The Sound Guy
Pursuit Driver
Hmmm... on purpose or accidental?
I notice that they don't say that the votes were removed, I suspect because voting is anonymous, its impossible to tell what votes were doubles.
Of course, its' also reported our wonderful president has suggested that people double vote just to be sure. <sigh>
******
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced Tuesday that about 1,000 Georgians face investigation for voting twice in the state’s June 9 primary, a large-scale allegation of fraud eight weeks before Election Day.
These voters returned absentee ballots and then also showed up at polling places on election day, Raffensperger said. Double-voting is a felony in Georgia.
“A double-voter knows exactly what they’re doing, diluting the votes of each and every voter that follows the law,” Raffensperger said during a press conference at the state Capitol. “Those that make the choice to game the system are breaking the law. And as secretary of state, I will not tolerate it.”
The investigation follows a chaotic primary where record numbers of voters cast absentee ballots during the coronavirus pandemic. Some voters who weren’t sure whether their absentee ballots would be received before election day decided to vote in person to ensure their votes would count.
Voters are allowed to cancel their absentee ballots and then vote at polling places as long as their ballot hasn’t yet been received by election officials. It’s unclear whether the voters under investigation attempted to do so.
“They only did what they thought was right to make sure their vote was counted," said Aklima Khondoker, the Georgia director for All Voting Is Local, an organization that’s advocating for more absentee ballot drop boxes and recruiting poll workers. “Voters are not criminals.
Raffensperger said suspected double-voters are responsible because they knew they had returned an absentee ballot but then proceeded to vote at a precinct. Each voter should only cast one ballot, he said.
The process of checking and canceling absentee ballots for voters who came to polling places on election day sometimes broke down.
Voting records weren’t always updated, or poll workers weren’t able to get through clogged phone lines to confirm that an absentee ballot had been returned.
“During the primary election, we could not reach anyone for hours on election day. We had no choice but to have the voter sign an affidavit and let them vote,” said Todd Faircloth, a Fulton County poll worker.
County election officials stopped people from voting twice when election records showed absentee ballots had already been received.
Raffensperger’s warning about voting twice comes after President Donald Trump suggested last week that voters try to cast two ballots, saying “this way you’re guaranteed to have your vote count” while noting that those whose absentee ballots were already received wouldn’t be able to vote again.
In Georgia, Raffensperger, also a Republican, made clear that such attempts would be met with criminal prosecutions.
Double-voting is punishable by one to 10 years in prison and a fine up to $100,000. The Georgia attorney general’s office and local prosecutors will decide whether to bring charges following investigations on a case-by-case basis, Raffensperger said.
Record numbers of people cast absentee ballots before Georgia’s primary election during the coronavirus pandemic, at times overwhelming county election officials. Nearly half of all primary voters used absentee-by-mail ballots, up from about 5% of voters who typically cast absentee ballots in state elections.
In all, about 150,000 people who requested absentee ballots showed up at polling places on election day, often because they never received their absentee ballots in the mail or decided to instead vote in person. Those voters' absentee ballots were supposed to be canceled, but that didn’t always happen.
I notice that they don't say that the votes were removed, I suspect because voting is anonymous, its impossible to tell what votes were doubles.
Of course, its' also reported our wonderful president has suggested that people double vote just to be sure. <sigh>
******
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced Tuesday that about 1,000 Georgians face investigation for voting twice in the state’s June 9 primary, a large-scale allegation of fraud eight weeks before Election Day.
These voters returned absentee ballots and then also showed up at polling places on election day, Raffensperger said. Double-voting is a felony in Georgia.
“A double-voter knows exactly what they’re doing, diluting the votes of each and every voter that follows the law,” Raffensperger said during a press conference at the state Capitol. “Those that make the choice to game the system are breaking the law. And as secretary of state, I will not tolerate it.”
The investigation follows a chaotic primary where record numbers of voters cast absentee ballots during the coronavirus pandemic. Some voters who weren’t sure whether their absentee ballots would be received before election day decided to vote in person to ensure their votes would count.
Voters are allowed to cancel their absentee ballots and then vote at polling places as long as their ballot hasn’t yet been received by election officials. It’s unclear whether the voters under investigation attempted to do so.
“They only did what they thought was right to make sure their vote was counted," said Aklima Khondoker, the Georgia director for All Voting Is Local, an organization that’s advocating for more absentee ballot drop boxes and recruiting poll workers. “Voters are not criminals.
Raffensperger said suspected double-voters are responsible because they knew they had returned an absentee ballot but then proceeded to vote at a precinct. Each voter should only cast one ballot, he said.
The process of checking and canceling absentee ballots for voters who came to polling places on election day sometimes broke down.
Voting records weren’t always updated, or poll workers weren’t able to get through clogged phone lines to confirm that an absentee ballot had been returned.
“During the primary election, we could not reach anyone for hours on election day. We had no choice but to have the voter sign an affidavit and let them vote,” said Todd Faircloth, a Fulton County poll worker.
County election officials stopped people from voting twice when election records showed absentee ballots had already been received.
Raffensperger’s warning about voting twice comes after President Donald Trump suggested last week that voters try to cast two ballots, saying “this way you’re guaranteed to have your vote count” while noting that those whose absentee ballots were already received wouldn’t be able to vote again.
In Georgia, Raffensperger, also a Republican, made clear that such attempts would be met with criminal prosecutions.
Double-voting is punishable by one to 10 years in prison and a fine up to $100,000. The Georgia attorney general’s office and local prosecutors will decide whether to bring charges following investigations on a case-by-case basis, Raffensperger said.
Record numbers of people cast absentee ballots before Georgia’s primary election during the coronavirus pandemic, at times overwhelming county election officials. Nearly half of all primary voters used absentee-by-mail ballots, up from about 5% of voters who typically cast absentee ballots in state elections.
In all, about 150,000 people who requested absentee ballots showed up at polling places on election day, often because they never received their absentee ballots in the mail or decided to instead vote in person. Those voters' absentee ballots were supposed to be canceled, but that didn’t always happen.
