Judge throws out GOP lawsuit to close Georgia ballot drop boxes after business hours

A judge in Fulton County, Ga., dismissed a GOP lawsuit on Thursday that sought to block voters from using absentee ballot drop boxes after normal business hours.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the lawsuit, brought by Georgia’s Republican Party and the Republican National Committee (RNC), sought to prevent ballots from being received after business hours, typically no later than 5 p.m.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Esmond Adams ruled Thursday afternoon that she did not have jurisdiction in the case due to sovereign immunity laws, the newspaper reported.

“The eyes of the nation are on Georgia, closely watching this process,” an attorney for the state GOP told the Journal-Constitution. “This case is absolutely not about the expansion or dilution of voter rights. … This case and this motion is about ensuring that individual counties, 159 within the state of Georgia, do not themselves alter the election rules.”

The Hill has reached out to the RNC and Georgia’s Republican Party for comment.

Georgia’s runoff elections on Jan. 5 will determine which party controls the Senate for the first two years of President-elect Joe Biden’s administration. Democrats need to oust both Sens. David Perdue (R) and Kelly Loeffler (R) in order to win back the Senate.

The effort by Republicans to limit absentee ballot drop-off hours comes as President Trump has refused to accept the results of the November election.

Congress meets on Jan. 6 to certify the Electoral College results.