DSCC Disagrees With Georgia Secretary of State’s Interpretation of Early Voting Laws
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Monday, Nov. 14, lawyers representing the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) sent a letter to multiple Georgia county election boards, publicly disagreeing with the Georgia secretary of state’s interpretation of state laws governing early voting. The letter to the Fulton County Board of Elections and Registration asks the board to begin advance voting — the terminology Georgia uses for early in-person voting — on or before Tuesday, Nov. 22 or Wednesday, Nov. 23, to “give voters – especially those who may be traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday – the greatest opportunity to cast their ballots in this critical election.” According to state law, county election officials must begin advance voting as soon as possible, but no later than Monday, Nov. 28.
In recently released guidance, the Georgia secretary of state clarified that state law prohibits advance voting on Saturday, Nov. 26, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, due to a law passed in 2016 that prohibits advance voting after public holidays. Most notably, the DSCC’s letter refers to this guidance, but argues that Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s (R) understanding is “a plain misreading of Georgia law,” citing that the relevant law does not apply to runoff elections. “The statute plainly omits the word ‘runoff’ from this sentence, indicating it is only intended to apply to a primary or general election,” the letter states.