Georgia election authorities have started investigations into third-party groups attempting to register new voters — including a dead woman — ahead of the state’s special election in January that could play a key role in determining control of the United States Senate.
During a press conference Monday, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said the registration efforts of America Votes, Vote Forward and the New Georgia Project were being probed by his office, which alleged that the groups were emboldening those who live outside the state to register to vote in Georgia.
According to Raffensperger, America Votes sent absentee ballot applications to people at addresses where they haven’t lived in more than 20 years. Vote Forward attempted to register a dead Alabama woman to vote in Georgia and the New Georgia Project sent voter registration applications to New York City.
“These third-party groups have a responsibility to not encourage illegal voting. If they do so, they will be held responsible,” he said, adding, “Upholding the law matters. Truth matters. Your vote matters. Anyone telling you to boycott an election is not on your side. Your right to vote is sacred. Don’t let someone con you out of it.”
Raffensperger recently issued a warning to out-of-state voters considering a temporary move to vote in the January 5 runoff election: moving to the state with the sole purpose of voting and leaving is considered voter fraud and is punishable by up to 10 years in jail and a $10,000 fine.
“Let me be clear, those who come to Georgia with the intention of voter fraud will be prosecuted,” said Raffensperger. “We thoroughly investigate every single allegation of voter fraud. Anyone is welcome to move to the state named the No. 1 place to do business. However, let me warn anyone attempting election mischief: If you illegally participate in our elections, you might be spending a lot more time in Georgia than you planned.”
Also on Monday, President Trump’s campaign sent their fifth request to Raffensperger requesting an “immediate” audit of signatures on absentee ballot applications and absentee ballot envelopes received for the election on November 3.
According to the Trump team, between 38,250 and 45,626 illegal absentee ballots were cast in Georgia – a state where Joe Biden leads by just 12,670 votes.
The campaign said they have “substantial evidence” of other violations of the state’s Election Code, as well as other severe discrepancies in voting across the Southern state. Attorneys with the Trump Campaign called on Raffensperger to “uphold his duty to preserve the legitimacy of his state’s elections.”
“It is not possible for you to accurately certify the results in the presidential race from the November 3, 2020, election until and unless there is a thorough audit of the signatures, which we have now requested four times in writing prior to this request. You cannot in good faith conclude the ongoing statutory recount until you have instituted a signature matching audit,” Ray S. Smith, III, Counsel to Donald J. Trump for President, Inc., said in a press release.
Raffensperger said the office of the Secretary of State had several investigations into allegations of improper voting in the U.S. presidential election currently underway.
“Until the signatures are matched, the vote count in Georgia is a complete fraud,” said former New York City Mayor and personal attorney to President Trump, Rudy Giuliani. “There is no way of knowing which ballots are honest and which ballots are fraudulent.”
