Georgia GOP House lawmakers add to pressure secretary of state

GOP House members in Georgia are calling on the state’s secretary of State — who is a Republican — to look into allegations of voter fraud from President Trump, who trails Democrat Joe Biden in the state by 12,631 votes.

The pressure from the GOP lawmakers comes after the state’s two Republican senators, who both face runoff elections in January, called for Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to resign.

The unprecedented actions come as Raffensperger has defended vote counting in the state and the actions of his office.

“As Secretary of State, I’ll continue to fight every day to ensure fair elections in Georgia, that every legal vote counts, and that illegal votes don’t count,” Raffensperger said Monday after GOP Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler called on him to resign.

Biden is ahead by just 0.25 percent of a vote and a recount is expected.

There have been no widespread reports of voter fraud that suggest the outcome in Georgia will change, Raffensperger has said.

“Was there illegal voting? I am sure there was. And my office is investigating all of it,” he said. 

“Does it rise to the numbers or margin necessary to change the outcome to where President Trump is given Georgia’s electoral votes? That is unlikely,” he added.

Trump has made unsubstantiated allegations over voter fraud, saying the election was stolen from him. A number of Republicans have offered support for those claims.

Trump is behind be tens of thousands of votes in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Nevada, and by around 14,000 votes in Arizona. He’d have to flip three states to overtake Biden in the Electoral College.

The lawmakers writing to Georgia’s secretary of state said he should review the Trump campaign’s allegations.

“Specifically, we ask you to fully examine and grant the requests laid out in their letter addressed to you earlier today before certification of the November 3, 2020, General Election,” it said. “A fair election ensures all legal ballots are counted. We are united in asking you to ensure that such is the case and look forward to your prompt response.”

A spokesman for Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) also released a statement saying there “needs to be a wake up call to the Secretary of State’s office to take a serious look at any and all voting irregularity allegations.”