Georgia Secretary of State election, 2014

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Georgia Secretary of State Election

Primary Date: May 20, 2014

General Election Date: November 4, 2014

November 4 Election Winner: Brian Kemp

Incumbent prior to election: Brian Kemp

Georgia State Executive Elections Top Ballot Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General Down Ballot Superintendent, Insurance Commissioner, Agriculture Commissioner, Labor Commissioner, Public Service Commissioner

The Georgia Secretary of State election took place on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Brian Kemp (R) was first appointed in 2010 and ran for a another term in 2014. He faced Democratic candidate Doreen Carter in the general election. Kemp defeated Carter in the general election.

The primary election was held on May 20, 2014. Kemp was unchallenged in the Republican primary, meanwhile Democrats Doreen Carter and Gerald Beckum faced off for their party's nomination. Carter won over 68 percent of the primary vote, moving on to run against Kemp in the general election.

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Georgia utilizes an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Candidates

General election

Brian Kemp - Incumbent
Doreen Carter - Consultant, former Lithonia City Councilwoman

Lost in the primary

Gerald Beckum - Mayor of Oglethorpe, agribusiness contractor

Results

General election

Secretary of State of Georgia, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Brian Kemp Incumbent	57.5%	1,452,554
	Democrat	Doreen Carter	42.5%	1,075,101
Total Votes				2,527,655
Election results via Georgia Secretary of State

Primary election

Republican primary

• Uncontested

Democratic primary

Georgia Secretary of State, Democratic Primary, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Doreen Carter	68.8%	201,052
Gerald Beckum	31.2%	91,198
Total Votes		292,250
Election results via Georgia Secretary of State Election Results.

Campaign themes

Kemp and Carter made public statements about their priorities in the race for Georgia Secretary of State. The following sections quote these statements verbatim from campaign websites.

Doreen Carter

“	Doreen Carter is the Woman of Every... Doreen Carter meets the needs of Every Voter, Every Business, Every Professional, on Every Level. Doreen Carter is Committed to: Improve Operational Effectiveness Efficiency & Accountability Customer Service Enhance Election Process Protect Voter's Rights & Increase Access Expand Business Opportunities Spur Innovation Create New Markets Clean energy Technologies Empower Economic Growth Job Creation Rebuild our Infrastructure Restore Fairness & Opportunity	”
—Doreen Carter's campaign website, (2014)

Brian Kemp

“	SAFE & SECURE ELECTIONS As Georgia’s Chief Elections Officer, Secretary Kemp has implemented numerous e-government solutions for voters and established the state as a national model for election security. Because of Kemp’s innovative leadership, Georgians can now register to vote online or update their information through the new Online Voter Registration System. In just a few short months, over 30,000 Georgians have already taken advantage of this cutting edge technology. He also launched a new My Voter Page or “MVP” program that allows Georgians to view their sample ballot, find early voting locations and times, find their Election Day polling place, verify the status of their voter registration, and much more, all on their computers or mobile devices. Simply search for “GA Votes” in the app store for your Apple or Android device to find this nation-leading program. Because of Brian Kemp's visionary and conservative leadership, Georgia is the first state in the nation to offer a mobile app that includes the convenience of the MVP program and online voter registration. When Kemp took office as Secretary of State, Georgia’s voter registration system was decades old and costly to operate. To address this problem, Secretary Kemp successfully launched a new web based system for all 159 counties in Georgia. This e-government solution improved reliability and substantially cut costs. Protecting our elections from fraud and criminal activity is a top priority for Secretary Kemp. He is a strong and vocal advocate for Voter ID laws requiring voters to show some form of identification to vote. When the Obama Justice Department and liberals in Washington tried to undermine Kemp’s common sense election protection measures like the verification of citizenship of new registered voters, he sued them in federal court and won. Secretary Kemp also implemented his Stop Voter Fraud website and Voter Fraud Hotline allowing citizens to report questionable election activities online or by phone. Additionally, Kemp’s Investigations Division increased its partnerships with state and local law enforcement to investigate and prosecute voter fraud. Under Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s leadership, Georgia’s elections are secure, accessible and fair. Kemp continues his efforts every day to stop voter fraud and make it as easy as possible for all citizens to participate in the democratic process of choosing our leaders. CUTTING RED TAPE TO SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES As a small business owner himself, Brian Kemp is very sensitive to how government red tape can hinder the growth and prosperity of Georgia’s businesses and the efforts of hardworking men and women in Georgia. That’s why, as our Secretary of State, Brian Kemp has aggressively implemented fiscally conservative business principles and new technologies to help remove the government red tape and regulations that block economic recovery and job growth. In December 2011, Kemp launched the Invest Georgia Exemption (IGE) through his office’s Securities Division. The IGE gives Georgia businesses the ability to raise up to $1 million from Georgia residents in a public offering. This new form of “crowdfunding” provides greater investment opportunities for Georgia citizens and promotes the growth of Georgia’s small businesses. It is the perfect conservative policy solution that empowers entrepreneurs to succeed rather than government picking “winners and losers” in the marketplace. Thirty-one businesses have filed for the IGE since its inception, and it continues to grow each year. Also, real estate crowdfunding firm GroundFloor recently left North Carolina’s Research Triangle to establish their headquarters in Atlanta, publicly calling Georgia “the ideal headquarters for GroundFloor” because of IGE. Georgia’s small businesses and entrepreneurs have a bold champion in Secretary of State Brian Kemp. MAXIMIZING TECHNOLOGY TO BETTER SERVE TAXPAYERS The recent economic downturn has led to dramatic cuts across state government, especially in the Secretary of State’s Office. The divisions that handle professional licenses and corporate registrations have been severely impacted leading to longer call wait times and processing of requests. Over the last several years, Kemp has worked tirelessly to find efficiencies and maximize the use of new technology to help mitigate the impact of these cuts on hardworking Georgians. Kemp has merged call centers and overhauled internal processes to create efficiencies. He also hired a private sector technology firm to evaluate ways the Secretary of State’s office could better serve license holders and small businesses at a lower cost to taxpayers. One of those technological solutions has been the launch of a new official website to maximize online services and accessibility. Kemp also took bold steps to solve longstanding IT problems. When Kemp first took office, he discovered a corporate registration system with decades-old technology that crashed regularly. All of the data for Georgia’s corporations was at risk of a serious crash and possibly being lost permanently. To respond to this threat, Kemp implemented in 2013 a new online corporate registration and renewal system. The situation was dire and the quick transition did produce some challenges. However, Georgia’s corporate registration data is now safe and secure, and Kemp is continuing his efforts to upgrade and improve this critical system. A conservative business owner, Secretary Kemp strongly believes in accountability and transparency – especially with Georgians’ hard-earned tax dollars. That is why Kemp has been a leader in state government in implementing zero-based budgeting and streamlining his agency’s overall workforce and operations. To increase transparency, Secretary Kemp places both his zero-based budgeting plan and monthly expenditures on the agency website. Brian Kemp treats every tax dollar as if it were his own, making sure every penny is spent responsibly. WHAT’S NEXT – CONSERVATIVE LEADERSHIP FOR THE FUTURE With your support of Brian Kemp’s re-election as Secretary of State, what can you expect in the next four years? You can expect more of the same conservative leadership that always does the right thing and respects taxpayers. Secretary Kemp is currently working with leaders across the country to institute a Southeastern Presidential Primary date for 2016. Kemp’s goal is to maximize the impact of Georgia’s voters from both parties in selecting the next President of the United States. Georgians will have their voices heard on major issues, and may have a chance to personally meet their Presidential candidates over the next two years, thanks to Kemp’s efforts. As part of his continued efforts to provide quality e-government solutions, Kemp is already working on enhancements to the corporations website that will make it more secure and easier to use, including accessibility on mobile devices. Secretary Kemp continuously works with small businesses, investors and his Securities Division to identify new measures to protect consumers and increase opportunities for business growth in Georgia. Kemp will also continue to seek out new efficiencies and new technological solutions to save time and money for Georgia taxpayers. Four years ago, Georgia trusted Brian Kemp to serve as Secretary of State. He has repaid that trust with hard work, common sense solutions, and conservative leadership. If you trust him again this November, Secretary of State Brian Kemp will continue to fight for secure, accessible, and fair elections, for a Georgia that remains the #1 state in the country to operate a business, and for the best government services at the lowest cost possible to taxpayers. Brian Kemp delivers the common sense, conservative leadership Georgia deserves.	”
—Brian Kemp's campaign website, (2014)

Past elections

2010

2010 Race for Secretary of State - General Election
Party		Candidate	Vote Percentage
	Republican Party	a Brian Kemp	56.4%
	Democratic Party	Georganna Sinkfield	39.4%
	Libertarian Party	David Chastain	4.2%
Total Votes			2,552,722

Campaign finance

Comprehensive donor information for this election has been collected by Follow the Money. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of $512,054 during the election. This information was last updated on May 12, 2015.

Campaign Contribution Totals
Candidate	Office	Result	Contributions
Brian Kemp	Georgia Secretary of State		$484,184
Doreen Carter	Georgia Secretary of State		$22,161
Gerald Beckum	Georgia Secretary of State		$5,709
Grand Total Raised			$512,054

Key deadlines

Deadline	Event
March 7, 2014	Filing deadline for candidates
May 20, 2014	Primary election
June 27, 2014	Filing deadline for independent candidates
July 22, 2014	Primary runoff election
September 2, 2014	Deadline to file as a write-in candidate for the general election
November 4, 2014	General election
December 31, 2014	Inauguration day for public service commissioners elected in general election
January 12, 2015	Inauguration day for all other state executives elected in general election

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term "Georgia + Secretary + State + Election"

Georgia Secretary of State election, 2014 News Feed

See also

• Georgia Secretary of State
• Georgia state executive official elections, 2014
• State executive official elections, 2014

External links

Suggest a link

• Office of the Secretary of State of Georgia