Category: State Legislator Role: Georgia State Representative, District 114 (Covington); Chair, House Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Election Procedures; Republican nominee for Georgia Secretary of State (2026) Priority: P2 (Sponsor of elections overhaul legislation seeking to restrict ballot access; running to oversee Georgia elections)

Democratic Malice Assessment

Designation: No DMA designation

Ideology vs. Malice Gate determination: Tim Fleming’s documented actions — sponsoring legislation, chairing a study committee, running for office — constitute legitimate policy advocacy through legitimate democratic processes. Even where the legislation would restrict voting access, the vehicle is an open legislative process with public hearings, recorded votes, and opportunities for judicial review. This falls squarely within the Ideology Safe Harbor.

What is NOT scored: Campaign rhetoric (“make it impossible for the left to cheat”), statements about 2020 “irregularities,” and political positioning are protected political speech and do not receive a DMA score regardless of their accuracy.

Role

Tim Fleming is a Republican state representative from Covington representing Georgia House District 114, first elected in 2022. He chairs the House Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Election Procedures, appointed by Speaker Jon Burns. Fleming sponsored House Bill 397, a sweeping elections overhaul bill that would withdraw Georgia from the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), ban absentee ballot drop-off on the final weekend before Election Day, and expand the authority of the State Election Board. HB 397 stalled in the 2025 session but remains active for 2026.

Fleming won the Republican primary runoff for Georgia Secretary of State on June 16, 2026, defeating former Democratic state representative Vernon Jones with approximately 64% of the vote. He will face Democrat Penny Brown Reynolds in the November 2026 general election.

Background

Fleming served as deputy secretary of state under Brian Kemp when Kemp held that office (2010–2018), managed Kemp’s 2018 gubernatorial campaign, and served as Kemp’s chief of staff from 2019 to 2020. He left the governor’s office in September 2020 for the private sector before winning election to the state House in 2022. Fleming represents District 114, which includes Morgan County and portions of Newton and Walton counties.

Fleming is a University of Georgia graduate (political science) and small business owner. He has described himself as an outspoken supporter of President Trump, stating at the Atlanta Press Club Debates in May 2026: “I’ve voted for Donald Trump six times. I’ve always been there for Donald Trump. I campaigned with him…for him in 2024.”

Sources: Ballotpedia, “Tim Fleming”; Georgia Recorder, “Republican lawmaker enters 2026 race for secretary of state” (2025); WABE, “Republican Tim Fleming, Democrat Penny Brown Reynolds win Georgia secretary of state primary runoffs” (June 2026); Savannah Now, “Georgia Gov. Kemp’s chief of staff to depart for private sector” (September 17, 2020)

Documented Actions

1. Sponsorship of House Bill 397 — Elections Overhaul (2025)

Evidence: Fleming introduced HB 397 in February 2025, a comprehensive elections bill that grew through the legislative process to include the following provisions:

• Mandating Georgia’s withdrawal from the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), a nonpartisan multistate voter registration accuracy organization used by 24 states and D.C. to maintain accurate voter rolls
• Prohibiting county elections offices from accepting absentee ballots on the weekend before Election Day — currently a local option exercised by many Georgia counties
• Expanding the State Election Board’s rulemaking authority and administrative independence from the Secretary of State’s office
• Prohibiting Georgia from enrolling in any multistate voter list maintenance compact that “requires or encourages” states to contact unregistered residents and help them register to vote
• Requiring 24-hour video surveillance of ballot drop boxes (added in Senate committee)

HB 397 passed the House on March 6, 2025, and the Senate on April 2, 2025 (33-23, largely party-line) in substitute form. However, the House adjourned on April 4, 2025 without voting on the Senate substitute, causing the bill to stall. It remains active for the 2026 legislative session.

Fleming removed some originally proposed provisions after opposition from election officials, including an Election Day ballot counting deadline that local supervisors testified would place unfair burdens on election staff. He also removed a provision that would have handed voter eligibility challenge appeals to the State Election Board rather than Superior Courts.

Sources: Georgia General Assembly, HB 397 bill history; Georgia Recorder, “Broad election bill nears Georgia Legislature’s 2025 finish line” (March 28, 2025); Georgia Recorder, “Election rule changes stalled before Georgia lawmakers adjourned” (April 14, 2025); Atlanta Civic Circle, “Georgia ‘voter integrity’ bills could do the opposite” (March 29, 2025); AJC, “Georgia elections bill dies, leaving absentee ballot drop off before Election Day intact” (April 2025); Courier-Journal/Savannah Morning News, “Georgia Senate passes bill that will change state’s election laws” (April 3, 2025)

Pattern: Comprehensive elections overhaul sponsored by future SoS candidate; bill restricts voter access while expanding power of Trump-aligned State Election Board

2. Chair of House Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Election Procedures (2025–2026)

Evidence: Following HB 397’s failure to pass, Speaker Jon Burns appointed Fleming to chair the House Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Election Procedures, which held six public meetings across Georgia between July and October 2025. The committee heard testimony from election stakeholders, experts, advocates, and the public.

In February 2026, the committee released its final report with three recommendations:

1. Extend the committee’s mandate through the end of 2026 for continued study
2. Procure a new statewide voting system (replacing current Dominion touchscreen machines)
3. Allow voters to use pre-printed, hand-marked paper ballots on Election Day beginning with the 2026 general election

The committee’s recommendations were notably more moderate than HB 397’s provisions, focusing on voting system procurement and paper ballot options rather than restricting ballot access or leaving ERIC. However, the committee’s ERIC-related meetings featured testimony supporting withdrawal, and the pending HB 397 — which could be reintroduced in the 2026 session — remains the vehicle for the more restrictive provisions.

Sources: Covington News, “Rep. Tim Fleming named chairman of House Blue-Ribbon study committee on Election Procedures” (2025); Georgia Recorder, “Will Georgia join a GOP-led state exodus from ERIC?” (October 21, 2025); 11Alive, “Georgia House study committee presents final recommendations on election procedures” (February 2026); House Blue-Ribbon Study Committee Final Report (February 2026)

Pattern: Institutional committee leadership providing study justification for legislative changes; committee chair simultaneously running for the office that oversees the system being studied

3. Secretary of State Campaign on Platform of Restricting Ballot Access (2025–2026)

Evidence: Fleming launched his campaign for Secretary of State in 2025, seeking to replace Brad Raffensperger — the Republican who certified Biden’s 2020 victory and refused Trump’s request to “find” votes. Fleming’s campaign platform includes:

• “Make it impossible for the Left to cheat in our elections”
• Pledging to “deport illegal immigrants who attempt to vote in Georgia”
• Calling for expanded voter ID policies
• Stating he believes there were “irregularities” in the 2020 election

Fleming won the Republican primary on May 19, 2026 (287,535 votes, first place in a five-way field including Gabriel Sterling, Raffensperger’s chief operating officer). He then won the runoff against Vernon Jones on June 16, 2026, with approximately 64% of the vote.

The Georgia Republican Party had previously passed a resolution banning Raffensperger from qualifying as a Republican in future elections and stripped him of his position on the State Election Board. Fleming’s candidacy represents the party’s effort to install a more Trump-aligned figure as the state’s chief elections officer.

Sources: Georgia Recorder, “Republican lawmaker enters 2026 race for secretary of state” (2025); WABE, “Republican Tim Fleming, Democrat Penny Brown Reynolds win Georgia secretary of state primary runoffs” (June 2026); AJC, “Georgia secretary of state candidates 2026: Who’s running” (2026); Ballotpedia, “Georgia Secretary of State election, 2026”

Pattern: Legislative sponsor of voting restrictions seeking executive authority over the election system; positioned as Trump-aligned replacement for secretary of state who upheld 2020 results

Pattern Analysis

Fleming represents a pattern of Republican legislators who sponsor voting restriction legislation and then seek executive authority over the election systems they attempted to reshape. Unlike Barry Fleming (no relation documented), who succeeded in passing SB 202, Tim Fleming’s legislative vehicle (HB 397) stalled — but his candidacy for Secretary of State means his vision for Georgia’s election administration could be implemented through executive authority rather than legislation if elected.

His professional background — deputy secretary of state under Kemp, Kemp’s campaign manager, Kemp’s chief of staff — places him within the institutional Republican establishment that oversaw Georgia elections through the 2010s (including Kemp’s tenure as SoS, which was marked by voter roll purges and accusations of conflict of interest when Kemp oversaw his own gubernatorial election in 2018).

Related profiles: Barry Fleming – Georgia State Representative (House champion of SB 202), Brad Raffensperger — Political Accountability Profile (SoS Fleming seeks to replace), Brian Kemp — Political Accountability Profile (former employer; appointed Barry Fleming to bench)

Related skills: voting-rights-law-expert, fourteenth-amendment-legal-expert, election-law-and-administration

Severity Assessment

Immediate harm: Moderate — HB 397 did not pass; no voting rights have been restricted by Fleming’s actions to date Democratic erosion: Elevated — seeking executive authority over elections after sponsoring restrictive legislation; positioned as Trump-aligned alternative to Raffensperger Authoritarian marker: Legislative response to Democratic electoral gains; rhetoric framing political opposition as fraud; seeking to control election infrastructure

Accountability Status

Current status: Sitting Georgia State Representative (District 114); Republican nominee for Secretary of State (general election November 3, 2026) Legal exposure: None Public accountability: Defeated Gabriel Sterling (Raffensperger’s COO) in the primary; praised by Georgia Republican Party; opposed by voting rights organizations; HB 397 subject to bipartisan criticism from county election officials

Cross-References

Skills: voting-rights-law-expert, fourteenth-amendment-legal-expert, election-law-and-administration, election-threat-scoring

Related profiles: Barry Fleming – Georgia State Representative, Brad Raffensperger — Political Accountability Profile, Brian Kemp — Political Accountability Profile, Max Burns – Georgia State Senator

Topics: Georgia HB 397, ERIC withdrawal, absentee ballot restrictions, State Election Board expansion, House Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Election Procedures, Georgia Secretary of State 2026, voter registration accuracy, election administration

Investigative trail pointers (public records)

Education only — verify independently. Absence of hits is not proof.

Use public-records-research-specialist, corporate-intelligence-investigator, and election-law-and-administration evidence tiers.

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For Trump Supporters: Questions Worth Considering

Tim Fleming says he wants to “make it impossible for the left to cheat in our elections.” That sounds like something most people would support — who wants cheating in elections? But look at what his bill actually does: it would pull Georgia out of ERIC, a system that helps Georgia identify voters who have moved or died so the voter rolls stay accurate. Without ERIC, Georgia’s voter rolls become less accurate, not more. The bill would also ban counties from accepting absentee ballots on the weekend before Election Day — a decision currently made by local officials based on local needs.

Here’s a question worth considering: If the goal is genuinely to prevent fraud, why does Fleming’s bill eliminate a tool (ERIC) that Georgia’s own election officials — including Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger — say is essential to catching duplicate registrations and maintaining accurate voter rolls? Why does reducing the accuracy of voter rolls make elections more secure? And why does limiting the days when voters can return ballots prevent fraud rather than simply prevent voting?

A second question about the Secretary of State race: Fleming served as deputy secretary of state under Brian Kemp during a period when Kemp’s office purged over 340,000 voter registrations in 2017 — a purge later found by the ACLU to have improperly removed approximately 198,000 eligible voters. If Fleming oversaw elections during that era and is now seeking to return to that office, what changes should voters expect to voter roll maintenance — more accuracy, or more purges?

Sources

1. Georgia General Assembly, “HB 397” bill text and legislative history, 2025-2026 session. https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70198
2. Georgia Recorder, “Broad election bill nears Georgia Legislature’s 2025 finish line aiming to exit data partnership,” March 28, 2025. https://georgiarecorder.com/2025/03/28/broad-election-bill-nears-georgia-legislatures-2025-finish-line-aiming-to-exit-data-partnership/
3. Georgia Recorder, “Election rule changes stalled before Georgia lawmakers adjourned and ensured for 2026 midterms,” April 14, 2025. https://georgiarecorder.com/2025/04/14/election-rule-changes-stalled-before-georgia-lawmakers-adjourned-and-ensured-for-2026-midterms/
4. Georgia Recorder, “Will Georgia join a GOP-led state exodus from ERIC?” October 21, 2025. https://georgiarecorder.com/2025/10/21/will-georgia-join-a-gop-led-state-exodus-from-a-multistate-voter-accuracy-group/
5. Georgia Recorder, “Republican lawmaker enters 2026 race for secretary of state,” 2025. https://georgiarecorder.com/briefs/gop-state-lawmaker-says-he-is-readying-secretary-of-state-campaign/
6. Covington News, “Rep. Tim Fleming named chairman of House Blue-Ribbon study committee on Election Procedures,” 2025. https://www.covnews.com/news/state/rep-tim-fleming-named-chairman-house-blue-ribbon-study-committee-election-procedures/
7. Atlanta Civic Circle, “Georgia ‘voter integrity’ bills could do the opposite, and reduce voter access,” March 29, 2025. https://atlantaciviccircle.org/2025/03/29/georgia-voter-integrity-bills-eric-voter-access/
8. AJC, “Georgia elections bill dies, leaving absentee ballot drop off before Election Day intact,” April 2025. https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-elections-bill-dies-keeping-voter-registration-group-and-ballot-drop-off/TGNLQHVFHRBPJHYDHGQDPMCVOE/
9. 11Alive, “Georgia House study committee presents final recommendations on election procedures,” February 2026. https://www.11alive.com/article/news/politics/georgia-house-blue-ribbon-study-committee-election-procedures-report-reaction/85-1da9feff-fe35-4f95-9154-84859634f0fc
10. WABE, “Republican Tim Fleming, Democrat Penny Brown Reynolds win Georgia secretary of state primary runoffs,” June 2026. https://www.wabe.org/republican-tim-fleming-democrat-penny-brown-reynolds-win-georgia-secretary-of-state-primary-runoffs/
11. Ballotpedia, “Tim Fleming.” https://ballotpedia.org/Tim_Fleming
12. Ballotpedia, “Georgia Secretary of State election, 2026.” https://ballotpedia.org/Georgia_Secretary_of_State_election,_2026
13. AJC, “Georgia secretary of state candidates 2026: Who’s running,” 2026. https://www.ajc.com/politics/2026/04/amid-ongoing-voting-turmoil-nine-compete-for-georgia-secretary-of-state/
14. Courier-Journal/Savannah Morning News, “Georgia Senate passes bill that will change state’s election laws,” April 3, 2025. https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/2025/04/03/georgia-elections-could-drastically-change-thanks-to-hb-397/82789353007/

Last Updated: June 24, 2026 Profile Status: Active — November 2026 general election pending Next Review: Post-election (November 2026)