The state of Georgia will recount the votes in the presidential race after former Vice President Joe Biden took the lead over Donald Trump, according to Brad Raffensperger, who is the Secretary of State. Biden took the lead early Friday morning when a batch of outstanding ballots from Clayton County was counted. On Thursday evening, a state election official said Georgia is “more than likely” headed for a recount in its presidential votes.
“We take security very seriously,” Gabriel Sterling, Georgia’s voting system implementation manager, said per the New York Post. “They’re going to get it right. We’re going to have an audit to prove they got it right. … We’re going to have a recount for president, more than likely, and people will see those outcomes stay essentially the same.” Sterling went on to say that Georgia has taken the steps at every level to secure that vote and make sure the integrity of the ballot is protected.”
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Currently, Biden is leading Trump in electoral votes, 253-214. He needs 17 more electoral votes to beat Trump for the seat in the White House. On Friday morning, Raffensperger talked to ABC News about Georgia’s voting process and was asked about the election fraud claims his office has received.
“We are investigating every report we receive, but we also have an open process to make sure that we allow monitors into all elections, so we’re open and transparent,” he said. The Trump campaign filed a lawsuit in Georgia over the state’s handling of the absentee ballots. However, a superior court judge in Chatham County dismissed the lawsuit due to lack of evidence.
“Having read and considered said petition, all argument and evidence of record, including the evidence presented at the hearing, and the applicable law, the Court finds that there is no evidence that the ballots referenced in the petition were received after 7:00 p.m. on election day, thereby making those ballots invalid,” Superior Court Judge James Bass said in a statement as reported by The Hill. “Additionally, there is no evidence that the Chatham County Board of Elections or the Chatham County Board of Registrars has failed to comply with the law.” Biden has also taken the lead in Pennsylvania by a slim margin after Trump being ahead since Election Day. The former Vice President is also leading in Nevada and Arizona.
