Georgians should resolve to share real facts and safeguard elections in 2026

All these goals are worthy and timely. A new year offers a natural opportunity to reset and recommit to what matters most.

As an organization dedicated to safeguarding trust in Georgia’s elections, we’re urging fellow citizens to consider adding one more resolution in 2026: civic responsibility grounded in truth.

Debunked fraud claim emerged over the holidays

Let us explain.

Georgia is heading into a packed and consequential election cycle, with races for governor, U.S. Senate, statewide constitutional offices and countless legislative seats.

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Once again, all eyes will be on our state, and what happens here will influence behavior across the country.

Sadly, we just witnessed a reminder of what happens when misinformation goes unchecked and how quickly bad habits and bad actors can resurface.

Just days before Christmas and Kwanzaa, and amid Hanukkah celebrations, election deniers from 2020 reemerged with what they claimed was a long-awaited “smoking gun.”

An article from another outlet asserted that more than 315,000 early votes in Fulton County were “unsigned” and therefore illegal — supposed proof that Georgia’s 2020 election was fraudulent.

The claim was false. It was not new. And it had already been debunked years ago.

Still, it spread quickly across the internet and cable news. Overly dramatic headlines followed. Outrage was manufactured. Some hoped — once again — that this recycled claim would revive a narrative already discredited by multiple audits, recounts, court rulings and fact-checks.

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Fortunately, truth tellers didn’t sit quietly and let this lie metastasize any further.

Georgia election officials, including the secretary of state’s office, reiterated what had long been established: Georgia does not require voter signatures on the outside of absentee ballot envelopes to be scanned or publicly released as alleged. There were no missing votes, no illegal ballots and no evidence of fraud.

“Georgia has the most secure elections in the country, and all voters were verified with photo ID and lawfully cast their ballots,” said Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. “A clerical error at the end of the day does not erase valid, legal votes.”

Independent fact-checkers agreed with Raffensperger’s assessment, and even The Wall Street Journal editorial board rejected the claim, calling it “nonsense.”

By the time presents were opened and college football took center stage, the hysteria had subsided. But the episode should not be dismissed as harmless noise. It serves as a warning.

Influence your community to embrace healthy democratic habits

Those who sought to overturn Georgia’s election results in 2020 are still active and still willing to elevate half-truths and falsehoods to justify years of baseless claims. Facts, it seems, are optional when they interfere with a preferred conclusion.

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

We may not be able to change the minds of those committed to dishonesty and hysteria. But that is not where our responsibility lies.

We can influence those closest to us — friends, family, neighbors, co-workers and faith communities. That is where civic engagement begins and where healthy democratic habits take root.

As Georgia approaches the 2026 primaries and general election, voters should do what engaged citizens always have: Learn about the candidates, attend town halls, study the issues and vote their values.

But we should also commit to something more fundamental: identifying misinformation, sharing verified facts and refusing to amplify claims already disproven, no matter how personally or politically difficult this responsibility is.

Georgia has been in the national spotlight for years. How we conduct ourselves matters. We can disagree passionately about politics. That’s democracy. But we must agree that facts matter, and truth is not optional.

So, as we embrace healthier lifestyles in the new year, let’s reaffirm our commitment to healthier democratic habits as well.

Georgia will again be in the national spotlight in 2026. If we lead on these critical issues, America will notice. And if we safeguard trust in our elections, our best days remain ahead.

That’s a resolution worth keeping, this New Year and beyond.

Former Gov. Roy Barnes, former U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss and former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin are part of the Democracy Defense Project — Georgia. Barnes served as a Democrat, Chambliss as a Republican, and while the mayor’s post is nonpartisan, Franklin is a Democrat. The Democracy Defense Project is a bipartisan initiative led by former elected officials and civic leaders across Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to defend the transparency, safety, security and validity of U.S. elections.