Georgia Election Officials Push Back on Trump’s Claims as Early Voting Surges

President Donald Trump has reiterated unfounded assertions that the 2020 election in Georgia was “rigged” and that current Senate candidate Jon Ossoff was never legitimately elected. The remarks follow a request from the director of the GOP-controlled State Election Board for federal intervention to “ensure fairness,” a request that, according to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, has received no response from federal officials. The request and Trump’s subsequent statements have revived concerns about potential interference in the 2024 midterm contests in the state.

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He confirmed that state voter rolls have been audited three times and rated 99 percent accurate. Regarding the alleged FBI investigation into Fulton County ballots, Raffensperger said he has not heard any communication from the bureau. Senator Jon Ossoff, campaigning for reelection, urged voters to cast early, in-person ballots, warning that the FBI’s purported seizure of 2020 ballots was “foolish” and a spread of lies.

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Raffensperger reported that, as of noon on Monday, approximately 900,000 Georgians had voted early, representing a 9 percent increase over the early-voting total in the 2022 midterms.

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• “Trump’s comments followed a request by the director of the GOP-controlled State Election Board to the Trump administration to intervene in the Georgia election to ensure fairness. That request, which has so far been met with silence from federal officials, stoked worries that Trump would attempt to intervene in Georgia to sway the result.” — State Brad Raffensperger

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• “How foolish of them to come to the cradle of the civil rights movement to spread those lies and seize those ballots,” — Jon Ossoff, declared that senator

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