Georgia Secretary of State to certify election for Biden
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger speaks during a news conference with Fran Leathers, Director and Chair Oconee County Board of Elections reflected at right, on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020, in Atlanta. Georgia election officials have announced an audit of presidential election results that will trigger a full hand recount.[AP/ Brynn Anderson]
Georgia’s top elections official said he will certify that Joe Biden won the state’s presidential election after a hand tally stemming from a mandatory audit affirmed the Democrat’s lead over Republican President Donald Trump.
"Working as an engineer throughout my life, I live by the motto that numbers don’t lie," Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said during a news conference at the state Capitol. "As secretary of state, I believe that the numbers that we have presented today are correct. The numbers reflect the verdict of the people, not a decision by the secretary of state’s office or of courts or of either campaign."
State law says Raffensperger must certify the election results by 5 p.m. Friday. Then, Gov. Brian Kemp has until 5 p.m. Saturday to certify the state’s slate of presidential electors.
Raffensperger also said he plans to propose election-law changes aimed at increasing trust in the results, by allowing state officials to intervene in counties that have systemic problems in administering elections, requiring photo ID for absentee voting and enabling more challenges to voters who might not live where they say.
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