In a recent ruling, a judge found that Brian Pritchard, a prominent figure in the Georgia Republican Party and a conservative talk show host, had committed multiple instances of illegal voting. Pritchard was fined $5,000 for voting illegally and for registering to vote while under a felony conviction sentence.
The judge also ordered him to refrain from further violations, receive a public reprimand, and pay the State Election Board's investigative costs.
Administrative Law Judge Lisa Boggs upheld the board's conclusion that Pritchard had illegally voted nine times, despite being on extended probation due to two felony convictions dating back nearly three decades.
Pritchard's legal issues began in 1996 when he was sentenced to three years of probation for felony forgery charges in Pennsylvania.
Pritchard's probation was revoked on three occasions, including in 1999 when he relocated to Georgia, and then again in 2002 and 2004.
In 2004, a judge imposed a new seven-year probationary period, rendering Pritchard ineligible to vote in the state until 2011.
In 2008, Pritchard completed a voter registration form with Gilmer County’s Board of Elections, affirming under oath that he was not serving a sentence for a felony involving moral turpitude.
Despite this, Pritchard proceeded to cast several Georgia ballots, including four in the 2008 primary and general elections, as well as runoffs, and five more in 2010 in special elections, primaries, and the general election.
During the proceedings, Pritchard testified that he was unaware of any barriers to his voter registration and did not believe that three years of probation remained on his sentence.
However, Boggs, in her ruling, stated that the evidence did not support Pritchard's explanations, and even if he was unaware of his felony sentences, he should have been aware.
An attorney representing Pritchard and the Georgia Republican Party did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment.
In a questionnaire submitted while running for first vice chairman of the Georgia Republican Party in the previous year, Pritchard expressed a desire to use the influence of the grassroots conservative movement to enhance election integrity. Before assuming the role of the state party's first vice chairman, Pritchard unsuccessfully ran for a state House seat held by Speaker David Ralston in a special election last year.
Pritchard criticized news reports about his voting record during his campaign for the House seat, suggesting in a 2022 post on his website that his detractors were attempting to manipulate the election and portray him as a villain.
Pritchard has also raised doubts about President Joe Biden's legitimate victory in the 2020 presidential election, asserting during a 2022 episode of his talk show, while pointing to a button on his microphone, “The button says 'stolen.'
This is what they did to us because I do not believe 81 million people voted for this guy.”