Republicans target weekend absentee ballot returns in Georgia

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Hill

11/03/24 6:39 PM ET


Republicans are taking aim at Democratic strongholds in Georgia that opened locations this weekend for voters to return their absentee ballots in person. The Republican National Committee (RNC) filed a new lawsuit Sunday after a state judge one day prior rejected allegations that deep-blue Fulton County, which includes Atlanta, was violating Georgia’s election law over its extension.

Republicans cite a provision that mandates drop boxes close when in-person early voting, which in Georgia is known as advance voting, concluded on Friday. The new case challenges both Fulton and six other Democratic-leaning counties that have similarly continued to accept hand-delivered absentee ballots through the weekend.

It was filed in federal court and claims the practice violates the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection and its delegation of elections authority to state legislatures.

“The county’s actions violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment by granting special privileges to voters of those counties in violation of state law, thus arbitrarily and disparately affecting against voters and candidates in other counties,” the lawsuit states.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4969038-republicans-weekend-absentee-ballot-returns-georgia/

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Link to SUIT (PDF viewer) - https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25267000-rnc-georgia-weekend-absentee-ballot-retun-lawsuit

Link to SUIT (PDF) - https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25267000/rnc-georgia-weekend-absentee-ballot-retun-lawsuit.pdf


This is all John Roberts' fault as a result of the disastrous decision in Shelby County v. Holder.

The H.R.4 - John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 would restore and update Sects., 4 & 5 that were discarded.

[OAITW r.2.0]

1. Republicans hate wrong people voting.

They can't win when everyone votes.

[Klarkashton]

2. Republicans are pissed that Harris is going to win.

This is all bullshit.

[CurtEastPoint]

3. I live in Fulton and the Republicans are ratfuckers

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

7. There's a lot of nervous rats in Fulton, I'll bet.

[bahboo]

4. so...does this have a chance or not....

[BumRushDaShow]

5. The state courts already said that what Fulton County, et al did, was fine

Judge Kevin Farmer ruled in favor of the county, which was backed by the Democratic National Committee (DNC). The state law provision at issue did not concern hand delivery of absentee ballots, he said.

“That refers to drop boxes. There are no drop boxes here. Drop boxes are off the table,” Farmer said.

So them trying to do an end-run around the state courts and even citing "state law", with a haphazard connection to the U.S. Constitution of "equal protection", seems idiotic because the state court already ruled that the state law didn't forbid the county's practice, and thus didn't apply.

The GOP is trying to say that people "handing in ballots to election workers" is somehow the equivalent of a "drop box" and thus had a cutoff date/time. "People" aren't "drop boxes".

[bahboo]

6. thank you...

[PortTack]

8. It's so telling! They wait until it will do the maximum amount of damage b4 filing!

[HariSeldon]

9. Exactly

IANAL, but I know that in law there is a principal known as laches that affects standing in court, which this suit probably violates if the counties had this procedure on the books for a significant period.

However, it ties up Democratic resources (money or donated time) in a stupid loser of a suit, so Republicans see this aspect as a win in their attempt at draining Democratic resources.