/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5fb2afa29043ecf4c04aa8be/0x0.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,820&ssl=1 "Trump Repeats Inaccurate Claims About Georgia’s ‘Fake’ Recount")
Topline
After Georgia kicked off a recount of its presidential race last week, President Donald Trump and his allies quickly switched from supporting a recount to calling it insufficient, “fake” and a “scam” — but many of the president’s gripes about Georgia’s recounting process are based on misunderstandings and outright misinformation about the state’s election system.
U.S. President Donald Trump walks up to speak about Operation Warp Speed in the Rose Garden at the … [+]
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Key Facts
In recent days, Trump has repeatedly — and falsely — suggested Georgia’s ongoing audit and hand recount of all votes is useless because officials are legally barred from checking voters’ signatures and verifying that ballots are legitimate.
In reality, Georgia officials were legally required to verify all mail-in ballots prior to their initial count two weeks ago by comparing the signatures that appear on ballot envelopes to the ones in each voter’s file, a process that appears to have taken place.
Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), who is leading Trump’s recount team in Georgia after losing a Senate race in the state, argued Saturday a second review of all signatures could determine whether officials made errors during the verification process, but he did not offer any specific examples of errors.
Trump claimed a March legal settlement between Georgia Democrats and the state prevented signature verification from taking place, but while this “consent decree” laid out clearer processes for discarding ballots when officials cannot verify their signatures, it did not stop verification altogether.
Crucial Quote
“We strengthened signature match. We helped train election officials on … signature match — which is confirmed twice before a ballot is ever cast,” Secretary of State Brad Raffenspeger, a Republican, posted on Facebook Sunday night. “Failed candidate Doug Collins is a liar — but what’s new?”
Surprising Fact
Trump groused about Georgia’s recount over the weekend, but White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany did not express any concerns on Friday, two days after a recount was ordered. She told Fox News’ Sean Hannity Friday night, “our attorneys are confident about what’s happening in Georgia. They’re confident in the election officials there.” Trump’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Key Background
President-elect Joe Biden leads Trump by about 14,000 votes in Georgia, a narrow enough margin to prompt a full recount of the presidential race in the state last week, though it’s unlikely this recount will switch enough votes to turn the race in Trump’s favor. The recounting process, set to wrap up by Friday, has been fairly problem-free so far. Still, Trump has falsely insisted that voter fraud deprived him of a win in Georgia, citing debunked conspiracy theories about mail-in ballots and voting machines, part of his nationwide legal and public relations blitz to dispute his loss to Biden. His team urged Georgia to conduct a hand recount, but shortly after a recount was announced last week, Collins and other Trump allies began expressing concerns about the state’s process for reviewing ballots. Raffensperger and his staff have consistently said Georgia’s election was fair, debunking viral lies about vote-rigging.
Tangent
Like many states, Georgia tries to verify mail-in ballots by comparing voters’ signatures, but some experts have questioned this method. Handwriting analysis is a scientifically dubious process, especially because people’s signatures often change over time, an official from the ACLU told Forbes earlier this month. When mail-in votes are rejected due to signature issues, Georgia gives voters an opportunity to provide identification and “cure” their ballots before they are tossed out.
Further Reading
Trump wrong on Georgia voter signature checks (Associated Press)
How Will Georgia Recount 5 Million Votes? Very Carefully (Georgia Public Broadcasting)
Georgia Presidential Race Heads To Hand Recount. Will It Matter? (Forbes)
Georgia Requires Signature Matching On Mail-In Ballots, But The Science Is Dubious (Forbes)
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