Federal Judge orders Georgia to wait until Friday to certify the results of the midterm elections

A Federal Judge has ordered Georgia to wait until Friday to certify the results of the midterm elections amid concerns about the state’s voter registration system and the handling of provisional ballots. 

US District Judge Amy Totenberg ruled late Monday that Georgia must not certify the election results before Friday at 5 pm, which falls before the November 20 deadline set by state law.

Totenberg also ordered the secretary of state’s office to establish a hotline or website where voters can check whether their provisional ballots were counted.

Republican Brian Kemp accused Stacey Abrams of ignoring mathematical realities.

Democrat Stacey Abrams (left) and Republican Brian Kemp (right) will not find out if they will have to contest each other in an election runoff until Friday, a Federal court judge decided 

US District Judge Amy Totenberg ruled late Monday that Georgia must not certify the election results before Friday at 5pm

US District Judge Amy Totenberg ruled late Monday that Georgia must not certify the election results before Friday at 5pm

Current unofficial returns show Republican Brian Kemp leading by a margin that would make him the victor in what has been one of the nations most acrimonious campaigns for Governor.

But Democrat Stacey Abrams maintains enough outstanding votes remain to pull Kemp below the majority threshold and force a December 4 runoff.

Totenberg’s order stemmed from a lawsuit filed November 5 by Common Cause Georgia.

It accuses Kemp, who was the state’s top elections official until he resigned as secretary of state last week, of acting recklessly after a vulnerability in Georgia’s voter registration database was exposed shortly before the election.   

Kemp’s actions increased the risk that eligible voters could be illegally removed from the voter registration database or have registration information illegally altered, the lawsuit staes.

Sara Henderson, executive director of Common Cause Georgia, said in an emailed statement that the ruling helps increase voter confidence in elections.

Oprah Winfrey and Georgia Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams greet the audience during a town hall style event at the Cobb Civic Center on November 1

Oprah Winfrey and Georgia Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams greet the audience during a town hall style event at the Cobb Civic Center on November 1

Former US President Barack Obama and Georgia Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams pose for a photo during a campaign rally

Former US President Barack Obama and Georgia Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams pose for a photo during a campaign rally

A spokeswoman for the secretary of state’s office did not respond to an email sent late Monday seeking comment.

Abrams explained her refusal to end her bid to become the first black woman elected governor in American history. 

In a statement she said: ‘I am fighting to make sure our democracy works for and represents everyone who has ever put their faith in it. 

‘I am fighting for every Georgian who cast a ballot with the promise that their vote would count’.

Kemp’s campaign retorted that Abrams’ latest effort is ‘a disgrace to democracy’  and ignores mathematical realities. 

A Fulton County election worker counts provisional ballots on November 8  in Atlanta

A Fulton County election worker counts provisional ballots on November 8 in Atlanta

‘Clearly, Stacey Abrams isn’t ready for her 15 minutes of fame to end,’ said Kemp spokesman Ryan Mahoney.

As of Monday evening, a hearing had not been scheduled for arguments in the case, but Abrams’ campaign was expecting a federal court in Atlanta to set a Tuesday hearing given the time sensitivity.

Unofficial returns show Kemp with a lead just shy of 60,000 votes out of more than 3.9 million cast.

Abrams would need a net gain of about 21,000 votes to force a December 4 runoff.

The Georgia race along with Florida’s gubernatorial and Senate matchups that are requiring recounts are among the final measures of a midterm election cycle that already has allowed Democrats to deal serious blows to President Donald Trump.

Republican candidate Brian Kemp accused Stacey Abrams of ignoring mathematical realities 

Republican candidate Brian Kemp accused Stacey Abrams of ignoring mathematical realities 

Democrats already have won the House, flipped seven governor’s seats and reclaimed more than 300 state legislative seats in statehouses around the country. 

The GOP maintained its Senate majority, and could still expand it. But it’s looking to hold the governor’s mansions in Florida and Georgia to deny Democrats important gains in presidential battlegrounds ahead of the 2020 election.

Republicans have occupied the governor’s mansion in Georgia since 2003 and in Florida since 1999.

Trump has put a premium on the two states, endorsing both Kemp and Florida’s GOP nominee Ron DeSantis when they were in competitive GOP primaries and then campaigning in person for them ahead of the November 6 election.

Georgia’s interim Secretary of State Robyn Crittenden on Monday directed county officials to count some provisional ballots that had been rejected because of voters’ failure to provide their year of birth, provided the voter’s identity and eligibility was still established.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the State Election Board asked Crittenden to send a letter instructing county election officials how to handle absentee ballots.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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