The Trump campaign called on the state’s GOP secretary of state to announce a hand-count of all ballots cast in the recent election, citing irregularities in the electoral process.
In a statement issued by the Trump campaign on Tuesday and billed as a formal request, Republican Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia, who leads the Trump 2020 recount team in the state, said a statewide comparison of absentee, in-person, and provisional ballots was also needed, along with “a check for felons and other ineligible persons who may have cast a ballot.”
Collins continued: “Most importantly, the Secretary of State should announce a full hand-count of every ballot cast in each and every county due to widespread allegations of voter irregularities, issues with voting machines, and poll watcher access.”
Senior Trump campaign and Republican officials have filed a slew of lawsuits in several key states alleging irregularities during the 2020 General Election.
Collins said the campaign would pursue the requested measures in court, pending Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s response.
“We can — and we will — petition for this in court after statewide certification is completed if the Secretary of State fails to act, but we are hopeful he will preemptively take this action today to ensure every Georgian has confidence in our electoral process,” Collins said.
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A four-term congressman, Collins lost his bid for Senate to Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who will now face off against a Democrat in a January runoff. In making the Senate run, Collins chose not to run for reelection to the House.
Presumptive President-elect Joe Biden leads President Trump by 14,747 votes in the state, with an estimated 98% reporting. By Tuesday, Biden had added 4,000 votes to his lead.
On Monday, Republican Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue of Georgia, both of whom face Jan. 5 runoff elections, called on Raffensperger to resign, citing election “failures.”
“There have been too many failures in Georgia elections this year and the most recent election has shined a national light on the problems,” Loeffler and Perdue said in a joint statement.
“The Secretary of State has failed to deliver honest and transparent elections. He has failed the people of Georgia, and he should step down immediately,” they said.
Matt Morgan, general counsel for Trump’s reelection campaign, on Monday said the campaign was “concerned about the lack of transparency in the tabulation process.”
“In order for Americans to have full faith and confidence in our elections, every legal vote must be counted, and every illegal or fraudulent vote must be excluded,” he said.
