The Latest: Georgia counties follow court orders on ballots
Posted Nov 16, 2018 10:36 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
ATLANTA — The Latest on the Georgia governor’s race (all times local):
12:30 p.m.
The Georgia secretary of state’s office says county election officials are making progress on steps required to comply with federal judges’ orders regarding absentee and provisional ballots.
The office said in a news release that 27 counties had to conduct a second review of provisional ballots cast because would-be voters didn’t appear on the voter rolls. By midday Friday, more than half of those counties had completed their review.
Additionally, all counties were required to count absentee ballots that had previously been rejected because of a missing or inaccurate date of birth. Three-quarters of all counties had completed that count.
The secretary of state’s office has instructed counties to complete the reviews by 5 p.m. Friday.
The release says once state election officials confirm that counties have complied with the judges’ orders, they will review the documentation prior to certification.
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6 a.m.
Democrat Stacey Abrams is considering an unprecedented legal challenge in the unresolved Georgia governor’s race that could leave the state’s Supreme Court deciding whether to force another round of voting.
Her longshot strategy is being discussed as Georgia elections officials appear to be on the cusp of certifying Republican Brian Kemp as the winner of a bitterly fought campaign.
Top Abrams advisers outlined her prospective case to The Associated Press. They stressed the Democratic candidate hasn’t finalized a decision about whether to proceed once state officials certify Kemp as the victor. That could happen as early as Friday evening.
The Abrams campaign has nearly three dozen lawyers working on the potential case and considering other legal options.
Unofficial returns show Kemp with 50.2 per cent of more than 3.9 million votes.
The Associated Press
