As President Donald Trump continues to sow doubt in the integrity of the general election, Georgia Republicans are trying to assure the state’s voters things are being handled properly.
Today, Governor Brian Kemp, Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan, and State House Speaker David Ralston issued a joint statement, expressing their confidence in the state’s electoral process.
“Free and fair elections are the foundation of our American government. Any allegations of intentional fraud or violations of election law must be taken seriously and investigated,” they said. “We trust that our Secretary of State will ensure that the law is followed as written and that Georgia’s election result includes all legally-cast ballots — and only legally-cast ballots. We will continue to follow this situation to ensure a fair and transparent process.”
Although they did not specifically reference the President, the statement comes after a long litany of claims made by Trump and his allies as they watch his path to victory fade.
The President appeared in the White House press briefing room late Thursday to decry the continuing decline in his election night lead – a lead that in some states continues to dwindle as mail-in ballots are counted.
“If you count the legal votes, I easily win,” the President said without evidence. “If you count the illegal votes, they can try to steal the election from us.”
As Trump drilled down on his claims, some news networks cut away from his press briefing to fact check his claims. There’s growing concern that the President’s continued rhetoric will further fan the flames of anger and discord among an electorate torn by deep political divisions.
Trump complained Georgia’s elections are run by Democrats, despite the fact that the state’s chief election official and top state leaders are Republicans. He also questioned Georgia’s election process on Friday tweeting, “”Where are the missing military ballots in Georgia?”
Where are the missing military ballots in Georgia? What happened to them?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 6, 2020
According to the Secretary of State’s Office, there were no missing military ballots; election officials were simply waiting on about 8,400 of them that had been requested to be returned by Friday’s deadline.
Crawford praises “efficiency” of Georgia’s vote count
Although her work for fair elections in Georgia ironically may have cost her her own, Republican Habersham County Commissioner Natalie Crawford added her voice to those defending Georgia’s vote count.
Crawford, who famously appeared with former Gubernatorial Candidate Stacey Abrams during the 2019 Super Bowl in an ad for Abram’s Fair Fight organization and called for bipartisan reform of voting practices in Georgia, is hailing the 2020 election as a victory for voting reform. She praises what she calls the “efficiency” and “effectiveness” of Georgia’s vote count.
A lifelong Republican and a sitting member of ACCG’s Georgia’s County Association Board of Managers, Crawford says she’s prepared to speak out against any assertion that there are any voting irregularities in Georgia.
“Anyone questioning Georgia’s vote count hasn’t been paying attention for the last two years,” she says.
Crawford says “it’s essential” that Republican officials in battle-ground states counter what she calls “this dangerous rhetoric” and anyone questioning the validity of the state’s voting processes.
