"THE MLB'S UNFORCED ERROR COULD BE GEORGIA'S WALK OFF HOMERUN" – LOEFFLER PENS OP-ED IN TOWNHALL
April 13, 2021
This morning, Townhall published an op-ed by Greater Georgia Chairwoman Kelly Loeffler
dismantling the hypocrisy of the MLB and other "woke" corporations surrounding the Election Integrity Act and criticizing Democrats like Stacey Abrams for their relentless promotion of misinformation over facts and meaningful dialogue. She also used the opportunity to encourage Georgians to support local businesses hurt by the MLB's decision, buy tickets to Braves games, and rally behind the team so that the MLB is forced to host the playoffs in Atlanta. Read the full text of Kelly's op-ed below:
When Major League Baseball decided to relocate
the All-Star Game and Draft from Atlanta due to alleged "restrictions to the ballot box," our country recoiled and our politicians – from the President on down to local activists – backpedaled. The fallout from the misinformation campaign means Georgians and small businesses will strike out. A Rasmussen poll showed a plurality of African American respondents disagreed with MLB's decision and a majority agreed it was a bad idea to combine sports and politics. The great American pastime can do without a partisan power struggle.
For years, Stacey Abrams and her Democrat allies have created false narratives about Georgia's elections and now our state is paying the price. Still refusing to acknowledge her gubernatorial defeat—saying the election was "stolen" – she's built a business on sowing election doubts and discontent in exchange for political power. After passage of Georgia's Election Integrity Act, Abrams launched another misinformation campaign, complete with false
statements – to pave the way for an unconstitutional federal takeover of elections, known as HR1.
Big corporations like the MLB fell prey to Abrams' big lies at the expense of hardworking Georgians. Their ready-fire-aim decision to move the All-Star game – based on laws that actually expand access to voting – has hurt the very people they claim to help. Experts estimate Georgia will lose over $100 million
in expected revenue. Sadly, Black-owned businesses will feel the economic fallout. 52 percent of Atlanta's population is African-American, and nearly 30 percent
of Atlanta's businesses are Black-owned. These small businesses are rightfully now calling out the MLB and its selfish, hypocritical decision to move the game to Denver – a city with a significantly smaller minority population and more restrictive voting laws.
Yet, this boycott is playing out here despite the fact that states like New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Delaware all provide less ballot access. With 65 percent of Fortune 500 companies incorporated in Delaware, it's an inconvenient truth for many, from the Oval Office to the C-suite. Other outlets have noted these organizations' attacks on Georgia, but their silence on China's human rights violations to protect profitable business deals. Perhaps it's easier to make these decisions when someone else pays the price.
Activists like Stacey Abrams stoke fear of reprisal by intimidating companies into complying with their demands. The mainstream media provides cover and distribution by printing their misinformation campaigns at no cost. This environment prevents the honest conversations and meaningful debates needed in the democratic process. In fact, a court of public opinion barely remains: it's an oppressive arena of woke, liberal virtue signaling – and failure to conform means retribution.
To reinforce that, today's media narrative is that CEO's now need to be involved in politics. As someone who spent 30 years in the private sector starting and building successful companies, politics was for outside the office. To engage generally meant alienating some portion of our fellow employees or customer base – and there was rarely ever any upside. The simple truth is that the majority of Americans want less – not more – politics in their lives. Companies – also known as employers – provide tremendous good in our economy and help make America strong. Their economic engine helps advance society by discovering vaccines, offering a young person their first job, and giving back in their communities. But alienating half of their stakeholders by engaging in politics eliminates untold goodwill. And for many activists, the response will never be enough, it will never come at the right time, and it will never include the right words, concessions or promises.
In their response to Major League Baseball's abrupt, ill-informed decision, the Atlanta Braves had a stirring message amid their disappointment: "Our city has always been known as a uniter in divided times and we will miss the opportunity to address issues that are important to our community…We will continue to support the community legacy projects which have been planned and are in process."
I hope that our state will take the same hopeful response. Let's support our Atlanta Braves to a winning season to bring the MLB World Series to Atlanta. Like no other city in the past, Atlanta has proven its ability to rise above divisive politics. We can show America a better way forward, one that's not reliant on power-hungry politicians but on the American people who refuse to be lied to or silenced. By buying tickets to a Braves game, dining at a restaurant near the stadium, we can support the small businesses and employees whose economic opportunities were canceled by the careless words of Stacey Abrams, Joe Biden, Raphael Warnock, and the MLB. It is time for a World Series in Atlanta, and where we can properly honor Hank Aaron in a state that loved him.
If you ask me, it would be an epic walk off, home run answer to Major League Baseball's cautionary, unforced error.
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Media Contact: press@greatergeorgia.com
January 13, 2026 An Open Letter To the Georgia State Senate and House of Representatives: Georgia stands at a crossroads. Under state law, and thanks to the leadership of both chambers, QR codes must be removed from our ballots by July 1, 2026. The 2026 legislative session is the last realistic opportunity to address this issue clearly and decisively. This session must produce a clear, funded, and fully operational solution with enforceable milestones by the November 2026 general elections, or Georgia risks failing both ballot security and voter confidence on an issue that now enjoys growing bipartisan concern. QR Codes: Not Just a Technicality Voting systems that rely on ballot-marking devices (BMDs) and automatically generate machine-readable QR or barcodes raise a fundamental transparency concern. Under current statewide practice, tabulation relies on machine-readable codes that voters cannot independently verify, even though human-readable text is printed for review. Critics argue that this two-layer design undermines the principle of a fully voter-verifiable ballot. Security researchers and computer scientists have documented plausible attack vectors in such systems — through malicious software, elevated access modes on touchscreen machines, or discrepancies between what is printed and what is ultimately scanned — and their reports and legal testimony underscore the importance of systems voters can directly verify. For that reason, Georgia must transition to fully human-verifiable ballots, supported by strong audits and a robust paper trail, while preserving accessible voting options for voters who need assistance. An Unfunded Mandate Is Not a Plan In the 2025 Legislative Session, Senate Bill 189 established a mandate to eliminate QR-code ballots by July 1, 2026. However, no funding was identified to carry out that mandate, creating the uncertainty Georgia now faces. As a result, voters across Georgia head toward the 2026 midterms with the same QR-code ballots and voting technology that has contributed to public distrust and recurring controversy. The General Assembly has the opportunity and the responsibility to address this in totality during the 2026 session, even if that requires giving election officials additional time to prepare for a new system to be in place by the general elections. No Half-Measures or Unfunded Mandates At Greater Georgia, we will advocate this session for three non-negotiables: 1. A Realistic Timeline and Full Funding Removing QR codes statewide will require financing new ballot-printing, tabulation equipment, testing, training, and implementation. While cost estimates vary, any plan passed in 2026 that lacks full funding, a procurement pathway, and a firm installation timeline invites confusion, risk, and failure. 2. Human-Readable Ballots and Transparency Ballots must be marked or printed in a way voters can read and verify before casting—and counted based on what voters can verify. Systems that rely on barcodes for tabulation place undue trust in machine interpretation and do not resolve the underlying transparency concern. 3. Proper Time for Election Officials to Prepare and Implement Election officials must be given sufficient time and resources to implement a new system competently, though that necessity cannot become a pretext for indefinite delay. Well-run elections are the foundation of trusted election processes. Georgia Must Choose: Action or Inaction As citizens, watchdogs, and advocates for secure and transparent elections, we cannot accept vague promises or unfunded mandates. The law requires the removal of QR codes. Georgia’s voters deserve clarity, accountability, and certainty. If the deadline must move, it should do so only with full funding, a procurement plan, and enforceable milestones before the midterm elections in 2026. We are grateful for the General Assembly’s responsiveness and leadership on this issue and look forward to collaborating to find sensible solutions that will make Georgia’s elections stronger in 2026 and beyond. No shortcuts. No unfunded mandates. Get it done, and get it done right, in the 2026 legislative session.
Atlanta, GA — Greater Georgia concluded its Statewide Education Tour with a final stop hosted by the Metro Atlanta Chamber , convening business leaders, elected officials, and community stakeholders for a forward-looking discussion on Georgia’s priorities heading into the 2026 legislative session. Jon Burns , Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives, offered a preview of key issues expected to shape the upcoming session. The discussion focused on policies central to Georgia’s long-term success, including property tax reform, access to mental health services, improving literacy outcomes, and ensuring students are prepared to enter the workforce. The Statewide Education Tour brought substantive policy conversations directly to communities across Georgia, reinforcing Greater Georgia’s commitment to informed dialogue and broad civic engagement. More than 250 business owners, community leaders, and local officials participated in tour stops across seven Georgia counties. Looking ahead to 2026, Greater Georgia will focus on training local leaders and activists and equipping them with the tools needed to host engaging, policy-oriented conversations in their own communities to strengthen civic leadership and engagement across the state. ###
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ATLANTA, GA— Greater Georgia today released a statement in support of Georgia’s ongoing voter roll cleanup, calling the move a necessary and long overdue step to protect election integrity and restore confidence in the state’s electoral process. The Secretary of State’s office last week began the process of removing more than 500,000 outdated voter registrations, including those who have moved, passed away, or not voted in nearly a decade, as part of one of the largest list maintenance efforts in Georgia history. “This voter roll cleanup is not only common sense, it’s long overdue after fear-mongering lawsuits from leftist groups halted the process,” said Terry Fye of Greater Georgia. “Election officials, and especially the Secretary of State’s office, are legally required to keep our rolls accurate and failing to do so undermines trust in our elections and opens the door to potential fraud.” Georgia law requires regular voter roll maintenance to ensure only eligible voters remain on the rolls. The current process includes multiple attempts to contact inactive voters before any cancellation is finalized, offering ample time to update their information and maintain active status. Since its founding, Greater Georgia has worked to strengthen trust in elections by advocating for secure, transparent, and accountable voting practices. The organization has registered more than 65,000 new voters, expanded civic engagement in every corner of the state, and continues to push for meaningful reforms that protect the vote of every legal Georgian. ### Greater Georgia, founded by former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler in 2021, is working to register, engage, educate, and mobilize voters in communities across the Peach State. Our year-round work is focused on growing our movement by registering voters who may not be captured by Georgia’s “Motor Voter” program, mobilizing diverse and underrepresented communities, promoting issue advocacy, and fighting to restore trust and integrity in our elections.