The Georgia Republican Party has filed a lawsuit against Fulton County, alleging that county officials are breaking state election law by allowing certain voter centers to accept absentee ballots over the weekend, after early voting officially ended. The GOP asserts that this practice gives Democrats an unfair advantage and goes against Georgia’s strict ballot drop box regulations.
According to the GOP’s statement, released Friday night, Georgia law under Code Section 21-5-385 mandates that all ballot drop boxes close when early voting ends. The Georgia GOP argues that by allowing weekend ballot returns, Fulton County is ignoring this regulation. “This is a blatant violation of Georgia law,” the party said, calling for immediate action to halt the practice.
Fulton County hired 15 Republican poll workers and 789 Democrat poll workers.
Fulton County established four special ballot drop boxes to receive absentee ballots after the deadline.
Fulton County ordered staff to not allow observers into the buildings to monitor these drop… https://t.co/IkME1qCUdB pic.twitter.com/gpDjLJYEVq
— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) November 2, 2024
Under state law, early voting in Georgia ends on the Friday before an election, though voters may submit absentee ballots in person or by mail up until Election Day. The GOP argues that by keeping certain centers open, Fulton County is effectively establishing additional drop boxes, which the party claims is unlawful.
Fulton County officials have stated that these centers are open “to accommodate voters seeking to hand-return their absentee ballots.” However, the GOP claims that this accommodation is illegal and disproportionately affects Democratic areas, where these centers are located.
BREAKING!🚨 The Georgia Republican Party warns of a last minute plan by Fulton County to ILLEGALLY accept absentee ballots in the final hour!
According to Fulton County’s press release they will be accepting absentee ballots Saturday and Sunday at four locations beginning at… pic.twitter.com/v89GAkdXon
— True the Vote (@TrueTheVote) November 2, 2024
The lawsuit emphasizes the GOP’s position that Fulton County’s decision undermines state election laws and ballot integrity. “This must be stopped immediately, and those willfully breaking Georgia law should be held accountable,” the Georgia GOP added, stressing the importance of upholding election rules.
As this legal dispute progresses, the court will decide whether Fulton County’s weekend ballot acceptance practices are within legal bounds or represent a breach of state election law. The case is expected to have significant implications for how absentee ballots and drop boxes are managed in future Georgia elections.
GEORGIA-
Fulton County is missing all of their in-person voting images.
They are also missing 17,690 mail-in ballot images.
That exceeds the margin in GA. pic.twitter.com/AB8C6l85sI
— suzy (@Suzy_1776) November 9, 2021
