Speaker of the House David Ralston has had quite the political career in Georgia. 

The powerful Republican lawmaker has been the speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives for a decade.

He was first elected to the House in 2002 and represents District 7, which includes Fannin and Gilmer counties and a portion of Dawson.

Not only that, Ralston served in the State Senate from 1992 until 1998.

He owes his political career to the electorate. 

Voters in Fannin, Gilmer and Dawson counties gave him the honor, privilege and responsibility of public service. 

Each time Ralston wins an election, retains his seat, he thanks the voters, as well he should. 

He understands how democracy works. 

Or does he? 

Ralston likes to honor the will of the people when the people vote for him, giving him what he wants. 

But now he wants to circumvent the will of the people of Georgia and strip the public of the right to select at least one of its most important leaders. 

Why?

For one reason and one reason alone, he did not get his way. 

He did not get what he wanted. 

Ralston and some of his fellow Republicans don’t like the fact that the Republican Secretary of State would not help them overturn the results of the presidential election in Georgia that did not go the way they wanted. 

So instead of doing what we do in the United States, peacefully transferring power and working harder to win the next election, Ralston just wants to change the rules in the middle of game — change democracy, that is. 

He is pushing for a constitutional amendment that takes the choice of Secretary of State away from voters and puts it in the hands of lawmakers, ostensibly meaning the SOS would be beholden to the party in power rather than the people of Georgia. 

Ralston’s brand of good ole’ boy political cronyism and a party boss form of government is an affront to democracy and an assault on the will of the people. 

Ralston said, “I’m dead serious about this and so we can consider next session a constitutional amendment that would provide for the election of the Secretary of State of Georgia by the General Assembly and not in the fashion that it has been done for a long period of time.”

He wants to tear apart our form of government just because he did not get what he wanted or more accurately because someone he either admires, emulates or is afraid of didn’t get the four more years that he wanted. 

Speaking out of both sides of his mouth, Ralston said his push to no longer elect the Secretary of State in a democratic fashion wasn’t made with ill will, but he blasted the Secretary of State’s office for not showing up for his unilateral House Governmental Affairs meeting that delved into baseless conspiracy theories about a stolen election where Rudy Giuliani testified, making debunked claims that had already been thrown out of courts across the nation. 

The Secretary of State’s office said they declined to participate after their lawyers advised them not to due to pending litigation. Deputy Secretary Jordan Fuchs got it right when he said, “In a clear power grab, Ralston and the Trump campaign wants to give the General Assembly the power to select winners of elections and violate the will of the people.” 

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has shown integrity and a respect for law and for open and free elections in Georgia, all while being attacked by the President of the United States, Ralston and fellow Republicans including Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. 

Exactly when did Ralston and his faction of the Republican Party in Georgia become the party of cronyism? When did they become the enemies of democracy and open free elections? What other state offices does Ralston want to take out of the hands of voters? 

How about state representative, Mr. Ralston? Would that work? 

 

Jim Zachary is the editor of the Valdosta Daily Times, CNHI’s director of newsroom training and development and the president of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation.