Republicans in Georgia, as well as the campaign of former President Donald Trump, have filed a lawsuit against the Democratic stronghold of Fulton County after the state Republican Party reported that the county planned to accept ballots beyond Georgia’s in-person early voting deadline of November 1. On Friday night, the Georgia Republican Party accused Fulton County officials of intending to “illegally” accept ballots after the deadline had passed.
“It has come to our attention that Fulton County election officials are planning to open four election offices this weekend ‘to accommodate voters seeking to hand-return their absentee ballots.’ This is a blatant violation of Georgia law, subsection (d) of Code Section 21-2-385, O.C.G.A. § 21-2-382 which states ‘all drop boxes shall be closed when the advance voting period ends,’” the release states.
“This must be stopped immediately and those willfully breaking Georgia law should be held accountable. To make matters worse, the four election office locations are situated in areas of the county that will clearly favor Democrat candidates,” Georgia Republicans continued. “We are calling on state officials to take immediate action to stop this and maintain confidence in Georgia’s election integrity. Fulton County’s patently illegal acts give us no choice but to immediately file suit.” The press release was issued in response to an official letter from Fulton County that promised “extended hours” over the weekend to “accommodate voters seeking to hand-deliver their absentee ballots.”
Fulton County, which encompasses the Democratic stronghold of Atlanta, is widely regarded as crucial to any Democratic electoral success in Georgia. In 2020, Joe Biden narrowly defeated his Republican opponent by less than 12,000 votes, significantly aided by a lengthy counting process in Fulton County. The jurisdiction was among several Georgia counties that announced extended hours for voters to submit their absentee ballots. Republicans contend that these extended hours for returning absentee ballots violate state law. “See you in court, Fulton County,” stated James Blair, political director for the Trump Campaign.
? See you in court Fulton County.
Why ? Can’t ? Everyone ? Just ? Follow ? The ? Law? pic.twitter.com/d2fUUQ9yDN
— James Blair (@JamesBlairUSA) November 2, 2024
The latest challenge follows a ruling by a Fulton County Superior Court judge who rejected a GOP-led effort to compel the crucial county to hire more Republican poll workers for Election Day on Tuesday. State, federal, and local Republican parties accused the Fulton County Department of Registration and Elections of failing to hire an adequate number of poll workers.
According to the complaint, only nine out of 45 qualified workers were hired to assist with early voting, and just six out of 62 were hired for Election Day, as reported by Fox News. Judge Kevin Farmer ultimately ruled against the Republicans, declining to implement emergency measures to increase the number of election workers for Tuesday.
