrat-aligned public policy.
There will be another hearing for Catoosa GOP thisFriday, October 10th at 9:00am at the Catoosa County Courthouse 7694 Nashville St. Ringgold, GA 30736. Republicans are encouraged to attend and show their support for the resolute leaders of Catoosa GOP.
Judge Ray intends to hand down another decision sometime before 2026 qualifying begins, and GRA members are hopeful that the decision will affirm the Catoosa GOP’s constitutional rights.
If you cannot attend the hearing, please consider donating to the ongoing legal expenses, filing fees, and court costs that Catoosa GOP has sustained. Stay tuned for a link to donate to help.
Atlanta, GA – On Monday, Georgia legislators explored a change to state law to allow doctors to write lethal prescriptions to facilitate suicide (instead of employing suicide prevention) for patients who have a terminal diagnosis. This sounded alarm bells for GRA members and pro-life advocates who believe the state should recognize and affirm the value of all innocent human life, including the lives of the elderly, disabled, and terminally ill.
Rep. Sharon Cooper
“This is a learning committee meeting,” said Rep. Sharon Cooper (R-Marietta) Chairman of the Public Health Committee as she introduced the presenting organizations.
The assisted suicide concept was presented to the committee under the benign-sounding euphemism “Medical Aid in Dying” (MAID), which is misleading since hospice and palliative care are already widely available to provide comfort measures before natural death.
If adopted, the suicide prescription would be limited to victims who are over 18 years old, have been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and are capable of administering the drug themself, thus taking their own life with the help of medical professionals.
Currently in Georgia, it is a felony to assist someone to commit suicide per GA Code § 16-5-5 – but MAID would change that.
“[Under MAID] everbody is protected from criminal and civil liabilities,” said Dr. Adrienne Mims, one of the presenters. Dr. Mims was appointed by the governor to the Georgia Older Adults Cabinet and the Georgia Council on Aging.
The committee examined data from Oregon where physician assisted suicide has been legal for many years.
“What we find is, although more than 4,000 prescriptions were written, only 66% of those were used,” said Dr. Mims.
This indicates that one-third of those who requested the suicide pill did not take it. For those who take it, if they change their mind, there is no recourse. “There is no antidote,” said Mims.
Once a patient ingests the lethal cocktail of drugs, they lose consciousness in about 10 minutes and are dead within about an hour. As with any suicide, the family and friends of the victim would be left to mourn the fatal decision, discover the body, and wonder if they were in some way responsible. If you have ever attended the funeral of a suicide victim, you know the shock and trauma it causes for the family. They are often plagued with questions like:
“Was it something I said that led him to this?”
“Should I have done more to reach out and support him?”
“Could I have prevented him making this decision?”
Thankfully, Rep. Scott Hilton (R- Peachtree Corners) raised concerns about the suicide drug to his colleagues calling it “morally abhorrent.”
Loopholes for Murder?
The patient would have to request the deadly prescription in writing, which raises concerns about the possibility of coercion and abuse from one’s caregivers or heirs who might be able to forge the patient’s signature. Once Grandma is sent home with the prescription how would anyone know if she self-administered the lethal drug voluntarily and knowingly or not? If it was concealed in other medications, or if there was a struggle, who would know?
During the meeting it was mentioned that this deadly dose could even come to the victims house through the mail!
Some might argue that potential loopholes are not a big concern in these cases because the patient had a terminal illness, and was going to die anyway. This thinking represents an obvious assault on the sanctity of life, and has led to the creation of organizations like Not Dead Yet that advocate for the rights of patients with a terminal diagnosis.
We believe Georgia law should recognize and protect the lives of terminally ill patients just like anyone else. The GAGOP platform and resolutions passed over the years have repeatedly affirmed the right to life for all innocent human beings. Any loopholes that might provide cover for murder, jeopardizing lives of vulnerable patients should be a massive concern.
Who Benefits from MAID?
Legislation like this begs the question, who stands to benefit from this change?
The official narrative would have you to believe this effort is all about allowing sick people to engage in the ultimate act of autonomy by choosing to die on their own terms in defiance of their Creator. But the reality is that most legislation is driven by money, and behind all the sob stories and compassionate language stands the health insurance companies who could save a ton of money by encouraging suicide instead of natural death.
Someone who believes in eugenics might regard potential loopholes for murder as a feature not a defect in the law since people tend to wrack up their largest medical expenses at the end of life representing high costs for the taxpayer (because medicine has become so heavily socialized) and/or the insurance companies who have an incentive to make suicide easy and attractive to sick people whom they regard as a “drain on the system.” Health insurance companies benefit from milking patients by collecting premiums and government subsidies for decades of the consumer’s life when they don’t need much medical assistance. Then, when they begin to need it, that’s when the industry looks for ways to drop them as a liability.
If physician assisted suicide is legalized in Georgia, might health insurance companies possibly be incentivized to say “we can’t pay for your chemotherapy, but assisted suicide is covered 100%,” thereby encouraging suicide?
These financial incentives are some of the many tragic eventual consequences of socialized medicine. Heartbreaking stories from Canada and Europe have shown us that physician-assisted suicide quickly leads to euthanasia.
Any assistance in suicide would seem to violate the “do no harm” clause in the Hippocratic Oath taken by many physicians and according to the Heritage Foundation, could open the door for the “practice of medicine to be corrupted.”
It comes as no surprise that Chairwoman Cooper, who appears to have initiated this explorative learning session about MAID, receives massive campaign contributionsfrom the healthcare industry (medical groups, individual doctors, Pfizer, etc.)
Rep. Cooper received a failing 37% on her GRA legislative scorecard this year after comparing her voting record to the principles of the Republican Party. Many Cobb County Republicans find it infuriating that, while running on the Republican ticket, Rep. Cooper has not allowed hearings on pro-life and medical freedom legislation, and instead gives priority to extreme ideas like assisted suicide and bills that grow government and benefit Big Pharma. Many find it disturbing that the GA Faith and Freedom Coalition for the last three years has given a perfect score (100% in 2025, 2024 , and 2023) to Rep. Cooper in spite of her record of opposition to public policy positions that Christians and Republicans usually support.
Misleading campaign literature claiming Cooper is “pro-life.”Misleading campaign literature claiming Cooper is “pro-life.”
Please join us in emailing the members of the Public Health Committee to let them know your thoughts on physician assisted suicide. Sometimes hearing from constituents can make all the difference. Experience has taught us that politicians need a lot of encouragement to do the right thing, so please also consider sending a message of gratitude and encouragement to Rep. Scott Hilton for his bold opposition to so-called “Medical Aid in Dying.”
Atlanta, GA — On last Tuesday, dozens of election integrity activists (many of whom are GRA members) spoke before the State House’s “Blue Ribbon Study Committee” at the State Capitol, urging legislators to adopt real election integrity reform in Georgia.
Field Searcy
“Much like the fable The Emperor’s New Clothes, we continue to hear strong declarations that Georgia’s elections are secure, yet beneath these confident statements of public trust and high turnout, are persistent, well-documented problems that are impossible to ignore for anyone paying attention,” said GRA member Field Searcy, leader of Georgians for Truth, during public comments.
The public speakers included both conservatives and Democrats however the vast majority advocated for hand marked paper ballots.
Georgia House Blue Ribbon Study Committee on Election Integrity
Cheating can also occur using paper ballots, they would be auditable and can be verified with a “paper trail,” unlike the electronic Dominion system.
“We are still voting on the same system we voted on in 2020,” said election integrity leader Sam Carnline, also with Georgians for Truth.
Garland Favorito of VoterGA also spoke and raised concerns that our voter data has been outsourced to a Sales Force cloud and our PII (Personally Identifiable Information) is going to third parties without our consent.
This Study Committee may be an attempt to placate the election integrity patriots without providing any meaningful reform, but if so, it is still a good sign that Georgia legislators felt a need to do so. This is an indication of progress for the election integrity movement. Every meeting gives activists an opportunity to keep pressure on the legislators and make our concerns heard by both legislators and constituents. Hopefully we can break through the noise to awaken the disengaged Republicans who only pay attention on Election Day.
We desperately need your Republican-voting friends, neighbors and church members to help us turn Georgia around by getting politically informed and engaged in between elections. Please encourage your less-engaged Republican friends to take a look at our Legislative Scorecards and sign up for our email newsletter on our website.
We urge all GRA members to consider attending the next Blue Ribbon committee meeting August 8th in Rockmart.
Another opportunity to advance election integrity is coming up at the State Election Board Meeting July 29th-30th at 9AM at the Georgia State Capital – Room 341.
In January of 2013, at the height of the Tea Party movement, the Georgia Republican Assembly officially chartered as a state chapter of the National Federation of Republican Assemblies (NFRA). The initial charter included only 25 members, and few could have imagined the 1,000+ member organization the GRA would become.
During the first year, the fledgling organization hosted a debate between candidates running for GAGOP Chair and adopted a model to endorse candidates with a 2/3rds vote (proving strong consensus), a model that is used by NFRA chapters across the country. Initial GRA calls to action encouraged voters to urge their Congressman to defund Obamacare and withdraw from Common Core curriculum.
Early GRA Executive Committee
However, the organization struggled to get off the ground and by September of 2015 Julianne Thompson, the original President, acknowledged that she and the other officers were too busy on campaigns for Ted Cruz and others. She sent an email calling for a reorganization that led to Alex Johnson being elected as President with Kay Godwin and Pat Tippet from South Georgia also being elected among the officers. This is when things began to change. At that time, only six members were reported to be on the organization’s roster.
Alex Johnson had recently concluded his second campaign as an anti-Establishment candidate for state party Chairman, which had given the 30-year old attorney a platform to expose numerous problems in the party. Johnson’s campaign had galvanized an anti-establishment caucus and made him an ideal recruit for the newly created organization.
“The Establishment has always just been horrible,” said Johnson.
Dalton, GA – On Saturday, an overwhelming majority of delegates at the Georgia Republican Party state convention approved a resolution prohibiting Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger from being allowed to run in a future Republican primary.
The resolution states:
“It is resolved that the Georgia Republican Party shall not qualify, allow to be qualified, or take any action to allow Brad Raffensperger to qualify as a Republican or run for any elected office unless and until a GAGOP Convention removes this restriction; and,
Be it further resolved that the Georgia Republican Party shall fully defend against any future litigation or legal action taken by Brad Raffensperger or others that in any way claims that the Georgia Republican Party is or can be required to allow Brad Raffensperger to run for public office as a Republican.”
This comes after the Secretary of State has repeatedly opposed and obstructed Republican efforts to establish secure and transparent elections. In addition to the well known Curling v. Raffenspergercase which exposed and uncovered massive vulnerabilities in Georgia’s elections, the Dekalb GOP filed a lawsuit against Brad Raffensperger in regard to the encryption keys which were stored in the database in plain text. When this password became public knowledge election integrity activists made t-shirts featuring the password in order to expose the absurd vulnerability of the Dominion voting systems.
“The system is obviously not secure if the system admin password is so readily available,” said Field Searcy leader of Georgians for Truth and GRA Board member.
Some would go so far as to say that the Secretary of State’s actions do not represent incompetence, but rather malfeasance of office. Either way, it is clear Raffensperger did not meet the minimum standard the Republican Party expects from a Republican elected official.
Long Awaited Victory
Back in 2021, at the state convention in Jekyl Island, (the year Brad Raffensperger had been denied election as a Republican delegate in his own precinct) Alex Johnson (then GRA President) proposed a resolution censoring and blocking Brad Raffensperger. The idea was debated on the convention floor where the establishment along with chairman, Randy Evans argued that such an action was not legal, would lead to an expensive lawsuit, and the effort was ultimately not successful.
“After 16 years of Republican Party conventions, this was the most meaningful one in party history,” said Alex Johnson GRA Chairman and President of the NFRA.
While most resolutions merely express the views of the party and educate the public on issues, they usually have no teeth. This resolution was unique in that it gives direction to the party leadership and requires them to abide by it, and even take action to defend the decision from legal challenges. It is important to remember that political parties control ballot access for their primary. The Republican primary ballot doesn’t belong to the government or to the general public, it belongs to the Republican party.
The negative reputation of Georgia’s Secretary of State is well known, and Trump supporting patriots across the country recognize the name Brad Raffensperger due to the nationwide attention Georgia received as a result of the 2020 and 2021 elections.
Raffensperger has been known to threaten local county elections superintendent’s and boards if they feel inclined to change their system to comply with certain election laws.
“Georgia counties don’t follow the election laws because of Raffensperger and his staff,” said Field Searcy.
In Dekalb County, Michelle Long Spears, a Democrat candidate for Commissioner and was shocked to see the election results that showed she received zero votes in her own precinct. She knew she voted for herself, and believed her husband also voted for her. When this concern about the accuracy of the Dekalb election was raised, and election integrity advocates called for a hand recount, the Secretary of State’s office opposed them. They conducted a hand recount anyway, and it completely altered the winner in the race! After the hand recount, instead of being in 3rd place Spears came in first. Advocates of election integrity have not forgotten that Brad Raffensperger attempted to block them from conducting that hand recount.
GA GOP Responsive to Republican Voters
The results of the non-binding ballot questions on the 2024 Republican primary ballot voters made it clear that election integrity is a major concern for Republican voters. 64% of Republican primary voters wanted hand marked paper ballots, and 80% wanted clean voter rolls requiring registered voters to renew their registration every four years. The Georgia Republican Party delegates responded.
This Resolution was a last resort after Republican activists have tried every possible way to express their concerns and work with the SOS to establish secure, transparent elections, and have received intense opposition instead of assistance.
The delegates on Saturday collectively said “enough is enough” and cut all ties with Georgia’s current Secretary of State. Raffensperger remains free to run for office as a Democrat or an Independent or join a third party, if they will have him. They concluded that we need to protect the reputation of the Georgia Republican party from an elected official who doesn’t share our commitment to election integrity.
There were 1,713 Republican delegates in attendance Saturday not counting the alternates and guests observing in the back. The Raffensperger resolution was one of several included in a package that was submitted to the body by the resolutions committee under the leadership of Suzi Voyles and with strong support from state Rep. Noel Kahaian.
Getting the party to implement a minimum standard, requiring candidates to share a minimum level of adherence to the GOP platform has been a goal of the GRA for several years. Delegates visiting the GRA vendor table at the convention were eager to sign the GRA petition to block Raffensperger, who is arguably the most distrusted Republican politician in the state.
GRA members and supporters are excited about this massive victory and believe the GAGOP will be stronger and better able to engage and recruit new party members as a result of this action protecting the GOP brand.
This is an example of the GAGOP exercising their constitutional right to the freedom of association.
“The government cannot force a Baptist church to ordain a Hindu or a Muslim as their minister,” said Nathaniel Darnell, GRA President, “and they can’t force the Republican Party to associate with Brad Raffensperger when he relentlessly acts contrary to Republican beliefs and objectives.”
This resolution has the same effect as the Accountability Rule the GRA proposed at the 2023 GOP Convention, and the same effect as the actions taken by the Catoosa GOP in 2024.
While some argue that anyone and everyone should be allowed to claim the label “Republican” regardless of what they believe or how they act, we believe the Republican primary should be reserved for only those candidates who embrace at least a minimum number of the Republican principles outlined in our platform.
“This resolution serves as a warning to all Republican elected officials in Georgia who like to utilize the resources and volunteers in the Republican Party, while simultaneously stomping all over our platform and dismissing the legitimate policy concerns of party activists. We are grateful to all the delegates who voted in favor of the resolution and look forward to assisting the party in implementing other accountability measures to protect the Republican brand and protect Georgians who are being harmed by RINO public policy,” said Darnell.
