Politics

RNC Files Georgia Lawsuit Demanding ‘Proper Enforcement’ Of The Law At Polls For Senate Runoffs

Photographer: Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Henry Rodgers Chief National Correspondent
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The Republican National Committee (RNC) filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the state election board in Georgia, demanding access for GOP poll watchers and safeguards in the law related to ballot “drop boxes” for the two Georgia Senate runoff elections on Jan. 5.

Also mentioned in the lawsuit is Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who has not yet ordered a signature audit for the Nov. 3 elections, despite calls from Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. By law, Raffensperger is the only one in the state who can order the audit. The RNC’s lawsuit was filed in the Superior Court of Fulton County.

“Upon information and belief, the same or substantially similar unlawful practices will resume in connection with the imminent January 5, 2021 runoff election,” the lawsuit states, Fox News first reported. The lawsuit then says that Georgia election officials are “statutorily required to ensure that county and municipal superintendents and registrars are properly and lawfully instructed on the rights of poll watchers and do not implement policies or procedures that impair their ability to fully and meaningfully observe the election process.”

READ THE FULL LAWSUIT HERE: 

RNC Georgia Complaint by Henry Rodgers

“While we continue to fight multiple cases of election irregularities from the general election, we also must fight to ensure they never happen again. Election laws need to be properly followed so Americans can have confidence in the results,” RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement.

“This lawsuit seeks to force Georgia election officials to simply follow the laws on their books as they pertain to poll watchers and drop boxes. We will never stop fighting to ensure free and fair elections in our country,” she continued. (RELATED: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp Says Secretary Of State Has Not Ordered Signature Audit)

Republican Georgia Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, who face runoff elections in January, called on Raffensperger to resign over the management of the elections throughout the state on Nov. 9, saying they were unhappy with how votes had been counted. The two Senators told Raffensperger that illegal votes should not be counted and blamed him for not providing transparency on the elections. (RELATED: Georgia Senators Loeffler, Perdue Release Joint Statement Calling On GA Secretary Of State To Resign)

Loeffler will face Democratic challenger Raphael Warnock, in her runoff while Perdue faces a rematch against his Democratic challenger, Jon Ossoff.