Georgia probing voterregistration groups ahead
of critical U.S. Senate
races
Mon, November 30, 2020, 8:15 AM PST
(Reuters) - Election authorities in Georgia
have opened investigations into progressive
groups trying to sign up new voters in
advance of twin January elections that will
determine control of the U.S. Senate,
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said
on Monday.
Raffensperger, a Republican, said his office
was examining registration efforts by
America Votes, Vote Forward and the New
Georgia Project. He said some groups had
been encouraging people who lived outside
Georgia to register to vote in the state.
"These third-party groups have a
responsibility to not encourage illegal
voting. If they do so, they will be held
responsible," Raffensperger said.
Representatives of the organizations did not
immediately respond to questions about the
announcement.
The state is the site of a pair of Jan. 5
runoffs for U.S. Senate seats that will
determine which party controls the upper
chamber of Congress for the next two years
and with it the ability to advance or block
Democratic President-elect Joe Biden's
legislative agenda.
Raffensperger said his office also had
several investigations open into accusations
of wrongdoing in the U.S. presidential
election.
Outgoing Republican President Donald
Trump has repeatedly and without evidence
claimed his loss to Biden in the Nov. 3
election was the result of widespread fraud,
though state and federal election officials
have said there is no evidence of it.
Much of Trump's anger has been trained on
fellow Republicans Raffensperger and
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp after Biden
narrowly won their state.
(Reporting by Brad Heath in Washington;
Editing by Scott Malone and Matthew
Lewis)