By Field Searcy

A Storm of Controversy: The Convention’s Vortex

The Georgia Republican Party and the Georgia Republican Assembly found themselves at the very center of a political and literal whirlwind during the recent Georgia Republican Convention in Dalton. As tornado warnings swept through the area, damaging the Dalton Convention Center, a different kind of storm brewed inside: a battle over election integrity and the right of delegates to choose how their votes would be cast and counted.

At the heart of the dispute was a proposal by election integrity advocates to use hand-marked paper ballots for the election of state party officers. Despite repeated assurances from Chairman Josh McKoon that the option would be available if it was the will of the body, delegates were ultimately denied the opportunity to even discuss or vote on the matter. This came after over a week and a half of sharing details of the plan. Concerted efforts by email, text, and attempted phone calls to GOP leadership to have a conversation on collaboration if the body voted for the paper ballot option were ignored.

Instead, the convention leadership preset the rules of the convention that enforced the use of RFID clickers—controversial electronic devices with known vulnerabilities and limited transparency.  Since then, evidence including transcripts from the convention and eyewitness testimony has emerged of coordinated efforts to block motions, manipulate the agenda, and control the flow of debate.

Even before coming to the convention, our intentions were called nefarious, and opponents tried to demonize us with name calling and making false statements about the process. We were completely transparent and in the open about our intentions, but the provocateurs couldn’t even stand in the sunshine. They did their conniving work in the shadows.

Parallels to Proverbs: Wisdom, Justice, and the Call to Do What Is Right

The events in Dalton echo the timeless wisdom of Proverbs 1 and 2 (NIV), which emphasize the importance of “doing what is right and just and fair”. Proverbs 1:3 states that the purpose of wisdom is “for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair.” This principle is not merely academic—it is the foundation of trust in any institution, especially one charged with upholding democratic processes.

Proverbs warns against those who “lie in wait for innocent blood” and “ambush only themselves” through schemes and ill-gotten gain. The text counsels: “do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths; for their feet rush into evil” (Proverbs 1:15-16 NIV). In the context of the convention, these verses resonate with the reports of behind-the-scenes plotting to deny the will of the delegates—a will that, according to polling, resolutions, and even a recent presidential order, overwhelmingly favored hand-marked paper ballots.

Proverbs 2 continues the theme, promising that those who seek wisdom “will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path” (Proverbs 2:9 NIV). It warns against those who “leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness” (Proverbs 2:13 KJV). The lesson for party leadership is clear: integrity and transparency are not optional; they are the very paths that preserve trust and unity.

The Paper Ballot Option: A Blueprint for Integrity

The advocates for hand-marked paper ballots came prepared—not just with rhetoric, but with a detailed, proven plan. The “Cherokee Method” of hand counting, already used successfully in the 2^nd Georgia GOP Congressional district election, was ready to be deployed. The method was developed to comply with Georgia Law 21-2-437 for full hand counting and certification of ballots at the precinct. Over 100 volunteers were trained, with all materials and procedures in place to ensure accuracy, transparency, and efficiency.

Key Features of the Cherokee Method:

• Full Chain of Custody: Sargent-at-Arms maintain control from ballot distribution to collection and counting, with clear documentation at every step.
• Transparency: Ballots are numbered, and the process is observable by candidate monitors and the public.
• Security: Ballots are collected in clear, lockable boxes and tracked throughout the process.
• Efficiency: Teams of four (two readers, two recorders) process batches of 50 ballots, with reconciliation protocols for any discrepancies. Guardians sort and batch the ballots, and supervisors oversee the process.
• Auditability: Every action is documented, and results are independently verified before being reported.

Three thousand (3000) numbered ballots and three thousand (3000) numbered runoff ballots had been printed along with all batch cover sheets, tally sheets, and batch summary sheets needed to conduct the election.  A sample ballot and step-by-step process was shared before the convention, demonstrating how straightforward and familiar the process could be for delegates.

Distribution and Reliability Issues with Clickers

The predetermination of using the clickers including the manipulation of the agenda and Roberts Rules of Order, one has to ask, what did they fear? There was more discussion about how fast we could adjourn so people could go to dinner than the seriousness of the business we were conducting.

The process of distributing the controversial RFID clickers to nearly 2,000 delegates was notably inefficient and problematic. It took almost an hour just to hand out the devices and conduct a few basic tests, which ultimately failed to validate the accuracy of the clickers’ results. Many delegates experienced malfunctions with their clickers, requiring replacements and causing further delays and confusion. This undermined confidence in the technology, especially given the lack of transparency and the limited ability to independently verify the results.

Comparative Efficiency of Hand Counting

Election integrity advocates have pointed out that, based on recent real-world experience in the City of Milton and other Georgia GOP districts, the entire first round of voting could have been hand counted in about the same amount of time as it took to distribute and troubleshoot the clickers. The “Cherokee Method” for hand counting, which was fully prepared for the convention, involves distributing pre-numbered paper ballots row by row, collecting them in clear, lockable boxes, and then assigning batches of 50 ballots to trained tally teams.

Each tally team, consisting of two readers and two independent recorders, can process a batch in a maximum of 49 minutes, with an additional 8 minutes for reconciliation if discrepancies arise. With 20 teams working simultaneously, the entire process for counting all races for 2,000 ballots could be completed in roughly one hour. This method has been successfully used in the 2^nd Georgia GOP district conventions and is designed to ensure accuracy, transparency, and public confidence—key principles of “doing what is right, just, and fair” as emphasized in Proverbs. Since the business portion of the agenda was never published nor voted on by the convention body, the order of activities could have been arranged to accommodate voting earlier and there would have been no delay in the convention.

Summary Table: Clickers vs. Hand Count (Cherokee Method)

A Lost Opportunity: The Aftermath

Despite all preparations and the clear will of the majority—over 64% of Republican voters favored paper ballots in the 2024 primary, and both the RNC and Georgia GOP Election Integrity Task Force had passed resolutions supporting them—the leadership chose a different path. The result has been ongoing division, with some boasting about having “won” by denying the paper ballot option, while others decry what they see as a betrayal of the party’s stated values and the wisdom of “doing what is right, just, and fair.”

The convention could have been a showcase for election integrity, demonstrating to skeptics and supporters alike that transparent, verifiable, and auditable elections are possible—even with 2,000 delegates, the size of a typical city precinct. Instead, the opportunity was lost in a whirlwind of procedural maneuvering and technological controversy. Seventy percent (70%) of Americans vote on hand marked paper ballots. Why is Georgia behind and dragging their feet on election integrity? In fact, we already Georgia Laws and Rules and Regulations that just need to be followed.

Conclusion: Wisdom’s Call Amid the Storm

The events at the Dalton convention serve as a cautionary tale and a call to return to the principles laid out in Proverbs: seek wisdom, pursue justice, and act with fairness. As the proverb says, “let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance” (Proverbs 1:5 NIV). Only by doing what is right, just, and fair can the Georgia GOP—and any institution—weather the storms of division and emerge with its integrity intact.

Voter integrity is a neutral issue that impacts every Georgian. The Georgia Republican leadership, who claim to support election integrity could have demonstrated why they are the leader, yet they abdicated the mantle.

The whirlwind in Dalton was not just meteorological; it was moral. And at its center, the question remains: will leaders choose the path of wisdom, or continue down roads that lead only to further division and distrust? The answer will shape not only the party’s future but the very foundation of trust in our democratic process.

Authors Note: The author of this account is a co-founder of Georgians For Truth whose mission is election integrity. For more information, visit our www.georgiansfortruth.org, on X, or Rumble.