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☆ Non-credible bomb threats against Atlanta-area polling places were from Russia, secretary of state says
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-05 | by ( Chris Boyette | Ryan Young | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Several non-credible bomb threats that briefly disrupted voting at two Georgia polling places originated from Russia, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger told reporters Tuesday. “Anything that can get us to fight amongst ourselves - they can count that as a victory.”Raffensperger, a Republican, did not elaborate on how exactly state officials determined the bomb threats came from Russia. The non-credible threats caused the temporary closure of polling places at the Etris Community Center and Gullatt Elementary in Union City, just outside of Atlanta, according to Fulton County Police. An officer told him and other voters they couldn’t enter the site to vote because of a bomb threat. “They had to remove all the workers, they couldn’t let anyone in until they assessed the threats,” said Osborne.

Persons: Brad Raffensperger, “ We’ve, we’ll, ” Raffensperger, “, ” “, ”, Nadine Williams, Michael Osborne, Osborne, Evette Reyes, CNN’s Isabel Rosales, Mounira Elsamra, Denise Royal Organizations: CNN, Republican, Etris Community, Fulton County Police, Union, Census Bureau, FBI, Etris Locations: Georgia, Russia, Union City, Atlanta, Fulton County

☆ In Georgia, it’s Republican vs. Republican as election misinformation spreads
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-04 | by ( Sara Murray | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The deep mistrust between conservatives and Republican election officials in Georgia is hampering efforts to slow the tide of election misinformation swirling in this pivotal battleground state. Our systems are secure and our people are ready.”The best sources of accurate and timely election information have been state and election officials. But plenty of conservatives simply don’t believe what election officials are sharing, even when it is backed up by other sources. We have safeguards to protect elections from fraud.”Among Georgia state officials, there’s obvious frustration with the local conservative agitators. Janice Johnston, one of the conservative members of the Georgia State Election Board, recently posted “Danger!

Persons: Brad Raffensperger, Kylie Jane Kremer, Gabriel Sterling, Raffensperger —, Donald Trump —, Joe Biden, ” Raffensperger, ”, Karli Swift, Amy Kremer, Kylie Jane Kremer’s, Sterling, “, ” Sterling, Trump, ” Cleta Mitchell, Steve Bannon’s, Janice Johnston, that’s, ” Johnston, Johnston Organizations: CNN, Republican, Trump, Infrastructure Security Agency, Peach, Georgia GOP, CNN Conservatives, Republicans, Republican National Committee, Board Locations: Georgia, Russian, Atlanta, DeKalb County, ”, Fulton County, Gwinnett, Fulton

☆ A pro-Trump influencer says a Russian agent paid him $100 to post a fake voter fraud video. It wasn’t the first time
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-04 | by ( Isabel Rosales | Paul P. Murphy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —An American social media influencer said he was paid $100 by a pro-Kremlin propagandist to post a fake video of Haitian immigrants claiming to vote in the US presidential election. After speaking with CNN, AlphaFox deleted the post, which at the time had generated more than 2.6 million views. Deleted video’s message lives onAlphaFox said he was remorseful for sharing Russian disinformation, and adamant that he was the one who was tricked. “I never wanted to misinform anyone.”AlphaFox believes himself to be just “the guy who shared” a disinformation video. “Real people have become important vehicles of Russian disinformation.

Persons: influencer, Trump, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, ”, Simeon Boikov, podcaster, Boikov, Darren Linvill, ” Linvill, ” Boikov, AlphaFox, ” AlphaFox, “, X AlphaFox, Harris, Doug Emhoff, Sean “ Diddy ” Combs, Brad Raffensperger, ” Raffensperger Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, State, Russian, Media, Clemson University, FBI, Australian Foreign Ministries, Homeland Security, AlphaFox Locations: American, Russian, Massachusetts, Georgia, Boikov, Russia, Australia, Sydney, AlphaFox, AlphaFox78

CNN —Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Thursday said the state had been targeted by election disinformation, pointing to a viral video of alleged voter fraud that he suggested could be the result of foreign meddling. Raffensperger, the top election official in the battleground state, said the video was “obviously fake” and was intended to raise illegitimate concerns about Georgia’s voting process. “This is false, and is an example of targeted disinformation we’ve seen this election.”“CISA [Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency] is currently investigating,” Raffensperger said. “In the meantime, we ask Elon Musk and the leadership of other social media platforms to take this down. Those doing so are acting to further the efforts of America’s enemies and undermine the security of our nation.

Persons: Brad Raffensperger, Kamala Harris, Raffensperger, ”, ” Raffensperger, “, Elon Musk, Chris Krebs, Amy Kremer, ” Gabriel Sterling, Kremer, ” Sterling Organizations: CNN, Georgia, Infrastructure Security Agency, Twitter, Republican National Committee Locations: Haitian, Georgia

CNN —A record number of early votes have been cast in Georgia on Tuesday as residents headed to the polls in a critical battleground state that is grappling with the fallout from Hurricane Helene and controversial election administration changes that have spurred a flurry of lawsuits. More than 300,000 ballots were cast Tuesday, Gabe Sterling of the Georgia secretary of state’s office said on X. Georgia election officials say absentee ballots went out by the US Postal Service as scheduled and were not impacted by the storm. It’s also possible that the state could continue to see high numbers of early votes given that Georgia law now mandates two Saturdays of early voting and allows for two Sundays of early voting if a county desires. Legal fights continueMeanwhile, state judges are scrutinizing a number of new rules passed by the Trump-backed Republican majority on the State Election Board that Democrats warn could inject post-election “chaos” into the Georgia.

Persons: Hurricane Helene, Gabe Sterling, Sterling, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Trump, “, ”, Brad Raffensperger, It’s, Raffensperger, ” Raffensperger, Robert McBurney, McBurney, they'll, Harris, Fay Ainsworth, we’ve, Joseph Henry King Jr, Kareem Rosshandler, Jill Stein, “ We’ve, ” Rosshandler, Mounira Elsamra Organizations: CNN, Republican, Corine, US Postal Service, Biden, Trump, Peach State, Legal, Board, Democrats, GOP, Green Party, Israel, Electoral College Locations: Georgia, Hurricane, Atlanta, Corine Canada, Southeast . Georgia, Trump’s crosshairs, Peach, Fulton County

The Georgia state election board on Friday voted 3-2 to require counties to hand-count ballots cast on Election Day, a move that could drastically lengthen the amount of time to tally results in a critical battleground state. Number one is the actual counting of the number of ballots that you have at the precinct. Georgia's rule only requires election workers to count the number of ballots — not every votes on the ballot — but election officials are still worried about the impact. In August, the same Georgia board members passed other new rules that would allow county election board members to conduct “reasonable” inquiries before they certify results. Speaking of the trio of board members who voted for them at a rally last month, Trump said, “They’re on fire.

Persons: who've, Donald Trump, “, John Fervier, Fervier, Brian Kemp, Sara Tindall Ghazal, Brad Raffensperger, ” Raffensperger, Elizabeth Young, Janelle King, ” King, ”, —, Charlotte Sosebee, Sosebee, wasn't, Trump, ” “ Janice Johnston, Rick Jeffares Organizations: Georgia GOP Gov, Democratic, NBC, NBC News, Democratic National Committee, Democratic Party of Georgia Locations: Georgia, Mohave County , Arizona, Clarke County , Georgia

☆ Georgia election board requires ballots be hand-counted despite warning from key GOP state officials
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-20 | by ( Marshall Cohen | Jason Morris | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Allies of former President Donald Trump who control the Georgia State Election Board approved a controversial new rule Friday requiring counties to hand-count the number of ballots cast at polling places on Election Day, despite bipartisan objections from election officials and poll workers. State Election Board member Janelle King, one of the three Republican members of the state election board who was praised by former President Donald Trump last month, told reporters before the meeting that the changes are necessary. “The overwhelming number of election officials that have reached out to me have been opposed to this,” State Election Board chairman John Fervier an independent who opposed the move, said before the vote. The state election board in Georgia does not certify the results of any election. The state election board also investigates election irregularities.

Persons: Donald Trump, Chris Carr, ” Elizabeth Young, Young, Brad Raffensperger, “, ”, we’re, it’s, Janelle King, ” King, John Fervier, Trump, Sara Tindall Ghazal, King, Raffensperger, CNN’s Sara Murray, Mounira Elsamra Organizations: CNN — Allies, Trump, Democratic, GOP, Republican, Georgia, CNN, Board, Peach State Locations: Georgia, ”, Peach

CNN —Suspicious packages were sent this week to election offices in more than 20 states, leading to an FBI investigation, triggering evacuations and rattling staff, according to a CNN survey of state offices and Associated Press reporting. Karen Brinson Bell, the executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, told CNN that that the battleground state was also targeted this week. Officials in Kansas and New York said in statements and interviews that, after the letters were noticed, they evacuated their offices. Postal Inspection Service are investigating a series of suspicious mailings sent to election officials in several states,” the FBI said in a statement. A source involved with a group that coordinates with election officials across the country told CNN the 2023 incident led many of these offices to step up precautions and safety measures, so they were better protected this time around.

Persons: Brad Raffensperger, “ We’re, ” Raffensperger, Karen Brinson Bell, Bell, ” Bell, “, ” David Becker, ” Becker, Democrats ”, ” Organizations: CNN, Associated Press, US Postal Service, North Carolina State Board, Election Innovation, Research, Democrats, FBI, U.S . Postal, Service Locations: Alaska , Arizona , California , Colorado , Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana , Iowa , Kansas , Kentucky , Massachusetts , Mississippi , Missouri , Nebraska , New York, North Carolina , Ohio , Oklahoma, Rhode Island , Tennessee, Wyoming, Fulton County, Kentucky, Kansas, New York, Oklahoma, Takoma Park , Maryland

The Senate voted 30-19 along party lines Friday for Senate Bill 358, sending it to the House for more debate. The chamber's Republican majority also on Friday pushed through a proposal to ban ranked-choice voting in Georgia on a 31-19 party-line vote. Raffensperger, also a Republican, says it is unconstitutional for the Senate to give the State Election Board the power to oversee an elected official. Activists have been pushing the State Election Board to investigate whether Raffensperger mishandled his audit of Fulton County’s 2020 results, motivated by unproven claims of fraud. Parent said the bill is pointless because ranked-choice voting is only allowed in Georgia today on overseas ballots.

Persons: —, Brad Raffensperger's, Bill, Raffensperger, ”, Charlene McGowan, Sen, Max Burns, Burns, Chris Carr, Fulton, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, Lower, uncounted, Republican Sen, Randy Robertson, Cataula, Robertson, Elena Parent, Parent Organizations: ATLANTA, Republican, Senate, Sylvania Republican, Raffensperger, Board, Democratic, Republican Georgia, Atlanta Democrat, ” Locations: — Georgia's, Georgia, Atlanta, ” Florida, Idaho , Montana , South Dakota, Tennessee

The letters were just the latest worrisome disruption for election workers in Seattle and across the country who have been besieged by threats, harassment and intimidation since the 2020 presidential election. Fulton County has been the target of conspiracy theories since the 2020 election, and its election workers have been harassed and threatened over false claims that they were stuffing ballots to aid Democrats. In Pennsylvania, officials estimate 40 of the state’s 67 county election offices have new directors or deputy directors since 2020. In North Carolina, where Republican lawmakers recently moved to gain more control of state and local election boards, roughly a third of 100 county election directors have left since the 2020 election. About 1 in 5 election workers knows someone who left their election job for safety reasons, and about 70% of local election officials said harassment has increased, according to a Brennan Center survey.

Persons: “ There’s, ”, Julie Wise, we’re, –, Brad Raffensperger, ” Raffensperger, “, Barb Byrum, ” Byrum, Kim Wyman, ” Wyman, Liz Howard, Wise, Ed Komenda, Manuel Valdes, Jeff Amy, Lindsay Whitehurst Organizations: ATLANTA, FBI, U.S . Postal, Service, Authorities, Georgia, Republican, Justice Department, Brennan, Associated Press Locations: King County , Washington, Washington, Seattle, King, Georgia, Nevada , California, Oregon, Atlanta’s Fulton County, Fulton County, Ingham County , Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona, North Carolina, Virginia, Tacoma , Washington, Atlanta

The potential Georgia connection surfaced a day after authorities in Washington state said four county election offices had to be evacuated as election workers were processing ballots cast in Tuesday’s election, delaying vote-counting. Election offices in Seattle’s King County and ones in Skagit, Spokane and Pierce counties received envelopes containing suspicious powders. Political Cartoons View All 1237 ImagesTacoma Police spokesperson William Muse said a message inside the envelope received by Pierce County election workers said “something to the effect of stopping the election." It was not immediately clear how authorities came to suspect that a letter might have been sent to the Fulton County election office or whether similar ones went to election offices in other states. "Election officials should be free from fear and intimidation, which is why I’ve called on the General Assembly to increase penalties for election interference,” Raffensperger said.

Persons: William Muse, Muse, Steve Hobbs, ”, Brad Raffensperger, I’ve, ” Raffensperger, accidently, Gene Johnson, Lindsay Whitehurst Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, Georgia Emergency Management, Homeland Security Agency, The Associated Press, Tacoma Police, U.S . Department of Justice, FBI, U.S . Postal, Service, AP, Assembly, Associated Press Locations: Fulton County, Georgia, Atlanta, Washington, Seattle’s King County, Skagit , Spokane, Pierce, Kings, Spokane, Pierce County, United States, Seattle

CNN —A federal judge on Friday rejected former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows’ bid to move his Georgia criminal case to federal court, a significant setback for Meadows and a troubling sign for former President Donald Trump. Meadows was the first of five defendants who already filed motions to move the case to federal court – and Trump is expected to do so, too. ‘Outside Meadows’ federal role’The indictment identifies eight overt acts Meadows allegedly took in furtherance of the scheme to overturn the 2020 election results. Meadows argued that these actions were part of his federal duties – and thus, the case should be moved to federal court – but Jones disagreed. independent of its conclusion” in the Meadows case, Jones wrote.

Persons: Mark Meadows, Donald Trump, Steve Jones, Meadows, ”, Jones, Obama, –, Trump, Fulton, ” Jones, Brad Raffensperger, Joe, “, Fani Willis ’, Jeffrey Clark, David Shafer, Cathy Latham, – Shawn Still, Shafer, Latham, would’ve, “ It’s, ” Meadows, Raffensperger, ” Raffensperger Organizations: CNN, White House, Meadows, US, White, Staff, Circuit, Appeals, Georgia, Trump, Fulton, Prosecutors, DOJ, GOP, Former Georgia Republican, GOP Coffee, House, Republican Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, Meadows, ”, Meadows ’, New York, Trump’s, United States, Fulton

CNN —Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has called on state lawmakers to eliminate general election runoffs. “Georgia is one of the only states in country with a General Election Runoff,” Raffensperger, a Republican, said in a statement on Wednesday. I’m calling on the General Assembly to visit the topic of the General Election Runoff and consider reforms.”Georgia’s general election runoff system, rooted in its segregationist past, says that if no candidate in a general election gets more than 50% of the vote, the race must go to a runoff four weeks later between the two candidates who received the most votes. Raffensperger’s statement comes a little more than a week after Georgia’s third US Senate runoff election in two years, which saw Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock defeat Republican challenger Herschel Walker. The secretary of state pointed to the additional impact the four-week runoff period had on voters and county election officials this year.

☆ Strong midterm turnout in Georgia sparks new debate about a controversial election law
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Fredreka Schouten | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The strong turnout in Georgia’s runoff election that cemented Democrats’ control of the US Senate is sparking fresh debate about the impact of the state’s controversial 2021 election law and could trigger a new round of election rule changes next year in the Republican-led state legislature. “There’s no truth to voter suppression,” Raffensperger said in an interview this week with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, a day after Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock secured reelection in the first federal election cycle since Georgia voting law took effect. State election officials had opposed casting ballots on that date, saying Georgia law prohibited voting on a Saturday if there is a state holiday on the Thursday or Friday before. In the CNN interview earlier this week, Raffensperger suggested that the Republican-controlled General Assembly might revisit some of the state’s election rules, including potentially lowering to 45% the threshold needed to win a general election outright. “There will be a push for this in the upcoming legislative session,” said Daniel Baggerman, president of Better Ballot Georgia, a group advocating for the instant runoff.

☆ Trump isn’t the only thing that could rock American democracy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

In a rare bright spot for democracy in the wake of the US Capitol insurrection, Walker – unlike Trump after 2020 – conceded his loss. But looking to the next election, there’s a brewing fight over which states should have the first say in the presidential primary process. The most core question raised this week is being put to Supreme Court justices. Removing a check from the systemThe leap from Trump’s call to end the Constitution to the independent state legislature theory isn’t that far. Under the map approved by the state Supreme Court and after last month’s midterm elections, the delegation will be an even 7-7 when the new Congress is seated in January.

☆ Trump faces yet another reckoning in Georgia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Donald Trump is 0-for-an awful lot in Georgia since 2016. The Georgia Senate runoff represents Trump’s final opportunity to recast a painful midterm season in which his election-denying candidates flopped in swing states, casting a shadow over his nascent 2024 presidential bid. Georgia is the epicenter of American politicsThe Senate runoff in Georgia caps an extraordinary two years in which the state has emerged, somewhat unexpectedly, as the most competitive battleground in the nation. In a call on January 2, 2021, Trump asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” sufficient votes to overturn Biden’s victory. On the eve of the Senate runoffs in January 2021, Trump returned to Georgia to campaign for then-Sens.

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