Elections

Election 2020: GA Sec. of State announces recount by hand

On Wednesday, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced at a press conference that there will be a recount of ballots by hand in the swing state.

Published

1 year ago

November 11, 2020

Staff Writer

On Wednesday, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced at a press conference that there will be a recount of ballots by hand in the swing state.

This comes as former Vice President Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump in the Peach State by about 14,000 votes with 99% of expected ballots counted, according to the Associated Press.

Furthermore, this follows all the major news outlets on Saturday calling the presidential election for Biden after increasing his victory margin in Pennsylvania and other swing states, as well as world leaders, all living former U.S. presidents, and other high-profile figures congratulating Biden. Trump, refusing to concede the election, has continued to file lawsuits in multiple states on the grounds of alleged voter fraud.

“With the margin being so close, it will require a full, by-hand recount in each county,” the state’s chief election official told reporters. “This will help build confidence. It will be an audit, a recount and a recanvass all at once. It will be a heavy lift, but we will work with the counties to get this done in time for our state certification.”

On Friday, Raffensperger said that the state was headed toward a recount, saying that the race, whose margin was just under 2,000 votes at that time, was “too close to call”.

When Monday came around, however, both of the state’s incumbent Republican U.S. senators in an unprecedented move called for Raffensperger, also a Republican, to resign because of his alleged “mismanagement” and “lack of transparency” in running the election. Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Purdue will face side-by-side runoff elections in January as they try to maintain control of their seats, which could determine if the GOP still holds a Senate majority during the 117th Congress.

Raffensperger, refusing to step down, shot back at Loeffler and Perdue in a statement on Monday.

“Earlier today Senators Loeffler and Perdue called for my resignation. Let me start by saying that is not going to happen,” he said. “The voters of Georgia hired me, and the voters will be the one to fire me.”

Historically, recounts have rarely changed the outcome of elections in states. In 2016, for example, then-candidate Donald Trump requested a recount in Wisconsin, where he beat Sec. Hillary Clinton by over 20,000 votes. After recounting the state’s millions of ballots, the new results gave him only 131 additional votes.

You can follow Douglas Braff on Twitter @Douglas_P_Braff.

Elections

New York City Dems Push Law to Allow 800,000 Non-Citizens to Vote in Municipal Elections

The New York City Council will vote on December 9 on a law to allow green-card holders and residents with work permits to vote in municipal elections

Published

2 days ago

November 24, 2021

Staff Writer

New York’s Democratic party is battling over the constitutionality of voter laws. On December 9, the New York City Council will vote on a law to allow green-card holders and residents with work permits to vote in municipal elections.

“Around 808,000 New York City residents who have work permits or are lawful permanent residents would be eligible to vote under the legislation, which has the support of 34 of 51 council members, a veto-proof majority” reports Fox News.

“It’s important for the Democratic Party to look at New York City and see that when voting rights are being attacked, we are expanding voter participation,” Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, a sponsor of the bill and Democrat who represents the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, told the New York Times. Rodriguez immigrated from the Dominican Republic and became a U.S. citizen in 2000.

Fox News reports:

Laura Wood, Chief Democracy Officer for the mayor’s office, said at a hearing on the bill in September that the law could violate the New York State Constitution, which states that voters must be U.S. citizens age 18 or older.

Mayor Bill de Blasio indicated he could veto the bill following the September hearing.
“We’ve done everything that we could possibly get our hands on to help immigrant New Yorkers—including undocumented folks—but…I don’t believe it is legal,” de Blasio told WNYC radio at the time.

Mayor-elect Eric Adams, however, submitted testimony to the September hearing in favor of the bill. “In a democracy, nothing is more fundamental than the right to vote and to say who represents you and your community in elected office…Currently, almost one million New Yorkers are denied this foundational right.”

The legislation was first introduced two years ago, but had not yet gained traction due to the legal concerns.