Three members of Georgia’s State Election Board face demands for their removal from the Board. A coalition of elected officials, clergy, and civil rights leaders is calling for the trio to be replaced following allegations that they violated the Code of Ethics and Georgia Open Meetings Act.

The coalition has scheduled a press conference for Monday, August 26, to demand the immediate removal of GOP board members Janice Johnston, Rick Jeffares, and Janelle King.

State Senator Nabilah Islam Parkes filed a formal complaint against them last week with Gov. Brian Kemp. In his complaint, Parkes alleges the trio violated the Code of Ethics and the Georgia Open Meetings Act.

The press conference comes amid concerns about the integrity of Georgia’s elections.

The new rules passed by the Republican majority will impact how elections are run and certified in November.

In a press release, the Georgia Senate Democratic Caucus says one of the “most dangerous rules” is intended to give officials wide discretion to delay certification for any reason or even to refuse to certify, threatening to “throw Georgia’s November elections into chaos across the state.”

“This is in direct conflict with Georgia law, which states in multiple places that local elections officials ‘shall’ certify elections, meaning their duties are mandatory, not discretionary,” the Caucus says.

The press conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the State Capitol.

ATLANTA – A group of Georgia lawmakers and civil rights leaders are calling for Gov. Brian Kemp to take action against three Trump-backed members of the State Election Board.

This comes after changes to state policies many believe could cause a delay in the certification of election results in November.

The three members in question, Janelle King, Rick Jeffares and Dr. Janice Johnston, are accused of violating the state’s open meetings act and facing ethics complaints stemming from the approval of changes that would now require local election boards to look for discrepancies before they can certify results.

The changes made so close to Election Day have drawn criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, including Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

Sen. Nabilah Islam-Parkes (D-Dist. 7), who filed that complaint, says she doesn’t believe they have the authority to make those kinds of changes. 

“The election board is supposed to certify election results and so passing illegal rules to undermine the integrity of our elections is extremely concerning,” said Sen. Islam-Parkes. “So, I am proud to stand with clergy and other elected lawmakers to stand against these series of rules that the election board is passing.”

Islam-Parkes says she hasn’t heard back from Gov. Kemp’s office about the complaint she filed, but hopes he will “do the right thing”.

FOX 5 Atlanta reached out to Gov. Kemp independently. We’re also still waiting to hear back.

Islam-Parkes says she will hold a press conference on the matter at the Georgia State Capitol at 10 a.m. on Monday.

Kirk Herbstreit didn’t waste any time.

ESPN’s college football analyst appeared to poke fun at Florida State after the No. 10 Seminoles lost to Georgia Tech, 24-21, in a major college football Week 0 upset in Dublin, Ireland on Saturday.

“Man, tough loss for the Noles over in Ireland to a good GT team,” Herbstreit posted on X after the game. “The great news is with the new 12 team playoff, there’s still plenty of opportunities to climb back into the bracket. Regroup and keep battlin!”

Herbstreit emerged as a villain for the Florida State fan base last year as one of the louder voices pushing against the Seminoles being included in the College Football Playoff.

He believed Florida State was underserving of a spot in the field of four (the College Football Playoff expanded from four to 12 teams this year), particularly after quarterback Jordan Travis’ knee injury.

Florida State fans booed Herbstreit during ESPN’s “College Football Gameday” show in Dublin on Saturday.

Florida State was 13-0 last year and had won the ACC title, but became the first unbeaten Power 5 conference champion to be left out of the Playoff, sparking massive controversy.

Head coach Mike Norvell said at the time that he was “disgusted” and “infuriated” about his team’s snub.

But Georgia then destroyed Florida State, 63-3, in the Orange Bowl, helping quell some of the backlash for their exclusion.

And this season is already off to a disastrous start.

Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, who transferred to Florida State from Oregon State, got off to a rough start in his Seminoles tenure, completing 19 of 27 passes for just 193 yards.

“Very limited possessions,” Florida State head coach Mike Norvell said. “The importance of every snap in that game was monumental.”