Secretary of State Raffensperger talks about state's readiness ahead of Election Day
ATLANTA - On the eve of Election Day, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger held a press briefing at the State Capitol, reassuring the public of the state’s election readiness despite a newly filed lawsuit by the Georgia Republican Party.
With more than half of Georgia's registered voters already casting ballots through early voting and absentee options, millions of Georgians are expected to visit the polls on Tuesday to make their choice in the presidential race.
When the counting begins, Raffensperger says the 4 million early votes will give them a head start. New state rules will allow counties to start counting absentee ballots right when the polls open, instead of waiting for them to close.
In his address, Raffensperger emphasized his confidence in Georgia’s election system, highlighting the efforts made to protect each legal vote.
"Gov Kemp, myself, our General Assembly, and tens of thousands of election workers have worked every day to defend every legal vote," said Raffensperger.
His assurances come as the GOP’s recent lawsuit challenges the legality of absentee ballots accepted over the weekend in Fulton and other counties. Raffensperger pointed out that a judge had already ruled such ballot acceptance lawful, urging voters to trust the state’s robust election process.
The Secretary of State outlined that by 7 p.m. on Election Day—when polls close—an estimated 70% of ballots, including those cast early or absentee, will be ready for tabulation. Final results, however, will depend on county-level reporting for in-person votes. Raffensperger also warned of potential misinformation circulating on social media, advising the public to remain cautious of foreign disinformation attempts.
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Raffensperger also warned voters to be especially skeptical of conspiracy theories the next few days.
"There’s a lot of bad people out there that want to just kind of get us fighting amongst ourselves," he said. "We know who they are. We know Russia, China, Iran, we there's a list of them. It's a basketful, and they're just not really our friends.’
Federal investigators debunked a doctored video last week as Russian disinformation purportedly showing Haitian immigrants voting illegally in Gwinnett County.
"Our systems are secure, and our people are ready," he said.
Georgia’s Republican Party has sued over absentee ballots dropped off in person in a handful of metro Atlanta counties.
It didn’t respond to requests for comment, but the Raffensperger says those ballots were dropped off legally.
"We have the cleanest voter list in the entire country. We have photo ID for all forms of voting at the end of the day. It's going to be fair and fast and accurate," he said.
To find out more information about Election Day, voters can visit the state’s My Voter Page.