Georgia elections officals gather in Savannah to discuss voting | savannahnow.com

With Monday’s signing of Georgia’s new ethics reform laws by Gov. Nathan Deal, the burden of processing many ethics reports will fall upon local officials.

Just the mention by Secretary of State Brian Kemp of the topic elicited a chorus of groans Monday at the start of the Georgia Election Officials Association’s three-day annual meeting at the Savannah Marriott Riverfront.

In addition to requiring greater campaign finance transparency and redefining the role of lobbyists, the laws also change who handles ethics reports.

While statewide and legislative candidates must still file electronically with the state, the new law beginning in January returns responsibility for receiving local candidate reports to officials such as county election supervisors or city clerks.

The past attempt to do it by the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission, which faced cuts to its operation, proved unsuccessful.

via Georgia elections officals gather in Savannah to discuss voting | savannahnow.com.