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Integrity Counts
In Integrity Counts , lifelong Republican and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger speaks out against the former president’s false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election and hopes to restore confidence and trust in our country’s elections.
“Brad Raffensperger put public service above party service, and for that he is a true democracy action hero, and he is also my hero. His book serves as a reminder that American democracy is bigger than any individual candidate or election.”
—THE HON. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, former governor of California
Integrity stands as the cornerstone of American democracy.
Brad Raffensperger, Georgia Secretary of State, defended American democracy by refusing to bend to demands that he change the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election in his state.
Raffensperger’s defense of democracy made him a target of President Donald Trump for months following the election, culminating in an hour-long phone call in which the president told him, “I just want to find 11,780 votes,” the exact number he needed to win Georgia’s sixteen Electoral College votes. Once again, Raffensperger refused. Georgia voters had spoken.
A lifelong conservative Republican who had financially supported President Trump’s reelection campaign and voted for Trump, Raffensperger called for a hand recount of every vote to confirm the results and affirm the integrity of Georgia’s election. Still President Trump persisted in his personal attacks.
One of the most troubling questions in the wake of the 2020 election, Raffensperger says, is whether America will see every candidate who loses a major election refuse to accept the results and, instead, set out to raise money and build support on unfounded claims of fraud and corruption. To avoid that prospect, Americans must come to terms with the scope of the problem, but doing so won’t be comfortable for either party.
Either party because the 2020 crisis was not unprecedented in Georgia. By November 2020, Raffensperger had been challenging the claims of a “stolen election” for nearly two years. In the fall of 2018, after Democrat Stacey Abrams lost the race for governor of Georgia, she told a crowd of supporters, “So, to be clear, this is not a speech of concession. Concession means to acknowledge an action is right, true, or proper. As a woman of conscience and faith, I cannot concede.”
The similarities don’t end there, and when considered with some care, they paint a troubling picture of an all-too-bipartisan willingness to undermine the integrity of our democracy, and the public’s confidence in it, for the sake of personal and partisan gain.
Integrity Counts tells Raffensperger’s inspiring story of commitment to the integrity of American democracy.
“Brad Raffensperger put public service above party service, and for that he is a true democracy action hero, and he is also my hero. His book serves as a reminder that American democracy is bigger than any individual candidate or election.”
—THE HON. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, former governor of California
Integrity stands as the cornerstone of American democracy.
Brad Raffensperger, Georgia Secretary of State, defended American democracy by refusing to bend to demands that he change the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election in his state.
Raffensperger’s defense of democracy made him a target of President Donald Trump for months following the election, culminating in an hour-long phone call in which the president told him, “I just want to find 11,780 votes,” the exact number he needed to win Georgia’s sixteen Electoral College votes. Once again, Raffensperger refused. Georgia voters had spoken.
A lifelong conservative Republican who had financially supported President Trump’s reelection campaign and voted for Trump, Raffensperger called for a hand recount of every vote to confirm the results and affirm the integrity of Georgia’s election. Still President Trump persisted in his personal attacks.
One of the most troubling questions in the wake of the 2020 election, Raffensperger says, is whether America will see every candidate who loses a major election refuse to accept the results and, instead, set out to raise money and build support on unfounded claims of fraud and corruption. To avoid that prospect, Americans must come to terms with the scope of the problem, but doing so won’t be comfortable for either party.
Either party because the 2020 crisis was not unprecedented in Georgia. By November 2020, Raffensperger had been challenging the claims of a “stolen election” for nearly two years. In the fall of 2018, after Democrat Stacey Abrams lost the race for governor of Georgia, she told a crowd of supporters, “So, to be clear, this is not a speech of concession. Concession means to acknowledge an action is right, true, or proper. As a woman of conscience and faith, I cannot concede.”
The similarities don’t end there, and when considered with some care, they paint a troubling picture of an all-too-bipartisan willingness to undermine the integrity of our democracy, and the public’s confidence in it, for the sake of personal and partisan gain.
Integrity Counts tells Raffensperger’s inspiring story of commitment to the integrity of American democracy.
- GenresPoliticsNonfictionMemoir
240 pages, Hardcover
Published November 2, 2021
41 people are currently reading
145 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 23, 2022
Although I come from the opposite side of the aisle from Mr. Raffensperger, I would put my trust in him to protect his state, and for that matter, this country's elections. This book SHOULD be REQUIRED reading, IMO - it's that important. Sadly, the folks who need it the most won't read it, and wouldn't belive it, anyway. But, reading a transcript of the infamous phone call - it just blew me away, how this country could possibly have elected such stupidity and plain criminality. Mr. Raffensperger writes with quiet lucidity, and calmness, of the 2 months between the 2016 election and 1-6-21, and makes me realize just how fragile and precious our democratic republic IS. I pray he and his family remain safe. Excellent book, excellent explanation of HOW our voting system SHOULD work, and in GA, DID work!
March 19, 2024
A DEVASTATING REFUTATION OF ‘ELECTION FRAUD’ CLAIMS (TRUMP’S, AND OTHERS)
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger wrote in the Introduction to this 2021 book, “I don’t expect history to long remember the name Brad Raffensperger. I do, however, believe future generations of Americans will remember these times when a president who lost an election refused to concede and instead went about challenging the integrity of America’s core democratic institutions… he persuaded many of his supporters---with anger and indignation, but without real evidence---that he was the rightful winner. The political system and the courts alike rejected his claims, but many voters, fanned by the president’s rhetoric, were convinced that those institutions were part of the problem… and the election system had failed them. As secretary of state for the state of Georgia, I stood at times as subject, object, and target in the unfolding drama. In these pages, I will share my experiences and observations with the hope my words might help rebuild confidence in our elections…
“When President Donald Trump … on January 6, 2021, proclaimed, ‘We will never concede… You don’t concede when there’s theft involved,’ my mind leaped back to … 2018, when Stacey Abrams, who had just lost the race for governor of Georgia, told a crowd of supporters, ‘So, to be clear, this is not a speech of concession. Concession means to acknowledge an action is right, true and proper. As a woman of conscience and faith, I cannot concede.’ The similarities … paint a troubling picture of an all-too-bipartisan willingness to undermine the integrity of our democracy, and the public’s confidence in it, for the sake of personal…gain… The fact is this: Our elections are both fairer and more secure than they have been at any point in our history… evidence of widespread fraud is exceedingly rare. And yet, thanks to irresponsible rhetoric from … both parties, Americans are increasingly skeptical of … elections.”
He recalls, “President Trump had tweeted insults and threats at me and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp. Now he was directly attacking the election itself. He was asking me, as Georgia’s secretary of state, to ‘find 11,780 votes’---enough for him to claim a win in our state. I could not do that, because the data didn’t support it. In my analysis… there were not 11,780 votes to be found… my team and I focused our efforts to head off every possible avenue for election fraud… [R]ight after COVID-19 hit, I created the Absentee Ballot Fraud Task Force because I fully expected more voters would want to vote from the safety of their homes rather than risk going out and voting in a public setting… I voted for President Trump, and I am a lifelong conservative Republican… But I could not do what he asked, because the numbers just weren’t there… Was I disappointed in the outcome? Yes. Could I change the outcome? No.” (Pg. 15)
He continues, "Questions and cynicism about our elections … have diminished trust from both Republicans and Democrats. Some falsely believed that Russian hackers altered votes in the 2016 … election and allowed Trump to defeat Hillary Clinton. Some Georgia Democrats made false claims that voters were suppressed or that … voting machines allowed Republican Brian Kemp to defeat Stacey Abrams… Trump’s attack … was louder and more destructive … than any that preceded to it… Neil Cavuto had interviewed me… I explained why the votes did not add up to a win for President Trump. ‘Here are the facts… Twenty thousand … traditional Republican voters [who had voted in the June primary] just skipped the presidential race… Thousands of Georgians had voted for Republican candidates down the ballot, but for Biden at the top of the ticket… To confirm the accuracy of the results, we recounted every legal ballot in every country by machine and by hand… We brought in … experts to augment our … investigator staff auditing signatures on absentee ballot envelopes. Every count, recount, and audit led to the same result: Biden received more votes than Trump in Georgia.” (Pg. 16-17)
He asserts, “I have consistently seen Democrats attack efforts to ensure integrity in the election and voter registration processes. From photo ID laws to … citizenship verification, Democrats opposed every single one with inflammatory rhetoric and lawsuits… Due to protections like precinct-based voting, photo ID, and restrictions on … pressuring voters around polling places, in-person voting is very secure.” (Pg. 75-76)
He notes, “on Election Day… turnout was several hundred thousand fewer than anticipated, and that did not bode well for President Trump. For months he had insisted that mail-in, or absentee, ballots were ‘fraudulent,’ and many Georgia Republicans listened… so we expected them to show up on Election Day. Many of them did not.” (Pg. 95) He adds, “we investigated all complaints received and looked for any evidence of widespread fraud… We saw… voters going to the wrong location… poll workers forgetting the keys to the building leading to a polling place and opening up late, and minor equipment issues… We did not see any evidence of widespread fraud. Even President Trump’s own Department of Justice appointee found zero evidence to back up the president’s claims.” (Pg. 98)
He reports that on November 12, “President Trump tweeted misinformation regarding Dominion Voting Systems machines: … 'Dominion deleted 2.7 million Trump votes nationwide… 21,000 Pennsylvania votes switched from President Trump to Biden… states using Dominion Voting Systems switched 435,000 votes from Trump to Biden.’ I need to emphasize this point: This was not possible---not on a machine-by-machine basis, not by alleged hacking, not by manipulating software, and not by imagined ways of ‘sending’ votes to overseas locations.” (Pg. 111)
He recounts, “Sidney Powell appeared on Newsmax to discuss her legal strategy for President Trump. It’s likely that this was the interview that led to her dismissal from the president’s legal team. ‘Georgia’s probably going to be the first state I’m gonna blow up,’ she said… ‘I also wonder where Hugo Chavez [former president of Venezuela] got the technology… Because I think it’ s him or… the CIA.’ … Asked about the lawsuit she planned to file the following week, Powell said, ‘It will be biblical.’” The next day, “Rudy Guiliani and Jenna Ellis released a statement … ‘Sidney Powell is practicing law on her own. She is not a member of the Trump legal team.’” (Pg. 126-127)
He then prints “a complete, unedited transcript of the [Jan. 2, 2021] call, annotated with my thoughts”; [Trump asserted] “50s of thousands… [of] people that went to vote … were told they can’t vote because they’ve already been voted for. We’ll have it for you…” Raffensperger comments. “The secretary of state’s office never received a report… for the Trump campaign. If thousands had been turned away from the polls as Trump describes, surely one of them would have contacted our office.” (Pg. 166)
Trump charged, “there was a major water main break. Everybody fled the area. And then they came back, [Ruby Freeman] and her daughter and a few people. There were no Republican poll watchers…” Raffensperger comments, “This comment centers on the State Farm Arena disinformation campaign spread by Rudy Guiliani and his team… State Farm Arena was under 24-7 video surveillance. There was no major water break. One toilet in one bathroom was leaking. Nobody fled the area. At around 10:30 p.m., election workers … were told they could go home for the night and come back on Wednesday morning to resume counting. Before leaving, they … sealed all of the ballots in boxes… I said they needed to keep counting… and they went back to work about forty minutes later. They reopened the boxes… All of their movements are on video… Guiliani and his team selectively sliced … the video and conjured up a false narrative to fit his disinformation campaign.” (Pg. 168-169)
About out-of-state voters, Raffensperger explains, “More people than usual were temporarily staying in their second homes… due to the COVID-19 pandemic… we estimate that fewer than 300 people statewide may have voted in Georgia after they moved out of state. That… is why I prefer in-person voting with photo ID, but it’s not close to changing the results of the election.” (Pg. 170-171) After reporting, “President Trump had just talked for almost twenty minutes, claiming that he had won the election. He had also filed a lawsuit against us… These were my first words on the call, and I needed to say… that I disagreed with him.” (Pg. 175)
Trump said, “It is more illegal for you … because, you know what they did and you’re not reporting it. That’s a … criminal offense… That’s a big risk to you and to [general counsel] Ryan [Germany]. And that’s a big risk.” Raffensperger comments, “Now President Trump is using what he believes is the power of his position to threaten Ryan and me with prosecution if we don’t do what he tells us to do. It was nothing but an attempt at manipulation.” (Pg. 191) Trump pleaded, “I only need 11,000 votes. Fellas, I need 11,000 votes. Give me a break.” (Pg. 195)
Trump complains, “Why don’t you want to find this, Ryan… I’m sure you’re a good lawyer. You have a nice last name… why do you keep fighting this? It just doesn’t make sense… So tell me, Brad, what are we going to do? We won the election, and it’s not fair to take it away from us like this.” Raffensperger repeats, “We recounted, we reexamined with professional law enforcement officers, and we found the answers. They were not the answers President Trump wanted to hear, but they were the facts.” (Pg. 196-197)
He reprints a 10-page January 6 letter to Congress including a ‘Point By Point Refutation of False Claims,’ which “fall into four broad categories: 1) allegations regarding Dominion voting machines, 2) allegations regarding absentee ballots, 3) allegations regarding poll watchers, and 4) allegations of votes cast by ineligible voters.” He concludes, “I know that half the people are going to be happy after an election and the other half are going to be upset. My job is to make sure that both sides know that the results are accurate. That is why I ordered a hand audit, a recount, a signature audit in Cobb County, and a statewide signature study … We do not have to like the results of an election to accept them.” (Pg. 208-217)
He concludes, “Integrity counts… I’m a regular American who had to make a choice. I chose integrity and the truth… you will come to that proverbial fork in the road someday and have to make the same decision---do what is right, or choose what is expedient… The truth I have shared in this book is supported by the facts… I have written this book for people who want to know and understand how we got to this point in America where a sizeable segment of Americans from both sides of the aisle don’t trust the election process and the results… Georgia … plays a key role in this national drama.” (Pg. 225-226)
This book will be “must reading” for anyone interested in the 2020 election, and the claims about ‘election fraud.’
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger wrote in the Introduction to this 2021 book, “I don’t expect history to long remember the name Brad Raffensperger. I do, however, believe future generations of Americans will remember these times when a president who lost an election refused to concede and instead went about challenging the integrity of America’s core democratic institutions… he persuaded many of his supporters---with anger and indignation, but without real evidence---that he was the rightful winner. The political system and the courts alike rejected his claims, but many voters, fanned by the president’s rhetoric, were convinced that those institutions were part of the problem… and the election system had failed them. As secretary of state for the state of Georgia, I stood at times as subject, object, and target in the unfolding drama. In these pages, I will share my experiences and observations with the hope my words might help rebuild confidence in our elections…
“When President Donald Trump … on January 6, 2021, proclaimed, ‘We will never concede… You don’t concede when there’s theft involved,’ my mind leaped back to … 2018, when Stacey Abrams, who had just lost the race for governor of Georgia, told a crowd of supporters, ‘So, to be clear, this is not a speech of concession. Concession means to acknowledge an action is right, true and proper. As a woman of conscience and faith, I cannot concede.’ The similarities … paint a troubling picture of an all-too-bipartisan willingness to undermine the integrity of our democracy, and the public’s confidence in it, for the sake of personal…gain… The fact is this: Our elections are both fairer and more secure than they have been at any point in our history… evidence of widespread fraud is exceedingly rare. And yet, thanks to irresponsible rhetoric from … both parties, Americans are increasingly skeptical of … elections.”
He recalls, “President Trump had tweeted insults and threats at me and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp. Now he was directly attacking the election itself. He was asking me, as Georgia’s secretary of state, to ‘find 11,780 votes’---enough for him to claim a win in our state. I could not do that, because the data didn’t support it. In my analysis… there were not 11,780 votes to be found… my team and I focused our efforts to head off every possible avenue for election fraud… [R]ight after COVID-19 hit, I created the Absentee Ballot Fraud Task Force because I fully expected more voters would want to vote from the safety of their homes rather than risk going out and voting in a public setting… I voted for President Trump, and I am a lifelong conservative Republican… But I could not do what he asked, because the numbers just weren’t there… Was I disappointed in the outcome? Yes. Could I change the outcome? No.” (Pg. 15)
He continues, "Questions and cynicism about our elections … have diminished trust from both Republicans and Democrats. Some falsely believed that Russian hackers altered votes in the 2016 … election and allowed Trump to defeat Hillary Clinton. Some Georgia Democrats made false claims that voters were suppressed or that … voting machines allowed Republican Brian Kemp to defeat Stacey Abrams… Trump’s attack … was louder and more destructive … than any that preceded to it… Neil Cavuto had interviewed me… I explained why the votes did not add up to a win for President Trump. ‘Here are the facts… Twenty thousand … traditional Republican voters [who had voted in the June primary] just skipped the presidential race… Thousands of Georgians had voted for Republican candidates down the ballot, but for Biden at the top of the ticket… To confirm the accuracy of the results, we recounted every legal ballot in every country by machine and by hand… We brought in … experts to augment our … investigator staff auditing signatures on absentee ballot envelopes. Every count, recount, and audit led to the same result: Biden received more votes than Trump in Georgia.” (Pg. 16-17)
He asserts, “I have consistently seen Democrats attack efforts to ensure integrity in the election and voter registration processes. From photo ID laws to … citizenship verification, Democrats opposed every single one with inflammatory rhetoric and lawsuits… Due to protections like precinct-based voting, photo ID, and restrictions on … pressuring voters around polling places, in-person voting is very secure.” (Pg. 75-76)
He notes, “on Election Day… turnout was several hundred thousand fewer than anticipated, and that did not bode well for President Trump. For months he had insisted that mail-in, or absentee, ballots were ‘fraudulent,’ and many Georgia Republicans listened… so we expected them to show up on Election Day. Many of them did not.” (Pg. 95) He adds, “we investigated all complaints received and looked for any evidence of widespread fraud… We saw… voters going to the wrong location… poll workers forgetting the keys to the building leading to a polling place and opening up late, and minor equipment issues… We did not see any evidence of widespread fraud. Even President Trump’s own Department of Justice appointee found zero evidence to back up the president’s claims.” (Pg. 98)
He reports that on November 12, “President Trump tweeted misinformation regarding Dominion Voting Systems machines: … 'Dominion deleted 2.7 million Trump votes nationwide… 21,000 Pennsylvania votes switched from President Trump to Biden… states using Dominion Voting Systems switched 435,000 votes from Trump to Biden.’ I need to emphasize this point: This was not possible---not on a machine-by-machine basis, not by alleged hacking, not by manipulating software, and not by imagined ways of ‘sending’ votes to overseas locations.” (Pg. 111)
He recounts, “Sidney Powell appeared on Newsmax to discuss her legal strategy for President Trump. It’s likely that this was the interview that led to her dismissal from the president’s legal team. ‘Georgia’s probably going to be the first state I’m gonna blow up,’ she said… ‘I also wonder where Hugo Chavez [former president of Venezuela] got the technology… Because I think it’ s him or… the CIA.’ … Asked about the lawsuit she planned to file the following week, Powell said, ‘It will be biblical.’” The next day, “Rudy Guiliani and Jenna Ellis released a statement … ‘Sidney Powell is practicing law on her own. She is not a member of the Trump legal team.’” (Pg. 126-127)
He then prints “a complete, unedited transcript of the [Jan. 2, 2021] call, annotated with my thoughts”; [Trump asserted] “50s of thousands… [of] people that went to vote … were told they can’t vote because they’ve already been voted for. We’ll have it for you…” Raffensperger comments. “The secretary of state’s office never received a report… for the Trump campaign. If thousands had been turned away from the polls as Trump describes, surely one of them would have contacted our office.” (Pg. 166)
Trump charged, “there was a major water main break. Everybody fled the area. And then they came back, [Ruby Freeman] and her daughter and a few people. There were no Republican poll watchers…” Raffensperger comments, “This comment centers on the State Farm Arena disinformation campaign spread by Rudy Guiliani and his team… State Farm Arena was under 24-7 video surveillance. There was no major water break. One toilet in one bathroom was leaking. Nobody fled the area. At around 10:30 p.m., election workers … were told they could go home for the night and come back on Wednesday morning to resume counting. Before leaving, they … sealed all of the ballots in boxes… I said they needed to keep counting… and they went back to work about forty minutes later. They reopened the boxes… All of their movements are on video… Guiliani and his team selectively sliced … the video and conjured up a false narrative to fit his disinformation campaign.” (Pg. 168-169)
About out-of-state voters, Raffensperger explains, “More people than usual were temporarily staying in their second homes… due to the COVID-19 pandemic… we estimate that fewer than 300 people statewide may have voted in Georgia after they moved out of state. That… is why I prefer in-person voting with photo ID, but it’s not close to changing the results of the election.” (Pg. 170-171) After reporting, “President Trump had just talked for almost twenty minutes, claiming that he had won the election. He had also filed a lawsuit against us… These were my first words on the call, and I needed to say… that I disagreed with him.” (Pg. 175)
Trump said, “It is more illegal for you … because, you know what they did and you’re not reporting it. That’s a … criminal offense… That’s a big risk to you and to [general counsel] Ryan [Germany]. And that’s a big risk.” Raffensperger comments, “Now President Trump is using what he believes is the power of his position to threaten Ryan and me with prosecution if we don’t do what he tells us to do. It was nothing but an attempt at manipulation.” (Pg. 191) Trump pleaded, “I only need 11,000 votes. Fellas, I need 11,000 votes. Give me a break.” (Pg. 195)
Trump complains, “Why don’t you want to find this, Ryan… I’m sure you’re a good lawyer. You have a nice last name… why do you keep fighting this? It just doesn’t make sense… So tell me, Brad, what are we going to do? We won the election, and it’s not fair to take it away from us like this.” Raffensperger repeats, “We recounted, we reexamined with professional law enforcement officers, and we found the answers. They were not the answers President Trump wanted to hear, but they were the facts.” (Pg. 196-197)
He reprints a 10-page January 6 letter to Congress including a ‘Point By Point Refutation of False Claims,’ which “fall into four broad categories: 1) allegations regarding Dominion voting machines, 2) allegations regarding absentee ballots, 3) allegations regarding poll watchers, and 4) allegations of votes cast by ineligible voters.” He concludes, “I know that half the people are going to be happy after an election and the other half are going to be upset. My job is to make sure that both sides know that the results are accurate. That is why I ordered a hand audit, a recount, a signature audit in Cobb County, and a statewide signature study … We do not have to like the results of an election to accept them.” (Pg. 208-217)
He concludes, “Integrity counts… I’m a regular American who had to make a choice. I chose integrity and the truth… you will come to that proverbial fork in the road someday and have to make the same decision---do what is right, or choose what is expedient… The truth I have shared in this book is supported by the facts… I have written this book for people who want to know and understand how we got to this point in America where a sizeable segment of Americans from both sides of the aisle don’t trust the election process and the results… Georgia … plays a key role in this national drama.” (Pg. 225-226)
This book will be “must reading” for anyone interested in the 2020 election, and the claims about ‘election fraud.’
March 13, 2023
If you are a citizen of the US, I recommend this book.
Regardless of your political leanings, this is a must-read. The 2020 presidential election resulted in one of the most controversial in US history. Opinions were stern, most people refusing to listen to anyone who disagreed. Somehow, out of the 50 states, more focus was placed on the Georgia results than anywhere else. Sides were chosen, often without examining details of Georgia election laws, the roles of elected officials, and listening to opposing views.
Brad Raffensperger served as Secretary of State for Georgia during this conflict. After three recounts, his verdict was that the original count remained. The drama unfolded, including some demanding he should be removed from office, death threats, and a protest at the state capitol the same day as the infamous US Capitol insurrection.
A word for word transcript of the 'famous call' from the president to the secretary of state is included in this story, along with detailed information about why decisions were made pertaining to this election. I think most voters are unaware of the details of what happens behind the scenes of an election, but all is explained in an easy to read, interesting way.
While it may sound too textbook, it is anything but that. It is a story that will capture your interest from the first page and become a can't put down page-turner once the drama begins to unfold. It basically boils down to the choice of fact or opinion and loyalty or duty.
A well deserved 5 star book.
Regardless of your political leanings, this is a must-read. The 2020 presidential election resulted in one of the most controversial in US history. Opinions were stern, most people refusing to listen to anyone who disagreed. Somehow, out of the 50 states, more focus was placed on the Georgia results than anywhere else. Sides were chosen, often without examining details of Georgia election laws, the roles of elected officials, and listening to opposing views.
Brad Raffensperger served as Secretary of State for Georgia during this conflict. After three recounts, his verdict was that the original count remained. The drama unfolded, including some demanding he should be removed from office, death threats, and a protest at the state capitol the same day as the infamous US Capitol insurrection.
A word for word transcript of the 'famous call' from the president to the secretary of state is included in this story, along with detailed information about why decisions were made pertaining to this election. I think most voters are unaware of the details of what happens behind the scenes of an election, but all is explained in an easy to read, interesting way.
While it may sound too textbook, it is anything but that. It is a story that will capture your interest from the first page and become a can't put down page-turner once the drama begins to unfold. It basically boils down to the choice of fact or opinion and loyalty or duty.
A well deserved 5 star book.
December 18, 2021
An honest and brave man
This book not only gave me further insight into a story that was the topic of much news coverage, it introduced the man that was the subject of the flack. That man, Brad Raffensperger did the job the people of Georgia elected him to do and would not yield to pressure to do otherwise. He is a brave and honest man.
This book not only gave me further insight into a story that was the topic of much news coverage, it introduced the man that was the subject of the flack. That man, Brad Raffensperger did the job the people of Georgia elected him to do and would not yield to pressure to do otherwise. He is a brave and honest man.
February 4, 2022
Raffensperger painstakingly details the steps he and other officials took to verify the Georgia 2020 Presidential election results. He also includes the transcript of the January 2, 2021 Trump phone call. That chapter clearly points out how desperate Trump was. All of Trump's "evidence of fraud" is clearly rebutted. The four lawsuits Trump filed in Georgia were withdrawn.
November 11, 2021
Worth reading for a balanced viewpoint
I enjoyed this book very much. Considering myself an Independent voter, I try to get both viewpoints on issues and I felt this book achieved that. The author was careful to point out the similarity between the 2018 Democratic protest of the lost Governor race and the contention by a losing 2020 Republican candidate for President since neither candidate ever conceded that they lost. The details included of the Election processes could sometimes slow down the storyline, but it certainly clarified the situation.
I have only one issue with the writing and that was to do with the ballot harvesting issue. Because I lived in North Carolina when the race he referenced occurred it seems slightly disingenuous that he didn't identify that the ballot harvestor was a Republican operative.
I enjoyed this book very much. Considering myself an Independent voter, I try to get both viewpoints on issues and I felt this book achieved that. The author was careful to point out the similarity between the 2018 Democratic protest of the lost Governor race and the contention by a losing 2020 Republican candidate for President since neither candidate ever conceded that they lost. The details included of the Election processes could sometimes slow down the storyline, but it certainly clarified the situation.
I have only one issue with the writing and that was to do with the ballot harvesting issue. Because I lived in North Carolina when the race he referenced occurred it seems slightly disingenuous that he didn't identify that the ballot harvestor was a Republican operative.
March 7, 2022
Bravo Mr. Raffensperger. A well written memoir where he takes readers into his personal history, his decision to run for Secretary of State and how he stood firm despite criticism and threats from the former president to maintain not only his integrity, but his honesty. While this is an autobiography where he explains and defends his actions after the 2020 election, news reports and other commentary of the time support the statements in his book.
In the aftermath of the 2020 election and the former president's multiple attempts at a coup, I have to wonder if 200 years from now people will look back at those every day citizens, some in public office, some not, who saved our democracy. Will they be considered heroes like our founding fathers? I suspect so and Mr. Raffensperger will be among them.
In the aftermath of the 2020 election and the former president's multiple attempts at a coup, I have to wonder if 200 years from now people will look back at those every day citizens, some in public office, some not, who saved our democracy. Will they be considered heroes like our founding fathers? I suspect so and Mr. Raffensperger will be among them.
November 7, 2022
3.5 stars. But I couldn't quite round it up to 4. After seeing Raffensperger's numerous press conferences, news interviews, as well as his testimony before the January 6th Committee, I was interested in reading his book. Unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to my expectations. The writing seemed a bit chaotic at times. And there were times he seemed to pat his own back a bit more than I thought he would have. One of the best parts was the entire transcript of "The Call." I found it interesting to see exactly who said what, and the context of the portion that news outlets played in relation to the remainder of the phone call. The book DOES to a good job of detailing the election process, as it pertains to Georgia. That part was interesting as well.
October 25, 2024
I'm a Democrat and so don't agree with many of Mr. Raffensperger's political beliefs, but I do respect and support his decency and work ethic. I believe that it was because of true patriots like him that President Biden's 2020 election win was upheld. His book is full of detail and his recounting of the phone conversation with former president Trump was, along with being difficult to read, also very informative. I can't understand how anyone could read this book and not see how Trump and his helpers were trying to do an immoral and illegal thing in attempting to block the electoral vote count, among many other things. They were trying to invalidate the votes of the people of Georgia and, thank goodness, Mr. Raffensperger stood in the way. For that, I am grateful. We need more people like him in public service.
November 18, 2021
I learned more about the vote counting process and what's involved with recounts: both machine counts and hand counts.
It is the losers (whether Democrat or Republican) who say the election is fraudulent.
It is the losers (whether Democrat or Republican) who say the election is fraudulent.
February 27, 2022
Excellent and well documented. I'm so grateful to Mr. Raffensperger, not only for his integrity in very different circumstances, but for taking the time to document these events for posterity. Absolutely a must read!
March 17, 2022
Most interesting is the transcript of the Jan 2,2021 call and how desperate Trump was to have more votes found so he could win Georgia!
July 15, 2022
Great inside look at what went down in the 2020 Presidential election.
October 28, 2022
We need more men like Brad in positions of leadership.
June 27, 2022
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise...
Highly recommended as a historical account of a key moment of the 2020 election. Raffensperger is an engineer by trade and sadly writes like one, but still recommended for the context.
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise...
Highly recommended as a historical account of a key moment of the 2020 election. Raffensperger is an engineer by trade and sadly writes like one, but still recommended for the context.
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