Georgia officials have opened up investigations into four liberal groups accused of trying to sign up new voters ahead of two January runoff races that will determine control of the Senate.
America Votes, Vote Forward, Operation New Voter Registration, and the New Georgia Project are all under investigation, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said Monday despite defending the integrity of the state’s voting system.
Raffensperger has said there is no evidence of systemic election irregularities or fraud, but he stressed that his office will investigate any credible claim of illegal voting and election law violations.
More than 250 cases are under investigation, but none of them will likely change the outcome of the election, Gabriel Sterling, a top official in Raffensperger’s office, said during the news conference at the state Capitol.
It is unclear whether the four groups singled out Monday actually did anything illegal or the incidents were accidental.
Regardless, Raffensperger issued a stern warning.
“Let me be very clear again: Voting in Georgia when you are not a resident of Georgia is a felony, and encouraging college kids to commit felonies with no regard for what it might mean for them is despicable,” he said.
The New Georgia Project, founded by Democratic activist Stacey Abrams, faces claims that it sent voter registration applications to people in New York City.
The group’s CEO, Nse Ufot, accused Raffensperger of “resorting to desperate attempts to smear law-abiding organizations and scare eligible Georgians from registering to vote in critical upcoming elections.”
“This attack on our organization comes at a time when people across the country have witnessed the strength of our program and the collective power of a new Georgia electorate that embraces a system of inclusivity and opportunity for all Georgians,” Ufot said in a written statement. “The timing is not accidental.”
A spokesman for America Votes said that the group aims to make sure every voice is heard.
“America Votes has mailed registered voters in Georgia applications to safely and securely vote by mail in the January runoffs. These mailings were sent to the list of registered voters maintained by the Secretary of State,” Sahil Mehrotra wrote in an email to the Associated Press.
In addition, officials are looking into claims that Operation New Voter Registration told Georgia college students that they could change their residency to the state and then change it back to their home state after the Jan. 5 runoffs. Also under investigation is whether Vote Forward tried to register a dead Alabama woman to vote in Georgia.
Raffensperger said his office has also opened several investigations into wrongdoing in the presidential election.
The state has been under intense scrutiny following President Trump’s loss to President-elect Joe Biden. Trump has repeatedly claimed the Georgia election was rigged and that his loss was the result of widespread voter fraud.
State and federal election officials have disputed his claim.
