ATLANTA — In his first run for a full term, Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp faces opposition from a veteran Democratic lawmaker and a Libertarian candidate who's a relative political newcomer.

Kemp, a Republican from Athens, took office Jan. 8 after Karen Handel stepped aside in late December to focus on her ultimately unsuccessful campaign for governor.

He faces Democratic state Rep. Georganna Sinkfield of Atlanta and Libertarian David Chastain of Acworth, who works for a defense contractor.

Kemp and Sinkfield have differed most sharply on Georgia's requirements for voters to prove their ID and citizenship, which Kemp favors and Sinkfield opposes.

A small-business owner, Kemp served in the state Senate from 2002 to 2006 and lost a 2006 bid to be the Republican nominee for state agriculture commissioner.

He said he has demonstrated in his seven months in office that he is an effective secretary of state.

"I've started implementing the plans and proposals that I was telling people I was going to do and I think we've had a lot of great successes and I want to continue that effort over the next four years," he said in an interview with The Associated Press.

The main priorities for the secretary of state should be ensuring secure elections and creating more jobs by working with small business owners, Kemp said.

To help economic development, he said, he's been working to trim government costs and cut red tape for small-business owners so they can focus their energy on creating jobs.

Kemp's office also filed a lawsuit earlier this year supporting Georgia's system of verifying voters' identity and citizenship. The U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division had repeatedly rejected versions of the program but precleared a modified version in August.

"That was a huge victory for Georgia, in my opinion, to help secure our voter rolls," Kemp said. "We believe that we should know who somebody is, where they live and that they're a citizen of this state and this country before we register them to vote."

Under the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, Georgia and other states with a history of discriminatory voting practices must preclear any changes to election rules with the Justice Department or through the federal courts.

Justice Department lawyers had earlier argued that the program was flawed and subjected minority voters to heightened scrutiny.

Sinkfield agrees with the Justice Department's initial position, saying Georgia's voter registration requirements unfairly discriminate against minorities.

"If you continue to harass people about where they live without reason you are putting barriers up and people are going to stop voting," she said. "They're going to stop trying to register, and one of the major pieces of democracy is the vote."

As secretary of state, Sinkfield would focus on open and secure elections and on streamlining the process for businesses seeking licenses. Sinkfield said her 28 years as a state legislator make her qualified for the job. She said she had pushed legislation to go after predatory lenders and measures to protect children.

"I think we need to have a secretary of state who is honest, open and wants to protect the citizens of Georgia," she said. "This state deserves someone whose record they can look at and say, ‘Yeah, she can do it because she's done it.'"

Chastain, who lost a run for state school superintendent four years ago, has been a local activist in Cobb County, he said. As a third party candidate, he said he would bring a unique advantage to the office.

"Because I do not have a political history or a loyalty to either of the two major parties, I believe that, of the three of us, I'm the only one who can actually bring some real objectivity back into the secretary of state's office," he said.

As secretary of state, he said he would look into the state's electronic voting machines, which he said result in nonverifiable voting; seek to improve ballot access for candidates who aren't members of the two major parties; and help the secretary of state's office of investigations more efficiently deal with complaints about businesses operating without a license or those with a license that breaks the rules.

Besides overseeing elections in Georgia, the Secretary of State's Office administers the incorporation of businesses, oversees professional licensing boards and maintains the state archives.

The job can be a stepping stone for higher office. Handel and her predecessor, Democrat Cathy Cox, both ran for governor. Max Cleland was secretary of state before rising to the U.S. Senate.