Georgia’s top elections official is facing backlash from voting rights groups and a former secretary of state over allegations he made this week on double voting in the state’s June 9 primary.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger held a news conference Tuesday to announce his office had launched investigations into 1,000 alleged instances of people intentionally voting twice in the primaries: once by absentee ballot and once in person on Election Day.
Raffensperger presented no evidence to support the double-voting allegations and stressed the investigation was in its early stages, leading several voter advocates to slam the Republican secretary of state for going public with the claims before bringing proof of wrongdoing.
Former Secretary of State Cathy Cox on Wednesday called Raffensperger’s announcement “highly irregular” and “improper”, and suggested his actions aimed to “sow chaos and cast doubt” on mail-in voting ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.
Cox, a Democrat who served as Georgia’s elections chief from 1999 to 2007, said typically investigations into voter fraud involve oversight from the state board of elections and are not directed entirely by the secretary of state. She said Raffensperger “seems to have already pre-judged these matters.”
“We don’t know those facts because there has been no investigation to this point,” Cox said in a news conference Wednesday.
“Instead, we had a secretary of state who jumped to the conclusion that a thousand people had committed a crime and would be prosecuted.”
Raffensperger’s office batted back criticism Wednesday and argued the only aim of the investigation is to curb chances for double voting.
“For Secretary Cox to say we shouldn’t investigate 1,000 attempts to steal an election is ridiculous and tone deaf to the needs of election integrity,” said Deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs.
This election season has seen vote-by-mail skyrocket in Georgia amid health concerns brought by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The primary elections in June drew historic numbers of absentee ballots. The upcoming general election is also poised for huge mail-in voting turnout.
Raffensperger did not outline Tuesday how his office might know for certain that 1,000 people intentionally voted twice, other than to note that “we know one person was bragging about it down in Long County.”
He said around 150,000 voters applied for absentee ballots for the June primaries, then showed up to vote in person. Of those, he claimed 1,000 voters intentionally cast an absentee ballot before voting in person without first canceling their absentee ballots on Election Day as is required.
“We’ll be investigating all 1,000 [double-voting allegations] and we’ll get to the bottom of it,” Raffensperger said at Tuesday’s news conference.
He added results from the investigation should be ready “in the next couple of weeks.”
Shortly after, the Democratic Party of Georgia’s executive director accused Raffensperger of pushing “voting conspiracy theories and disinformation” that threatened to undermine confidence in the upcoming election’s integrity.
Raffensperger’s announcement was also called “a deliberate distraction” by the Georgia Voter Empowerment Task Force, a voting-rights group composed of representatives from several other groups including the NAACP and Fair Fight Action, which was set up by 2018 Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams.
“Under his so-called leadership and the ‘meltdown’ of an election over which he presided, Georgians faced barriers in casting their votes and having their votes counted,” the task force said in a statement. “Now, unsurprisingly, Georgia’s failed top elections official has decided to push a right-wing narrative spreading across the country rather than focusing on protecting the Constitutional rights of every Georgian.”
The Georgia chapter of the ACLU also urged anyone “threatened with prosecution” over double-voting allegations to contact them for legal assistance.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced Tuesday his office is investigating alleged instances of double voting in the state’s June 9 primary elections.
At a news conference, Raffensperger claimed investigators have identified 1,000 alleged instances in which Georgia voters intentionally cast ballots twice: once via absentee and once in person.
He did not provide evidence Tuesday as to how his office might know for certain that 1,000 people intentionally voted twice, other than to state that “we know one person was bragging about it down in Long County.”
Reports emerged last week of alleged voting irregularities including double voting in a local Long County election for judge.
“They knew what they were doing,” Raffensperger said of voters who allegedly voted twice.
Results from an investigation into the alleged double voting should be ready “in the next couple of weeks,” he added. Findings will be sent to local, state and federal authorities for further prosecution.
Raffensperger, a Republican, drew swift criticism Tuesday from state Democratic leaders who argued his announcement has the potential to undermine confidence in the Nov. 3 general election while noting that instances of voter fraud in Georgia are rare.
“It is clear that rather than do his job of promoting the safety and security of our voting process, the Secretary of State is instead pushing the GOP’s voting conspiracy theories and disinformation, as he fights in court to make voting by mail less accessible to voters,” said Scott Hogan, executive director of the Democratic Party of Georgia.
This election season has seen vote-by-mail skyrocket in Georgia amid health concerns brought by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The primary elections in June drew historic numbers of absentee ballots. The upcoming general election is also poised for huge mail-in voting turnout.
Voters in Georgia who apply for absentee ballots can still vote in-person on Election Day so long as they formally cancel their absentee ballots or applications at a polling place.
Raffensperger said around 150,000 voters applied for absentee ballots for the June primaries, then showed up to vote in person. Of those, he claimed 1,000 voters intentionally cast an absentee ballot before voting in person without first canceling their absentee ballots on Election Day.
“We’ll be investigating all 1,000 (double-voting allegations) and we’ll get to the bottom of it,” Raffensperger said.
None of the alleged double-voting instances had any impact on the final outcomes of the primary contests, he added.
Knowingly voting twice in the same election is a felony crime in Georgia that carries a one to 10-year prison sentence and a fine up to $100,000 upon conviction, Raffensperger noted.
Georgia’s election system has been under intense scrutiny in recent years following a close gubernatorial race in 2018 and the rollout earlier this year of new voting machines that Raffensperger has touted as secure from vote tampering and cybersecurity breaches.
While some technical issues involving the new machines have cropped up in recent elections, state election officials have attributed those issues to a lack of experience on the part of some local poll workers and county officials.
On Tuesday, Raffensperger said the state’s voting system caught the alleged double voting but that some local election officials missed them. He said training on identifying voter fraud will be boosted ahead of the elections in November.
“The system worked fine,” Raffensperger said. “It’s not the system. It’s really voters.”
Raffensperger’s announcement follows controversial remarks President Donald Trump made last week in which the president appeared to encourage North Carolina voters to vote twice in order to see “if their system is as good as they say it is.” Trump has frequently criticized large-scale vote-by-mail in recent weeks as he campaigns for a second term in office.
U.S. Rep. Doug Collins (left) and U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler (right, with Gov. Brian Kemp) are battling on the Republican side in a heated Senate race. (Photos by Beau Evans)
U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., nabbed the endorsement of Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler Tuesday morning in the race to hold her U.S. Senate seat ahead of the Nov. 3 special election.
The endorsement by Butler, a Republican, marked the latest development in the hustle for high-profile supporters between Loeffler and U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, R-Gainesville, a well-known Republican in the state who is also vying for the senate seat.
In a statement, Butler called Loeffler a “proven conservative champion” and highlighted her conservative stances on gun ownership, immigration and her background as an Atlanta businesswoman.
Butler’s endorsement builds on her base of prominent state Republican backers including Gov. Brian Kemp, Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. She has also drawn support from many national Republicans including U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.
Collins, whose entrance in the race earlier this year jolted the state’s Republican establishment, has battled with Loeffler from the start over which of the two candidates is the most conservative.
Last week, Collins gained the endorsement of Georgia House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, a longtime friend who described the four-term congressman from Gainesville’s conservative values as “like a tree planted by water.”
That endorsement drew into sharp focus the intra-party schisms between many of the state’s most powerful Republican officeholders like Ralston and Kemp, who appointed Loeffler to hold retired U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson’s senate seat until the November election.
Collins, a preacher and former criminal defense attorney, has also been endorsed by Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black and recently held a rally attended by former Gov. Nathan Deal – though Deal has not yet officially endorsed Collins.
Collins also recently touted endorsements from 41 Georgia sheriffs as he and Loeffler fight for the title of most pro-law enforcement candidate.
Collins also on Tuesday announced endorsements from about four dozen sitting and incoming state lawmakers on the heels of Ralston’s backing.
Loffler countered shortly after with her own set of 16 state lawmaker endorsements, roughly doubling the amount she had already gained.
On the Democratic side, frontrunner Rev. Raphael Warnock, the senior pastor at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, has pulled support from a stream of prominent state and national Democratic leaders including Abrams and Jon Ossoff, the investigative journalist who is competing in Georgia’s other U.S. Senate race as the Democratic nominee.
The hotly contest race for the Senate seat held by Loeffler has drawn 20 other candidates vying to unseat her. All candidates will be on the Nov. 3 ballot in the free-for-all-special election. A runoff will be held in January if no candidate gains more than 50% of votes.
This story has been updated to include additional endorsements for Loeffler and Collins.
U.S. Rep. Doug Collins (left) has been endorsed by Georgia House Speaker David Ralston (right) in the U.S. Senate race. (Photo from David Ralston Facebook page)
Georgia House Speaker David Ralston, among the state’s most powerful political leaders, has endorsed U.S. Rep. Doug Collins in his run for the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by retired U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson.
Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, handed Collins his endorsement Thursday in an announcement that characterized the four-term congressman from Gainesville’s conservative values as “like a tree planted by the water.”
“[Collins] and his family live those values every single day: a strong Christian faith, a tireless work ethic and a public servant who serves with honor and integrity,” Ralston said in a statement.
Collins has been battling for months with U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., over which of the two Republican candidates represents the most conservative pick in the upcoming special election on Nov. 3.
Loeffler, an Atlanta businesswoman appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp to fill Isakson’s seat until the election, has long pushed staunchly conservative stances while attacking Collins’ background as a criminal defense attorney and voting record with Democratic favorite Stacey Abrams in the state legislature.
A Loeffler campaign spokesman dismissed Ralston’s endorsement late Thursday and highlighted controversy swarming the House speaker over reports he has frequently used his legislative role as a means to delay court cases while working as a defense attorney.
“Like Doug Collins, Ralston is a career politician and criminal defense lawyer who abused his power to protect violent criminals, domestic abusers and child molesters,” said Stephen Lawson, a spokesman for Loeffler. “Both are political insiders who care more about their taxpayer funded paycheck and politics than public safety and service.”
Collins has punched back at Loeffler, particularly by criticizing her ownership of the Atlanta Dream women’s basketball team and highlighting connections between the team and past events involving Abrams and the pro-abortion rights nonprofit Planned Parenthood.
Thursday’s endorsement did not come as a surprise. Ralston has long touted his friendship with Collins and publicly praised the Gainesville congressman earlier this year during the 2020 legislative session.
But the endorsement does emphasize intra-party schisms between many of the state’s most powerful Republican officeholders like Kemp and Ralston, who each hold large political sway at the state Capitol.
Likewise, Collins held a rally in Gainesville last week that drew attendance from former Gov. Nathan Deal, who has not yet endorsed the congressman but whose presence nonetheless created the appearance of a former Georgia governor lined up against Kemp.
Meanwhile, Loeffler has held a spate of campaign events since last week featuring Kemp, Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, and big-name Washington, D.C., backers including U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.
On the Democratic side, frontrunner Rev. Raphael Warnock, the senior pastor at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, has pulled support from a stream of prominent state and national Democratic leaders including Abrams and Jon Ossoff, the investigative journalist who is competing in Georgia’s other U.S. Senate race as the Democratic nominee.
The hotly contest race for the Senate seat held by Loeffler has drawn 20 other candidates vying to unseat her. All candidates will be on the Nov. 3 ballot in the free-for-all-special election. A runoff will be held in January if no candidate gains more than 50% of votes.
This story has been updated to include a response from Sen. Loeffler’s campaign.
Voters wait in line at a precinct in Cobb County on May 18, 2020. (Photo by Beau Evans)
More than 10,000 poll workers have been recruited to help staff local precincts in Georgia ahead of an expected surge of voters in the Nov. 3 general election, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office announced this week.
The 10,000 new poll workers account for about half of the 20,000-worker recruitment goal the state has set in recent months to bolster polling places, Raffensperger’s office said Thursday. The new recruits span the state but especially represent population centers like the Atlanta and Savannah metro areas.
More than 50 groups have partnered with Raffensperger’s office to recruit workers including local Rotary clubs, county chapters of the NAACP, some state agencies, the Metro Atlanta Chamber, the Savannah Regional Film Commission and the nonprofit TeenPact.
Raffensperger’s office said it has not surveyed counties to get a total of how many poll workers may be needed overall for the election. His office also said it does not have a list of how many poll workers have been hired statewide overall since it is the counties that hire the workers and they have not submitted lists of local staffing numbers to the state.
Raffensperger’s office has sent spreadsheets to county election officials so they can track inventory and training needs to smooth over any future hiccups more quickly than has happened in a few recent elections in which Georgia’s new voting machines have been used.
Safety concerns over the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic prompted many poll workers to abstain from the state’s June 9 primary election, which saw long lines and technical know-how issues with the new voting equipment in some polling places, particularly Fulton County.
Raffensperger and local election officials have put a premium on recruiting more poll workers to curb chances for similar problems in the upcoming general election, in which voter turnout could top 5 million Georgia registered voters.
“After we saw how the pandemic-related shortage of poll workers contributed to long lines in June, we set out to mobilize an all-hands-on-deck effort to make sure county elections officials had the staff they need in November,” Raffensperger said in a statement. “Thanks to the great work of our partners and the dedication of Georgia voters, elections in Georgia will move more smoothly and efficiently in the future.”
State and local election officials are also anticipating a flood of absentee ballots from voters who opt to stay home on Election Day due to coronavirus concerns. Raffensperger’s office has launched an online portal to request absentee-ballot applications.
Voters wait in line at a precinct in Cobb County on May 18, 2020. (Photo by Beau Evans)
A federal judge has extended the time Georgia election officials can accept absentee ballots if they are received up to three days after the general election on Nov. 3.
In a ruling Monday, Judge Eleanor Ross of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia ordered that mail-in ballots that are postmarked by Election Day must be counted if they arrive by 7 p.m. on Nov. 6, which is within three days of the original deadline.
The ruling looks to calm some fears of absentee voting reliability amid an expected slow delivery by the U.S. Postal Service and huge numbers of mail-in ballots in Georgia and across the country due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“Extending the deadline would ensure that voters who receive their ballots shortly before Election Day are able to mail their ballots without feat that their vote will not count,” Ross wrote in her 70-page ruling.
Ross’s decision stems from a lawsuit filed in May by the voter registration group New Georgia Project against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger that aimed to have the absentee acceptance deadline extended beyond 7 p.m. on Election Day.
The judge agreed the mail-in acceptance deadline should be extended but dismissed other claims sought in the lawsuit, including bids to make postage free for absentee ballots and to mail absentee applications to all registered Georgia voters, as occurred for the June 9 primary.
Plaintiffs had also asked for the receipt deadline to be extended by five days, which the judge shortened to three days in her ruling.
More than 7,200 absentee ballots were rejected from among roughly 1.1 million cast in the June primary due to being received after the 7 p.m. Election Day deadline, Ross’s ruling noted.
With many more Georgians expected to vote by mail in the upcoming general election, Ross wrote that “the burden on many voters will be severe” if absentee ballots that arrive shortly after the strict Election Day deadline are rejected.
“The court notes it is reluctant to interfere with Georgia’s statutory election machinery,” Ross wrote. “However, where the risk of disenfranchisement is great, as is the case here, narrowly tailored injunctive relief is appropriate.”
The ruling was immediately hailed by Georgia Democratic leaders, who touted the extended deadline as a boost for voter access ahead of the troubled and pivotal general election that will see presidential, U.S. Senate, congressional and statehouse contests on the ballot.
“Today’s decision is a huge victory for Georgia voters, and a huge win in the fight for every vote to be counted,” said Georgia Democratic Party Chairwoman and state Sen. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta. “All Georgians deserve to have their voice heard, and in the midst of a global pandemic, it is the responsibility of our democracy to make voting by mail and early voting options as accessible as possible.”
Raffensperger’s office plans to appeal the ruling over concerns the extended deadline would hinder the ability of local election officials to process ballots in a timely manner, said Deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs.
“Extending the absentee ballot receipt deadline is a bad idea that will make it nearly impossible for election officials to complete their required post-election tasks in the timeline that is required by law,” Fuchs said Monday.
Monday’s court ruling came as Raffensperger’s office launched a new online portal for Georgia voters to request absentee ballots via the internet rather than asking for one by mail or at county election offices.
Raffensperger’s office is now pushing to recruit more poll workers for the general election after a shortage during the June primary contributed to long lines and technical know-how issues with the state’s new voting machines.
