The Georgia Supreme Court ruled on Monday that Cobb County cannot accept absentee ballots after Election Day, a ruling that is seen as a win for former President Donald Trump, the GOP, and election integrity. Last Thursday, the Cobb County Board of Elections announced that it had failed to send out over 3,000 absentee ballots in a timely manner and would mail them via express shipping or overnight delivery the following day, according to Democracy Docket. Three voters subsequently filed a lawsuit, arguing that there wasn’t enough time to ensure the ballots would arrive in time to be counted.
They requested an extension of the deadline to November 8, which is the deadline for overseas voters to return their ballots. The Republican National Committee and the Georgia Republican Party intervened to block the extension of the absentee ballot receipt deadline. But the Peach State’s highest court swatted down that request.
The Cobb County Board of Elections “may count only those absentee ballots received by the statutory deadline of 7:00 p.m. on Election Day, November 5, 2024,” said the ruling. “The Board shall keep separate the absentee ballots of any ‘Affected Voters’ —as identified by the trial court’s November 1, 2024 order— that are received by the Board after 7:00 p.m. on Election Day, November 5, 2024, and on or before 5:00 p.m. on November 8, 2024, in a secure, safe, and sealed container separate from other voted ballots.”
RNC Chairman Michael Whatley announced the GOP court victory on X on Monday. “HUGE election integrity victory in Georgia. Democrat-run Cobb County wanted to accept 3,000 absentee ballots AFTER the Election Day deadline,” Whatley posted. “We took this case to the Georgia Supreme Court. We just got word that we WON the case. Election Day is Election Day — not the week after.”
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley announced on Friday that poll watchers will finally be permitted inside Georgia’s counting centers following a legal challenge, reversing an earlier directive in a significant win for the GOP and Donald Trump. At the same time, Republicans initiated multiple legal cases following announcements from several Georgia counties that they would continue accepting early ballots beyond the November 1 deadline.
In response to election officials in several Democratic strongholds, including Fulton County, stating that polling locations would remain open over the weekend, Georgia Republicans have accused them of “illegally” accepting ballots in violation of state election law. “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,’” Georgia Republicans announced in a press release Friday.
“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,” the release 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.”
