Georgia Election Officials Told To Count Absentee Ballots

ATLANTA, GA -- As Georgia election officials face a 5 p.m. Tuesday deadline to certify last Tuesday's election results, newly appointed Secretary of State Robyn Crittenden told county election officials to count absentee ballots as long as the voter's identity can be verified. Crittenden, who is the first African-American woman to ever serve in a statewide office, issued the guidelines Monday afternoon.

Crittenden's office stressed that law and rules regarding absentee ballot verification and provisional ballots haven't changed, but rather "the purpose of the guidance is to ensure that county election officials are receiving accurate information as they approach their certification deadline."

Former Secretary of State Brian Kemp continues to lead Democrat Stacey Abrams in Georgia's nationally watched governor's race, whose results from last Tuesday have yet to be certified. Nor has any national media outlet called the race. While Kemp declared victory last Thursday and has already named his transition team, Abrams filed a federal lawsuit on Sunday, asking a judge to delay Tuesday's 5 p.m. certification deadline, which is required by state law.

Abrams is hoping to garner enough votes to force the race into a Dec. 4 runoff.

“What is required is the signature of the voter and any additional information needed for the county election official to verify the identity of the voter,” Crittenden wrote. “Therefore, an election official does not violate [state law] when they accept an absentee ballot despite the omission of a day and month of birth ... if the election official can verify the identity of the voter.”

Abrams made the issue of alleged voter suppression a central issue of her campaign, accusing Kemp and state Republican officials of overly strict voter identification requirements. Kemp, meanwhile, pointed to Georgia's record number of registered voters for this election.

Kemp also resigned last week as secretary of state, with Gov. Nathan Deal appointing Crittenden to serve out the remainder of his term.

There is already at least one runoff on Dec. 4 for secretary of state, between Republican Brad Raffensberger and Democrat John Barrow.

SEE ALSO:

• Kemp: I Win. Abrams: Not Yet. GA Governor's Race Saga Continues
• Kemp Resigns As Sec. Of State, Names Governor's Transition Team
• Georgia's New Secretary Of State Makes History

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