Steven Raney
Steven Raney
Furman YDSA
On Sept. 6, 2024 the Riley Institute and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) hosted Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Lawrence Norden, the Senior Director of the Elections and Government Program at the Brennan Center, as the keynote speakers in the second part of StraightTalk: Our Fragile Democracy.
In their talk, titled “Free and Fair Elections: Protecting the Cornerstone of Our Democracy,” both speakers represented different ends of the political spectrum with Raffensperger being a life-long conservative who voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020, and Norden describing his political beliefs as more left-leaning. Despite their differences, both men centered their conversation around the importance of upholding election integrity, as well as providing tangible facts about the work that is being done to ensure election safety.
Students walking into the CLP may have noticed a protest of Secretary Raffensberger organized by Furman YDSA (Young Democratic Socialists of America). Protesters held signs that stated, “What Does the King of Voter Suppression Know About Democracy?” “Rejecting Trump Was the Bare Minimum,” “Jim Crow Lives On in Georgia,” “Georgian Voters File Lawsuit on Raffensberger for Racial Gerrymandering,” and the largest, “WHAT DEMOCRACY.”[1]
“Most people have only heard of Brad Raffensperger from his refusal to lie about votes for Trump, causing many to herald him a hero of free and fair elections, but Raffensperger has actually been involved in voter suppression in Georgia for years,” Liron Golan ‘25 said in an email statement.
“What’s not being discussed inside that building is the fact that he purged 309,000 voters from the Georgia voter rolls,” YDSA member [[Steven Raney ‘25 said. “Of course, these were overwhelmingly black and working class voters from urban areas.”[2]
DSA conference resolutions
Signatories to MUG and R&R's Joint Resolutions for the 2023 DSA National Convention "On the votes of DSA Congressmembers to fund the Israeli military and ban a railway workers strike" included Steven Raney of Metro Atlanta Democratic Socialists of America.
For a Political, Prolific and Democratic DSA Editorial Board
In May 2023 Steven Raney signed a resolution "For a Political, Prolific and Democratic DSA Editorial Board" as one of the MUG and R&R's Joint Resolutions for the 2023 DSA National Convention in August in Chicago.
"They Don’t Speak For Us"
Signatories to 3 DSA Members in Congress Vote to Ban Railroad Strike – They Don’t Speak For Us included Steven Raney Metro Atlanta Democratic Socialists of America.