H. Maxine Daniels, retired director of Voter Registration & Elections in DeKalb County, and Cynthia Welch, supervisor of Rockdale County Board of Elections & Voter Registration, have been appointed to Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s 18-member SAFE Commission.
Kemp created the Secure, Accessible & Fair Elections Commission (SAFE) to study options for Georgia’s next voting system. The SAFE Commission will conduct thorough discussions on all options – including the feasibility of using all hand-marked paper ballots to all electronic machines with a voter-verified paper trail – and travel the state to solicit feedback from stakeholders. Members will conduct cost analysis of market options, research post-election audit procedures, and provide legislative recommendations to lawmakers before the next session of Georgia’s General Assembly.
“This distinguished group of public servants is diverse, knowledgeable, and ready to engage with stakeholders to research the options for our state’s next voting system,” said Kemp. “It is an honor to serve alongside these individuals, who are committed to an open, transparent, and inclusive process where we set our politics aside and focus on how we can keep Georgia’s elections secure, accessible, and fair.”
Daniels, who retired last year as DeKalb’s elections supervisor, said she is looking forward to serving on the commission and developing a report for the future.
“Even though I have retired, I am still very interested in the elections,” said Daniels. “I’m excited that I was selected for the commission.
Welch said she also is looking forward to serving.
“I really appreciate being selected.It will be the beginning of looking at improvements and establishing a timeline to implement those changes after receiving input from the community, ” said Welch.
Details on the calendar of meetings and locations for the commission will be released at a later date, according to Kemp’s office.
The SAFE Commission’s members include the following:
Co-Chairs
Secretary of State Brian Kemp
State Representative Barry A. Fleming (R – Harlem)
State Legislators
State Representative James Beverly
(D – Macon)
State Senator Lester Jackson
(D – Savannah)
State Senator Brian Strickland
(R – McDonough)
Elections Officials
Lynn Bailey, Executive Director, Richmond County Board of Elections
Nancy Boren, Director of Elections & Voter Registration, Muscogee County
H. Maxine Daniels, retired director of Voter Registration & Elections, DeKalb County
Deidre Holden, Supervisor of Elections & Voter Registration, Paulding County
Darin McCoy, Probate Judge and Election Superintendent, Evans County
Cynthia Welch, supervisor, Rockdale County Board of Elections & Voter Registration Office
Information Technology and Cyber Security Expert
Wenke Lee, Co-Executive Director, Georgia Tech’s Institute for Information Security & Privacy (IISP)
Political Party Representatives
Michael Jablonski, General Counsel, Democratic Party of Georgia
John Monds, Libertarian Party of Georgia, Executive Committee
Vincent Russo, Deputy General Counsel, Georgia Republican Party
Voter Accessibility Expert
Amy Howell, Assistant Commissioner and General Counsel, Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD)
Voters At-Large
James “Jimmy” McDonald, Managing Principal, McDonald Firm, LLC
Sheila Ross, director of Capital Litigation, Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia