“The Secretary of State holds a tremendous responsibility to Georgia’s voting electorate. I am honored and humbled by Governor Deal’s faith in me to take the helm and fulfill this responsibility. I intend to take on this role in the same way that I have approached my previous work in state government—with a focus on transparency and service to the people of our state.

“Today is my first full day serving as Secretary of State. Throughout the day, counties have been providing detailed reports to the Secretary of State’s office to account for all eligible ballots cast in the November 6, 2018 election. Once the Secretary of State’s office receives complete reports from all counties, we will publish these reports in an effort to ensure transparency and voter confidence in the election results.

“Under state law, counties must certify election results by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, November 13, 2018. State certification will take place after all counties have certified their results in accordance with the law. As Secretary of State, I am committed to election integrity, transparency, and statutory compliance.”