Secretary Cox Announces Appointments to 21st Century Vote Commission, First Meeting in Macon This Wed., May 16^th

ATLANTA  … Secretary of State Cathy Cox today released the names of 18 Georgians who have been appointed to the 21st Century Vote Commission, and announced that the Commission will hold its first meeting this Wednesday, May 16th at the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in Macon.

            The Commission, a bipartisan advisory panel that will assist the Secretary of State in evaluating election equipment as Georgia moves towards a new, uniform statewide election system, was created as part of SB 213, Secretary Cox's 2001 election reform legislation.

            The bill, signed into law by Governor Roy Barnes in April, provides that two appointments each are made by the Governor, the Speaker of the House and the Lieutenant Governor.  Secretary of State Cox is authorized to appoint six local election officials and two additional individuals who serve in any capacity.  The only entity currently operating as a "political body," the Georgia Libertarian Party, is also allowed one appointment.  The statute also provides that the Secretary of State, the Director of the State Elections Division and the Executive Director of the Georgia Technology Authority round out the membership of the 18-member panel.

                The Commission will hold its first meeting from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. this Wednesday, May 16^th at the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame located at 200 Cherry Street in Macon. The meeting is open to the public.

The 21st Century Vote Commission appointments are:

Appointed by the Governor:

Erica Brooks, (D), Atlanta

Molly Dye, (R), Atlanta

Appointed by the Speaker:  

Representative Tom Shanahan, (D), Calhoun

Appointed by the Lieutenant Governor: 

Senator Jack Hill, (D), Reidsville

Senator Billy Ray, (R), Lawrenceville

Local Election Officials Appointed by the Secretary of State:

Lynn Bailey, (Nonpartisan), Richmond County

Mike Bracewell, (Nonpartisan), Morgan County           

Gloria Champion, (Nonpartisan), Fulton County

Linda Latimore, (Nonpartisan), Dekalb County

Kathy Rogers, (Nonpartisan), Chatham County

Kenneth Van Horn, (R), Chattahoochee County               

Additional Secretary of State Appointments:

Justine Boyd, (Nonpartisan), Atlanta, Atlanta Fulton County League of Women Voters

Representative Buddy Deloach, (Independent), Hinesville

Political Body Appointment:

Michael Cartwright, Atlanta, Libertarian Party of Georgia

Statutory Appointments:

Linda Beazley, (Nonpartisan), Augusta, State Elections Division Director

Larry Singer, (Nonpartisan), Atlanta, Executive Director, Georgia Technology Authority

             "I am extremely pleased to have such an outstanding bipartisan group of Georgians, all knowledgeable on election issues, serving on this important panel," Secretary Cox said.  "Georgians can be proud that this year we were the first state in the nation to take action to modernize our voting systems, and the 21^st Century Vote Commission will serve a critical role in helping plot the course towards a uniform statewide system of voting by 2004.  Since our legislation was introduced earlier this year, this effort has benefited from nearly unanimous support from leaders in both political parties and I am confident that the Commission will serve to sustain that bipartisan momentum. There is much work to be done, and we look forward to hearing from interested Georgians as the Commission begins to weigh the best options in the coming months," Cox added.

            Ms. Cox said that the composition of the Commission reflects a balance of partisan interests.  On the panel there are four individuals who serve as Democrats, four who serve as Republicans, one who represents the Libertarian Party, and nine who serve as Independents or in a nonpartisan appointed capacity.

The Commission will serve in an advisory role to help evaluate equipment options, establish standards for new uniform equipment to be deployed statewide by 2004 and lay out a roadmap for implementation of the overall election reform initiative.

One of the first decisions by the Commission, expected to be made at this week's meeting in Macon, is the selection of cities to participate in a pilot project to field test new electronic voting equipment in this November's municipal elections.  Secretary Cox said that some 29 Georgia cities have expressed interest in participating in the pilot project.  While noting that the final determination of the number of pilot cities will be effected by budget, vendor commitments, size of the municipality and other factors, Secretary Cox said that perhaps as many as a dozen cities will be selected to participate in the test.

            SB 213, written by Secretary Cox and introduced by Senator Jack Hill (D-Reidsville) makes a host of changes designed to improve the accuracy and convenience of Georgia election systems.  In a January report to the Governor and General Assembly, Secretary Cox spotlighted a number of problems in current equipment and procedures, and pointed out that Georgia's presidential undervote percentage was higher than Florida's and well above the average for the nation as a whole.

Editor’s Note: Following are thumbnail bios of the 17 members of the 21^st Century Vote Commission in addition to Secretary Cox.

Erica Brooks - Director, Office of National Development, Democratic National Committee

In 1994, Erica Brooks became a special assistant to then-Secretary of State Max Cleland. After Senator Cleland’s election to the U.S. Senate, she served as his senior scheduler from 1996-1998. Ms. Brooks also served as Deputy Campaign Manager during Zell Miller’s U.S. Senate campaign and as Senator Miller’s Deputy State Director. Ms. Brooks was appointed to her current position in the spring of 2001.

Molly Dye- Former Chief of Staff, U.S. Senator Paul Coverdell

Molly Dye served on U.S. Senator Paul Coverdell’s staff from 1981-2000, including seven years as chief of staff.  Her efforts contributed to the passage of key legislation, the execution of a successful U.S. Senate re-election campaign in 1998, and the adoption of public policy benefiting all citizens of Georgia. 

Representative Mark Burkhalter

Representative Burkhalter is the youngest representative in Fulton County.  First elected at age 31, Representative  Burkhalter is serving his fifth term in the Georgia House of Representatives representing North Fulton County and serves on three committees in the State Legislature, Insurance, Industry and the Rules committees. 

Representative Tom Shanahan

Representative Shanahan presented Secretary Cox’s election reform legislation in the House and serves on the House State Planning & Community Affairs, House Retirement Committee, and House Natural Resources and Environment Committee. He practices law in Calhoun, Georgia.

Senator Jack Hill

Senator Jack Hill of Reidsville sponsored Secretary Cox’s election reform legislation in the Senate and has shown a strong interest in voting reform and eliminating fraud in voting.  He also authored the “Voter ID” legislation which returned accountability to a voting process weakened by motor voter registration changes. Sen. Hill currently serves as chairman of the Senate Higher Education committee and vice-chairman of the Senate Ethics committee.  He also serves on the Appropriations, Rules and Transportation committees.

Senator Billy Ray

Senator Billy Ray was first elected to the Georgia Senate from metro Atlanta's 48th Senate District in Gwinnett County in 1996. Sen. Ray is a member of the Judiciary, Natural Resources, Appropriations and Rules committees. Active in political and civic affairs, Ray served as chairman of the Gwinnett County Republican Party from 1993-95. He is a partner in the law firm of Anderson, Davidson and Tate and specializes in business law.

Lynn Bailey - Executive Director, Richmond County Board of Elections

Lynn Bailey was appointed Executive Director of the Richmond County Board of Elections in April 1993.  Previous to that appointment, Mrs. Bailey was the Assistant Director of the elections board. She currently serves as the First Vice President of the Georgia Elections Officials Association, and has been named President Elect for the term beginning 2002.

Judge Mike Bracewell - Morgan County Probate Court

Judge Bracewell has been serving the people of Morgan County as their Probate Judge and Elections Superintendent since his election in 1993.  He is currently a member of the County Officers Association of Georgia, Georgia Council of Probate Judges, National College of Probate Judges, and the Georgia Association of Election Officials where he serves as Secretary-Treasurer.

Gloria Champion - Director of Fulton County Department of Registration and Elections

Gloria Champion has served as the Director of the Fulton County Department of Registration and Elections since 1999.  Ms. Champion began working at the department in 1980 as a Senior Clerk. From 1997-1999, she served as Elections Chief designing comprehensive plans for conducting elections and reviewing and implementing elections legislation.  As director, Ms. Champion is responsible for training deputy registrars and poll workers, monitoring voter registration, and supervising elections in Georgia’s most populous county.   

Linda Latimore - Director of DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections

Linda Latimore has served in the DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections Department since 1977, working in several capacities before being named Elections Director in 1992. In this capacity, Mrs. Latimore trains deputy registrars and poll workers, monitors voter registration and supervises elections in the county. In 1994, Mrs. Latimore was appointed to the Joint Application Development (JAD) Commission, a 15-member statewide panel created to assist in the development of a statewide voter registration system.

Kathy A. Rogers - Elections Supervisor, Chatham County Board of Elections

Kathy A. Rogers began work in the election field as a poll worker, and became Administrative Assistant at the Board of Elections of Chatham County in 1992.  She held this position until 1998 when she was promoted to her current position. Since becoming Supervisor, she has broadened her field of knowledge through her affiliation with the Georgia Election Officials Association, IACREOT, and The Election Center. She is also a member of the Legislative Committee for the Georgia Election Officials Association.

Judge Kenneth Van Horn - Chattahoochee County Probate Court

Judge Van Horn was elected judge of the Chattahoochee County Probate Court in November 2000, after being appointed to fill the unexpired term of the retiring probate judge in 1998. Judge Van Horn has pastored My Father’s House Church in Ft. Mitchell, Alabama since 1990 and has worked in numerous industries including data processing, publishing, marketing and sales.

Justine Boyd - Fulton County League of Women Voters

Justine Boyd is the president of the League of Women Voters for Atlanta-Fulton County and currently serves as the Clerk to the Fulton County Board of Commissioners.  An active member of her community, she is a member of the Junior League of Atlanta, Greater Atlanta YWCA Board, 4-H Clubs of Georgia Foundation Board, Coalition of 100 Black Women Advisory Board, and the University of Georgia Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Advisory Board.

Representative Buddy DeLoach

The only Independent currently serving in the Georgia General Assembly, Representative DeLoach was first elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1994 and serves on the Appropriations, Natural Resources & Environment and Governmental Affairs committees. He also Chairs the Election Sub-Committee of Governmental Affairs. Representative DeLoach resides in Hinesville, Georgia.

Michael Cartwright - Libertarian Party of Georgia

Michael Cartwright is the current State Chair of the Libertarian Party of Georgia.  A retired public school teacher for Dekalb and Gwinnett Counties. Mr. Cartwright received his Bachelors of Science in Physics from Georgia Tech and received his Masters in Science Education from Georgia State University.

Linda Beazley - State Elections Division Director

Linda Beazley was named Director of the Secretary of State Elections Division in February 1997. Mrs. Beazley has extensive experience in public sector administration and election management, having served as president of the Voter Registrars Association of Georgia and the Georgia Election Officials Association. She has also been a member of the Federal Election Advisory Board and has testified before congress on election-related issues. A native of Augusta, Mrs. Beazley also served as Clerk of the Probate Court and Executive Director of the Richmond County Board of Elections for 20 years before being named to her current post.

Larry Singer - Georgia Technology Authority Executive Director

In July 2000, Governor Roy Barnes named Larry Singer Executive Director of the newly-formed Georgia Technology Authority as well as Chief Information Officer for the state. In his current position, Mr. Singer is charged with bringing a coordinated and comprehensive IT vision to state government by providing agencies with technical assistance in strategic planning, program management, and human resources development, as well as leveraging state government's consolidated purchasing power and providing leadership in research and development.