WATCH: Reps. Hank Johnson and Everton Blair, Georgia Leaders Expose How Trump is Trying to Take Over Georgia’s Elections

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Try And Stop Us convened a press call with Congressman Hank Johnson, Congressman Everton Blair, Georgia State Representative Dr. Jasmine Clark, and Democracy Defenders Action Senior Policy Counsel Jonathan Barry-Blocker on how Trump and Georgia Republicans are trying to seize control of Georgia’s elections ahead of November.

The call comes weeks after Republicans on Georgia’s State Election Board voted 3-2 to invite Trump’s Justice Department and Homeland Security into the state’s voting machines. The board’s executive director then went rogue, sending letters to both agencies without the board’s approval asking them to ban QR-code vote counting and investigate Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

“We know that Georgia is on Trump’s mind. We know that Georgia was at the forefront of his fake elector scheme. We know that he will do whatever he thinks will help him, whether it’s legal or not. We know that he’s come back to Georgia and used his law enforcement apparatus to seize the ballots cast by Fulton County citizens back in 2020,” said Congressman Hank Johnson. “We expect Trump to try just about anything to thwart us from voting, but we’re not going to allow that to happen.”

“We know that there are going to be schemes and threats that continue to happen over the next few weeks leading up to election day,” said Congressman Everton Blair. “We know that the the president likes to steal and cheat when he can’t have things his way. So we’re going to make sure that we are proactive and take every measure to defend democracy and make sure people have all the information they need leading up to these midterms to continue to exercise their civic right.”

“Instead of pivoting their strategy to actually address the real life issues and concerns of Georgians, Republicans are going back to their old playbook of trying to manipulate elections,” said State Representative Jasmine Clark. “Our state election board is no stranger to trying to find ways to change the outcomes of elections, not through changing policy, but through underhanded tactics. The reality is Republicans, both in Georgia and across the country, are refusing to stand up to Donald Trump and tell him that he lost the election in 2020. We are here six years later because they will not let it go.”

“Voters are mighty and constitutionally empowered to decide the political outcomes in our nation and in the state of Georgia, not elected leaders and not appointed politicians. If that wasn’t the the case, we wouldn’t see this extreme and desperate effort to frustrate the process for voters,” said Democracy Defenders Action Senior Policy Counsel Jonathan Barry-Blocker. “While it’s overwhelming to see the headlines, advocates are winning. The rule of law is standing. Courts are standing firm. You are not alone in this battle to preserve this nation and its democracy.”

A recording of the press call is available here.