With Election Day just around the corner, tensions are running high in Georgia as legal battles surrounding ballot counting intensify. Georgia Republicans, along with former President Donald Trump’s campaign, have filed a federal lawsuit accusing several Democrat-heavy counties of accepting ballots after the early voting period concluded.
This action, filed in federal court, targets seven counties: Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Fulton, Chatham, and Athens-Clarke. Fulton County, which houses the state capital, Atlanta, is among the counties facing scrutiny. The Georgia Republican Party, led by Chairman Josh McKoon, alleges these counties are “illegally accept[ing] ballots this weekend AFTER the end of early voting on Friday.”
The lawsuit focuses on ballots hand-delivered over the weekend, arguing they were accepted without proper oversight from election observers. McKoon argues that these counties’ actions constitute an illegal extension of early voting, calling for an investigation into how voters were informed about extended weekend hours.
The Trump campaign, joining the lawsuit, claims that “several heavily Democrat counties announced they would open their offices over the weekend to receive mail ballots,” calling this action a “clear, partisan violation of the law intended to boost Democrat efforts in Georgia.”
The campaign highlights the importance of maintaining fair and transparent election practices, urging officials to follow the law.
This latest legal action follows a similar lawsuit filed by Republicans on Saturday, which was dismissed by a judge in Fulton County. The judge ruled that voters are allowed to hand-deliver their absentee ballots.
As the election nears, the legal battles surrounding ballot counting and election procedures continue to unfold. The outcome of these lawsuits and their impact on the election results remain to be seen. Stay tuned for updates as this story develops.
