Election chief wants power to intervene in counties
Georgia’s chief election officer said Wednesday that he’s seeking legislation that would let the state election board set rules allowing him to intervene in troubled county election offices.
The move comes after primary elections in Georgia last week were marred by a series of problems amid high turnout and hourslong waits for many voters at some polling places.
Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger could not provide specifics about how the process would work or what criteria would be used to deem a county’s elections in need of a takeover.
“We would be looking for
ATLANTA —
Kelsey Luker reads as she waits in line to vote June 9 in Atlanta. Luker said she had been in line for almost two hours. that to come through the state said his office instead wants election board and really have a to open a centralized portal deep discussion on that to make where voters can apply for sure it’s the proper method an absentee ballot online. to go forward,” Raffensperger Coronavirus restrictions said. “It’s not something that that limited the number of we’d ever take lightly.” people allowed to vote at one
Raffensperger also reiterated time combined with high that mail ballot applications turnout, a lack of poll workwon’t be sent out to ers, and trouble with new all Georgia voters for August voting equipment contributed runoffs or for Election Day in to long lines last week. November, as was done for Voting hours were extended the recent primaries. He cited for at least one precinct in the costs of that program and 20 of Georgia’s 159 counties.