(The Center Square) – A group of Georgia elected officials has joined a coalition of civil rights leaders and clergy in calling on the governor to fire three members of the state Election Commission because they say they violated state law.

Last week, State Senator Nabilah Islam Parkes (D-Lawrenceville) said her office had delivered a letter to Republican Governor Brian Kemp’s office asking him to remove Janice Johnston, Janelle King and Rick Jeffares from the panel because they violated the state’s ethics code and open meeting law to pass new election regulations.

“I recently filed a formal complaint against three members of the Georgia State Board of Elections who violated the very principles they swore to uphold,” the senator said in a statement Monday. “These violations are not just legal technicalities; they strike at the heart of our democracy and the trust that Georgia citizens place in our election system. … Their actions undermine the will of the people, and we cannot stand idly by while they undermine the democratic process.”

Senate Democrats said the governor has the authority to fire members of the state election board, in response to a report that Kemp had asked Attorney General Chris Carr for comment on whether he had the authority. Spokespeople for Kemp and Carr did not respond to requests for comment.

Elections have been a hot topic in the Peach State since the 2020 presidential election, with state lawmakers passing several ballot measures, including the high-profile Senate Bill 202, also known as the Election Integrity Act of 2021. Earlier this month, the Georgia Board of Elections approved A measure that allows county election boards to conduct a “reasonable investigation” before certifying election results.

In a marketing email, Georgia Republican Party Chairman Josh McKoon dismissed Democrats’ claims, saying the lawmakers’ “rhetoric is dangerous.”

“These rule changes in no way affect anyone’s right to vote, nor do they create an undue burden on poll workers, but these steps will ensure transparency, accountability, accurate reporting and voting, and preserve the right of both parties to observe voting,” McKoon wrote. “These common-sense changes will benefit all Georgians regardless of political affiliation, as they are all aimed at increasing transparency and public trust in our elections.”