The Chattooga County Republican Party’s plans to vet candidates to determine if they are true Republicans is meeting with resistance from local voters.  At a meeting last week, the county’s GOP leadership brought in speakers from the Georgia Republican Assembly (GRA) to explain the vetting process.

At the meeting, multiple people questioned why the county’s Republican Party leadership wouldn’t let the voters determine which candidates should appear on the General Election ballot in November.

While the actual Georgia Republican Party rejected a measure that would vet statewide candidates, the GRA continues to push local parties to adopt the process.  Speaking of the vetting process,  Chattooga County GOP leaders posted on social media “This is what accountability looks like. It’s not a dirty deed. It’s a necessity”.

So far, only Chattooga and Lumpkin County Republicans have adopted the vetting process.  A big difference in the process between the two counties is that the Lumpkin County GOP vetting committee will consist of a large group of people that includes all local party officials and precinct leaders.  In Chattooga County, just five people chosen by the party’s executive committee will determine if candidates are “Republican enough” to run on the GOP ticket, according to local party officials.

State Court Solicitor Buddy Hill – the first Republican elected in Chattooga County at a time when the entire county had only Democrats elected to local office – says the local party can’t stop candidates from running as Republicans and vows to take the party to court if they try to stop a candidate from qualifying.