Angie Thompson/Senior Reporter
CNHI
TIFTON —
David Chastain, a Libertarian running for the office of secretary of state for Georgia, said Wednesday that he has several ideas to administer the office more fairly and efficiently for citizens and businesses.
Chastain, of Acworth, said that he “wants to be an umpire and doesn’t want to build an empire.”
“As a Libertarian, I want to review the processes in the secretary of state’s office,” Chastain said. “I want to review the processes. I believe there has been an abuse of power.”
Chastain said he, like others in the state, has concerns about the use of Diebold voting machines. He said he spent a day in December in the research room of the State Archives studying election records from county referenda around Georgia and focused on single-issue referenda where there was only one question on the ballot.
Chastain said he sampled more than 50 elections ranging in size from 46,619 total ballots to 220 on such referendum issues as bonds, sales taxes and redevelopment powers. He said he found that almost .8 percent, or 1,378 of the total ballots cast, were blank or undercounted.
“I think the machines are flawed,” he said.
Chastain said he is fighting for ballot access reform. He said that independent candidates are required to gather 5 percent of the voters in the district in order to get on a ballot.
“I believe that some people had rather run as an independent,” Chastain said. “If they have the money to qualify, they should be able to get on the ballot.”
Other concerns Chastain mentioned included the current administrative processes in the secretary of state’s office. He said that he wants to evaluate processes and ensure that all employees are being treated fairly and that managers and supervisors are cooperating to provide the services paid for by taxes.
Chastain said that as a native Georgian, he has traveled the highways and back roads across the state and met business people and managers and witnessed the effects of government regulation, both good and bad.
“I want to make sure that all financial accounts are being used as intended by law and not abused for political gain,” Chastain said.
Chastain said that he is a logistics management analyst who works in the aeronautics industry. He will face incumbent Republican incumbent Brian Kemp and Democratic challenger Georganna Sinkfield in the General Election on Nov. 2.
