U.S. House, Georgia 12th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Georgia's 12th Congressional District?
Rick Allen has the strongest record in Georgia's 12th Congressional District. Rick Allen scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Ceretta Smith at 61, as of October 9, 2026. Rick Allen's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Ceretta Smith's highest marks are roots in the constituency and relevant experience. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican · incumbent
Strongest record
Rick Allen
On the ballot as Rick W. Allen
63 / 100
Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 44
- Qualifications
- 85
- Performance
- 56
Democratic
Ceretta Smith
61 / 100
Public evidence on 9 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 70
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Rick Allen
- Mark against2023-08-10
Filed a periodic transaction report Aug. 10, 2023 listing dozens of stock trades from 2019 onward that were due within 45 days; his office blamed an outside compliance firm.
Sources: AJC, Aug. 17, 2023, House Clerk periodic transaction report, Filing ID 20023082
- Mark against2021-09
Business Insider reported in 2021 that he appeared to have improperly disclosed purchases and sales of several stocks in 2019 and 2020; Clerk records show late reports filed Nov. 8, 2021.
Sources: Business Insider, Sept. 2021, Salon, Sept. 29, 2021
- On the record2024-04-20
Voted Nay on the Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act while Speaker Johnson and Leader Scalise voted Yea; it passed.
- On the record2023-12-01
Voted Yea on expelling Rep. George Santos while Speaker Johnson, Leader Scalise and Whip Emmer voted Nay; the expulsion passed.
- On the record2021-01-06
Signed the December 2020 Texas v. Pennsylvania House amicus brief and voted Yea on the House objections to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's certified electoral votes on Jan. 6 and 7, 2021.
Sources: Texas v. Pennsylvania, House amicus brief, Dec. 2020, House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021
Ceretta Smith
- On the record2026-04-25
Took part in a League of Women Voters candidate forum in Augusta during the Democratic primary, answering voter questions on immigration enforcement, Plant Vogtle costs and data centers.
Source: WRDW, April 25, 2026
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Rick Allen. Filed an Aug. 10, 2023 periodic transaction report listing dozens of 2019 to 2023 trades past the STOCK Act 45-day deadline, as the AJC reported; Business Insider reported late 2019 to 2020 disclosures in 2021.
Sources: House Clerk periodic transaction report, Filing ID 20023082, AJC, Aug. 17, 2023, Business Insider, Sept. 2021
Ceretta Smith. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found. A House candidate financial disclosure was not found in the Clerk index (hand check under E23).
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Rick Allen. Voted against the April 2024 Ukraine aid bill, the March 2024 spending package and a February 2024 stopgap backed by GOP leaders, and voted to expel Rep. George Santos when the Speaker, Leader and Whip voted Nay.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 151, April 20, 2024, House Clerk Roll Call 102, March 22, 2024, House Clerk Roll Call 691, Dec. 1, 2023
Ceretta Smith. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Rick Allen. No public record found.
Ceretta Smith. Took part in an April 2026 League of Women Voters candidate forum in Augusta, answering questions from voters.
Source: WRDW, April 25, 2026
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Rick Allen. Ran a construction company from 1976 and has served in Congress since 2015. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Rick Allen, House Committee on Ethics site search for Rick Allen
Ceretta Smith. Served as an Army medic from 1992 to 2000, worked as a federal employee and union leader, and served six years on the Grovetown City Council. No formal conduct finding found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Ceretta Smith, WRDW (AP), June 16, 2026
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Rick Allen. Signed the December 2020 Texas v. Pennsylvania House amicus brief and voted Yea on the House objections to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's certified electoral votes on Jan. 6 and 7, 2021.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021, Texas v. Pennsylvania, House amicus brief, Dec. 2020
Ceretta Smith. Served in the Army from 1992 to 2000 and held sworn municipal office on the Grovetown City Council. No official finding of misconduct found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Ceretta Smith, WRDW (AP), June 16, 2026
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Rick Allen. In the U.S. House since January 2015, seeking a sixth term; founded and ran an Augusta construction company from 1976.
Sources: GovTrack, Rick Allen, Ballotpedia, Rick Allen
Ceretta Smith. Former Grovetown City Council member (six years); Army medic; federal employee and officer of the American Federation of Government Employees.
Sources: WRDW (AP), June 16, 2026, AJC, race preview, updated June 19, 2026
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Rick Allen. Chairs the Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions and is vice chair of the Energy and Commerce Communications and Technology Subcommittee.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
Ceretta Smith. Publishes priorities on jobs, schools, health care and wages in general terms.
Sources: Campaign site, WRDW (AP), June 16, 2026
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Rick Allen. Holds telephone town halls, publishes newsletters and opinion pieces, and posts issue updates. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: House office site, home page, Ballotpedia, Rick Allen
Ceretta Smith. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025, publishes priority pages and took part in a public candidate forum.
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Rick Allen. Born in Augusta and has run an Augusta business since 1976. FEC by-state totals show about 73 percent of itemized individual contributions from Georgia.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Rick Allen, AJC, race preview, updated June 19, 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
Ceretta Smith. Has lived in Grovetown, in Columbia County, for 20 years and served on its city council. FEC by-state totals show about 90 percent of itemized individual contributions from Georgia.
Sources: WRDW (AP), June 16, 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Rick Allen. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Ceretta Smith. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Rick Allen. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 1.302 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 1.207, meets expectations. His enacted sponsored bills listed by GovTrack are a post office and a VA clinic naming.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, enacted legislation
Ceretta Smith. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Rick Allen. Missed 92 of 6,404 roll call votes, 1.4 percent, from January 2015 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Ceretta Smith. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Rick Allen. Runs district offices in Augusta, Dublin and Statesboro plus a Vidalia satellite office, and his caseworkers hold scheduled Community Office Hours across the district.
Ceretta Smith. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Rick Allen. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -1.69888 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 416 of 436, in the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Ceretta Smith. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Rick Allen. No public record found.
Ceretta Smith. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 9, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Georgia's 12th Congressional District?
Rick Allen has the strongest record in Georgia's 12th Congressional District. Rick Allen scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Ceretta Smith at 61, as of October 9, 2026. Rick Allen's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Ceretta Smith's highest marks are roots in the constituency and relevant experience. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Georgia's 12th Congressional District in 2026?
Rick Allen (Republican, incumbent), Ceretta Smith (Democratic). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Rick Allen a good candidate for Congress?
Rick Allen scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 44 of 100, qualifications 85 of 100, performance 56 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Ceretta Smith a good candidate for Congress?
Ceretta Smith scores 61 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 9 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 70 of 100, performance no record. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Georgia race scored, the trailing candidate's path to victory, and the Georgia 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.