Georgia’s Secretary of State has a smartphone app that is designed to help voters register to vote and to track their registration status.  But, some canvassers noticed that the social media links in that official state app, paid for with taxpayer dollars, redirected to pages that promote Kemp’s campaign for Governor. 

An app paid for with taxpayer dollars and designed to help voters…  

“You can register to vote on it, you can follow you registration status, you can track your absentee ballots through it,” says Marisa Pyle

Triggering ethical concerns that it might be helping Secretary of State Brian Kemp get attention and votes in his campaign for Governor.

“That’s an advantage that other candidate for the office don’t have, which is why you don’t link your official role with your unofficial role of campaigning,” says State Representative Scott Holcomb.

Pyle discovered that the official Secretary of State app redirected to Kemp’s campaign based social media as she was canvassing and helping voters register.

“Linking to something partisan…that is in direct conflict with encouraging everyone to vote which is part of the job of the Secretary of State,” says Pyle.

State Representative Holcomb says he thinks Kemp’s campaign should have known better.

“It’s not the first time that it’s happened, either. Last year, the links on the official website went to his campaign. You’re not suppose to personally benefit from your service.”

Kemp’s campaign says it isn’t a big deal, that in Georgia all state officials use one social media page.

“That’s total nonsense. It’s just ridiculous. If the Kemp campaign needs me to do a commercial with guns and big trucks in order for them to understand it, I can do that,” says Holcomb.

Holcomb says President Trump models the right way to do it.

“The President largely uses his personal social media. That gives him greater flexibility. He is very limited in what he does on his official social media.”

Team Kemp also turning the conversation to Stacey Abrams’ alleged unpaid taxes.  

“That’s what you call a pivot, they didn’t want to talk about it.”

Abrams deferred income tax while caring for her elderly parents.  She is on an approved payment plan with the IRS.

The app has been updated to remove those links to Secretary Kemp’s social media pages.