December 14, 2022
Party Patriots, Election Integrity Network and the National Republican Senate Committee (NRSC), I would like thank all of you for your hard work and dedication to ensuring FITness –Faith, Integrity & Trust in our Midterm General and Run Off Elections. While the results of the U.S. Senate Run-Off Election did not achieve the outcome we desired, we can celebrate many victories with the reelection of Governor Brian Kemp, electing all Republican Constitutional Officers, flipping the Georgia 6th U.S Congressional Seat to elect Dr. Rich McCormick and retained our majority in the Georgia General Assembly. We also can say with confidence that by working together that we did secure our elections. I could not be prouder to serve with a team of Patriots like yourselves, who care as strongly as I do about the lives and livelihoods of Georgians and all Americans.
I am also grateful to each of you and for the sacrifices you made during this election cycle. Many of you poll watched Early Voting and Election Day for BOTH the general and runoff election! During a holiday weekend, you gave up time with family and friends. And several of you tirelessly volunteered as Vote Review Panelists, Absentee Ballot Observers and Election Night Observers. The time you invested is so valuable to us and I want to say thank you for your devotion and commitment.
Our list of those that we would like to appreciate is vast and is comprised of many wonderful people. First, many thanks to Jodi Diodati for coordinating the paid and volunteer poll watchers, VRPs and all election observers – all while running her own election for GA House District 90. She also donated her Run Off Team Captain Poll Watching Stipend to the DeKalb GOP. Many thanks to Bobbie Frantz for over the course of a weekend launching DeKalbPollWatchers.com and Rick Sheppard for facilitating seven days of poll watcher training during the Run Off. I also want to give a shout out to Joan Woods who volunteered for 13 Poll Watching Shifts during the General Election! And many thanks to Bonnie Chappell, Deborah Baker, Mike Bryan and Jayre Jones for their persistence and pursuit to ensure FITness. Additionally, thank you to Chet Martin, Jonathan Moseley, Stefan Castellucci and Jared Hooper of Georgia Victory for their organizational support, training, guidance, being a sounding board and answering our many 911s via Signal Chats, calls and texts!
I also want to extend my special thanks to Jenny Beth Martin and Julie Adams with the Tea Party Patriots and the Election Integrity Coalition who helped recruit and train poll watchers not just for DeKalb County, but in many other counties across Georgia! Your tireless work is making a huge difference in our state and I am so amazed by what you have accomplished at the grassroots level! We could not have done this without each of you.
I would also like to thank our poll workers to include Craig Schneider and Jan Appling who were on the front lines.
Finally, many thanks to our DeKalb Board of Elections Representatives – Vice Chairman Nancy Jester and Representative Anthony Lewis. We are also very grateful to the working relationship with Elections Director Keisha Smith and her team to include Julietta Henry, Tiffani Gilbert, Twyla Hart and Erin Austin.
While I will often speak about the many improvements that have been made in the DeKalb County Elections since 2020, I know full well that our elections are not perfect, and that it is going to take our continued efforts with our Joint Stakeholders, DeKalb Board of Registration and Elections and DeKalb Elections Office to ensure that our elections are legal and secure in the future. We will be compiling your reports, sharing your experiences and ideas for improvement with our elected officials and election office leadership in the months to come. Additionally, I would like to respectively ask each of you to take the Poll Watchers – Poll Workers – Election Processing Observers Survey.
Remember that there are so many ways that you can stay involved as we pivot to our municipal and presidential elections. All of you can make your voices heard at State & County Board meetings and to take an active part in contributing to the process of improving our elections. We also would like to invite you to join the Election Integrity Georgia Task Force mailing list and participate in their many working groups.
Our election integrity work is not finished as being FIT is a journey and ongoing commitment. Many thanks to all of you who have given so much to ensure FITness in our elections. Happy Holidays! Thank you!
With Best Regards,
Marci McCarthy, Chairman
DeKalb Republican Party