ATLANTA, Ga. (AP) — A former state judge who briefly handled family court disputes on TV and later served in the federal government has announced she’s running to be secretary of state in Georgia, where elections have been marred by controversy and conspiracy theories.

“I will protect our democracy,” former state judge Penny Brown Reynolds said in a social media video released Thursday. “I will defend every eligible Georgian’s right to vote. Whether you live in Atlanta or Albany, whether you’re 19 or 90, whether you vote blue, red or not at all.”

The secretary of state oversees state elections and corporate filings, professional licenses and other business activities.

FILE - Fulton County Superior Court Judge Penny Brown Reynolds poses in her courtroom on March 27, 2008, in Atlanta. (

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