Published 11:02 IST, November 12th 2020
Georgia to start 'hand re-count' of 5 million ballots, Trump reiterates 'we will win'
Georgia Rep. said that though it would be a mammoth task to recount with hand 5 million ballots, he will work with counties to get state certification in time.
On November 11, Georgia's top election official announced that there will be 'full by-hand recount in each county’ as requested by the Trump campaign. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said at a press address that the hand recount will restore confidence in the electoral process, adding, that it will be an audit, a recount and a recanvass all put together. Raffensperger added that though it would be a mammoth task to recount with hand 5 million ballots, he will work with counties to get the state certification in time.
While Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden won the state of Georgia as per the television projection by a slim margin of 14,000 ballots, Edison Research hadn’t yet declared him a winner. Thus far, 98 of Georgia's 159 counties certified results and the remaining have until this week to do so before the audit begins, Raffensperger said. “We are committed to counting every legal ballot. Georgia voters deserve accurate, secure results. We stand by our numbers,” Georgia’s Rep. Secretary of state said on Twitter. Further, in a separate live-streamed news conference at Atlanta, Raffensperger said, ”With the margin being so close, it will require a full by hand recount in each county. This will help build confidence."
Raffensperger asked to 'resign'
Georgia Republican’s comments come just a few days after the Trump campaign accused the democrats of “stealing the election” and made demands for him to resign over accusations of mismanaging the electoral procedures. GOP senators, Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue accused Raffensperger in a press address, saying, that he must resign as he failed to deliver honest and transparent elections. According to the sources of NBC, the officials are looking at Nov. 20 deadline to complete the recount in time in the Peach State. Staffers will be working overtime over the next coming weeks to sort the large stacks of ballots into piles and count them fairly under the watch of observers assigned by both the Republican and Democratic Party. It's a big process, Raffensperger told the reporters, adding, to hit the deadline, 23,000 ballots will be recounted each hour.
Updated 11:00 IST, November 12th 2020