Georgia’s Republican Party has ousted one of its officials after an administrative law judge determined he illegally cast nine votes following his relocation to the state.
State Chairman Josh McKoon announced that the state Republican Committee voted 146-24 on Friday to remove Brian K. Pritchard, who served as its first vice chairman, during a closed meeting.
The Georgia Republican Party, like several others across the country, has been embroiled in internal conflict as supporters of Donald Trump have gained influence at local levels, displacing previous leaders and pushing the party to prioritize Trump’s baseless claims of electoral fraud in the 2020 election.
This internal strife has prompted many longstanding Georgia Republicans, including Governor Brian Kemp, to distance themselves from the state party apparatus. For instance, Kemp has chosen not to attend the upcoming state Republican Convention in Columbus.
Brian K. Prichard (Via Corey Jones/Shutterstock)
The push for “election integrity” among GOP activists has resulted in significant changes to Georgia’s election laws. Recently, Kemp signed a law that could streamline the process of removing individuals from voter rolls by allowing challenges to voter eligibility.
Under mounting pressure, Republicans passed a comprehensive law in 2021 that reduced the time frame for requesting mail-in ballots, restricted the use of ballot drop boxes, and prohibited providing food or water to voters waiting in line near polling places.
The revelations about Pritchard’s voting violations, highlighted by Administrative Law Judge Lisa Boggs in March, have been particularly embarrassing for many Republican activists. Boggs determined that Pritchard was still under probation when he moved to Gilmer County, Georgia, after being convicted in Pennsylvania in 1996 for forging signatures on checks totaling $38,000.
