by Ross Williams, Georgia Recorder, [This article first appeared in the Georgia Recorder, republished with permission]

November 2, 2024

Georgia Democrats and Republicans clashed over ballot collecting over the weekend in what could be a preview of post-Election Day legal battles over the vote.

With just three days to go before Election Day, Republican officials accused a group of counties run by Democrats of funny business over their decisions to extend paper ballot return hours through the weekend. There has been no evidence put forward of widespread election fraud in 2020 or 2024.

Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley said the party has filed suit, and that Republican poll watchers were not being allowed to observe the process in populous blue counties including Fulton, DeKalb and Cobb. Whatley said the watchers were later able to observe.

Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said the practice of receiving ballots at this stage is legal.

“Under state law, election officials can receive absentee ballots in person at govt facilities if the county chooses,” he said in a post on X. “Several counties have chosen to do this. We are working with the counties and the political parties to ensure this is done transparently and within Georgia law.”

Raffensperger later added that while he is pleased that watchers were eventually allowed in, he is concerned that their presence was ever in question.

“The eyes of the world are on Fulton County,” he said. “Local officials must ensure that every process from now until election day and after is transparent and in accordance with Georgia law, given the history of controversy in the county’s election administration.”

Fulton County was at the center of conspiracy theories surrounding the 2020 presidential election.

The ballots turned in before the county allowed observers likely numbered under 100, according to Georgia Secretary of State Chief Operating Officer Gabriel Sterling.

The controversy

In an X post that includes an unverified image of an email purportedly between Fulton County election staff banning poll watchers, State Republican Party Chair Josh McKoon accused Democrats of trying to steal the election.

“Democrats are panicked by the incredible Republican turnout in early voting and will do anything to try to catch up even if it means doing it under the cover of darkness and stiff arming any independent observation of whatever the hell is going on in their four ‘special voting locations’ open today with no notice or approval by anyone authorized to oversee elections administration.”

According to the Harris campaign, a Fulton county judge denied Republicans’ request to shut down the ballot returns Saturday morning. Democrats said the GOP’s efforts are anti-voter and frivolous.

​​“Across Georgia, the Trump campaign has been cherry-picking facts and making up problems where there are none,” said campaign senior advisor and outside counsel Dana Remus. “But each time, we were prepared, we responded, and we won. We are ensuring our voters can make their voices heard, and we are protecting the integrity of the election so that every legal vote will count — no matter what Trump says.”

Tensions are high ahead of Tuesday’s election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump. Georgia’s 16 electoral votes could prove critical, evidenced by the steady stream of visits to Georgia by the presidential candidates and their allies.

After Trump lost the presidency in 2020 to current President Joe Biden, Trump spread unfounded rumors that he was cheated out of victory. He lost in Georgia by less than 12,000 votes.

Many of the party’s strongest backers took the idea that Georgia’s elections were rigged in favor of Democrats to heart, despite two recounts and many unsuccessful court cases. In response, the GOP-led state legislature passed a series of election reforms. Trump has sought to convince his supporters to vote early, and other Republicans have stressed the message that Georgia’s elections are safe and reliable.

According to Fair Fight, the voting rights group started by Democrat Stacey Abrams, expanded mail ballot return hours are available in Chatham, Clarke, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties.

“72,000 Georgians have still not returned their vote-by-mail ballots – that’s a 23% unreturned rate. In Georgia, where presidential elections can be as close as 11,779 votes, every ballot could make the difference. If you have your mail ballot, we recommend hand delivering it to your county. If that’s not an option, you should vote in person on Election Day – just tell a poll worker you’re canceling your mail ballot,” said Fair Fight CEO Lauren Groh-Wargo.

Georgia Recorder is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor John McCosh for questions: info@georgiarecorder.com. Follow Georgia Recorder on Facebook and X.