My name is Dr. Kendra Biegalski.  I live in DeKalb County, GA and chair the DeKalb County Republican Party. I take the Constitution seriously.

Saying the Pledge of Allegiance is not idol worship of a piece of cloth; it is a symbol of the country whose supreme law is the Constitution - a Constitutional Republic - not a party and not a personality. When we pledge allegiance “to the Republic for which it stands,” we are reminding the room of the same founding document members of the DeKalb County Board of Voter Registrations and Elections (DBVRE) say they support.

The DBVRE is charged with certifying elections “…truly, impartially, and faithfully…” under both the U.S. and Georgia Constitutions. Opening a public meeting with the Pledge takes less than a minute and places the board’s work under the country and state charter we share. Refusing this small civic act, while claiming fidelity to the Constitution, is incongruous.  I want my county’s election board to begin its business the way Congress and so many other American public bodies do: by honoring the Republic the Constitution created.

DBVRE Members who do not want to recite the Pledge can sit in silence while those who wish to participate may do so.  The DeKalb Republican Party will purchase a U.S. and Georgia flag to donate to the DeKalb Voter Registrations and Elections Office since they have neither in the room in which these meetings are held.