(The Center Square) – With 26% of Georgia’s registered voters already having cast their ballots, Republicans in the state are expressing growing concerns about the integrity of the election.
It’s a virtual repeat of 2020.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, self-labeled a “lifelong conservative Republican,” denied the claims.
“The internet did its thing,” Raffensperger said on social media. “We’ve been committed to transparency since day one.”
One of the main concerns expressed by Republicans, mostly on the internet, is comments Raffensperger made on “Face the Nation” about when ballots will be counted.
“We also just put into law this year, with SB-189, that all early votes and all early-accepted ballots … will have to have their results reported by 8 p.m.,” Raffensperger said in the interview. “That’s 70, maybe even 75%, of all the vote totals will be reported no later than 8 p.m. on Election Night.”
He then also explained that, per Georgia law, military and overseas ballots must be received by the Friday after Election Day to be counted.
Many on the internet expressed concern with those comments, believing that Raffensperger was saying that the military and overseas ballots make up 25% of Georgia ballots.
Raffensperger responded to those claims.
“Early absentee & early in person votes will be reported by 8 p.m. on Election Day,” he said. “Election Day votes are reported a few hours later. Votes of Military & overseas citizens have until Friday to arrive if postmarked 11/5. That’s the law. We follow the law and the Constitution, always.”
So far, 21,075 military and overseas Georgia ballots have been requested, according to Raffensperger.
Georgia, with its 16 electoral votes, is one of seven consensus battleground states. There are no state level executive offices on the ballot, nor U.S. Senate seats, and all 14 congressional seats are forecast to remain with current parties in a 9-5 edge to the Grand Old Party.
In 2020, Georgia took the brunt of voter fraud claims, with President Joe Biden winning the state by a mere 11,000 votes. Many of the concerns with voting machines, which are being echoed this election as well.
“Check your ballots, Georgia,” posted Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on social media. “Reports from Whitfield County, GA that Dominion machines are flipping votes. This is exactly the kind of fraud we saw in 2020 and it cannot be tolerated. I will be working to investigate this issue and ensure the integrity of our elections in Georgia.”
The Whitfield County Board of Elections and Registrars responded to the claims in a statement.
“If we had reason to suspect that the machine was in error, we would have immediately taken the machine out of service. No machines have been taken out of service,” the statement said. “The Whitfield County Board of Elections and Registrar’s Office is dedicated to protecting the right to vote, and encourage voters to always double-check their printed ballot before putting it in the scanner.”
While both Republicans and Democrats are campaigning hard in the state, the mantra for Georgia Republicans has been to “make this too big to rig.”
“Just finished up my first shift as a statewide poll watcher in DeKalb County,” posted former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler to social media. “There is an army of attorneys and poll watchers standing by across the state to ensure that every vote counts. Let’s swamp the vote and send President Trump back to the White House!”
Republicans have also expressed concerns with Raffensperger, who they say presided “over the most bungled election in American history.”
Republicans aren’t the only ones with voter fraud anxiety though. Concerns have also been raised by Democrats about recent changes to voter laws in the state, which Raffensperger responded to in a press release.
“Over the past four years we’ve worked tirelessly to prepare for this election by adding early voting days and investing in infrastructure, only to be rewarded with the lies of Jim Crow 2.0 and a missed All-Star Game,” he said. “We’re battle tested and ready, despite the critics.”
Currently, Trump is leading the Project 538 polling average in the state by 1.7%, up from a 1% lead of just a few days ago.
