Voters would determine in November whether to amend the constitution to authorize a statewide panel to investigate alleged election violations.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Three Georgia state senators have introduced a proposed constitutional amendment that would authorize the creation of a statewide grand jury empowered to investigate alleged election violations across all counties.
Senate Resolution 875 would allow grand juries to examine election-related matters occurring anywhere in Georgia. Under the proposal, the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia would appoint a Superior Court judge to supervise the proceedings, while the state attorney general would designate a legal adviser to assist the panel.
If approved by the General Assembly, the amendment would be placed before Georgia voters in November for ratification as part of the state constitution.
Sen. Bill Cowsert, R-Athens, who chairs the Senate Special Committee on Investigations and is sponsoring the resolution, said the measure is intended to centralize oversight of election-related allegations that carry statewide implications.
“We have had this, I guess just a series of issues involving voting, different accusations, different prosecutions of different folks, even the apparently the federal government is involved at this point in some of these,” Cowsert said during a Friday committee meeting. “It seems to me that an issue like that that has statewide impact might be best handled by the Attorney General’s Office, who’s elected by the entire state, rather than leaving that with various district attorneys.”
Cowsert is currently a candidate for attorney general.
Under SR875, statewide grand juries would consist of between 13 and 23 members and could convene for a period not exceeding 12 months.
The resolution’s co-sponsors are Sens. Greg Dolezal of Cumming and Steve Gooch of Dahlonega, both of whom also serve on the Senate Special Committee on Investigations.
While Cowsert did not specifically reference Fulton County in his remarks, the proposal follows a series of high-profile developments tied to election-related investigations there. In January, the FBI seized ballots, tabulator tapes and other election materials during a raid in Fulton County. County officials have challenged the warrant and requested the return of the records.
The Senate Special Committee on Investigations was created to examine Fulton County’s prosecution of President Donald Trump and 18 others in an election interference case that was dismissed in November. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis appeared before the committee. Nathan Wade, the lead prosecutor in the case, did not comply with a subpoena to testify on Feb. 13. Willis was later disqualified from prosecuting the case after it was disclosed that she had a romantic relationship with Wade.
In addition to SR875, Cowsert, Dolezal and Gooch have introduced Senate Bill 605, which would expand the grounds for removing a district attorney or assistant district attorney from office. The proposed additions include failure to comply with Georgia laws governing inspection of public records and failure to “exercise impartiality in prosecutions.”
Both SR875 and Senate Bill 605 were introduced Wednesday and have not yet been assigned to committee.
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