Contentious
Campaign Continues After November 6 The contentious campaign in
Georgia did not end on Election Day. [press releases in reverse chronological order] Kemp for Governor, Inc.
Wednesday, November 14, 2018
WEDNESDAY TALLIES RE-AFFIRM
KEMP'S INSURMOUNTABLE LEAD
(Athens, GA)- On Tuesday, Georgia
counties reported their provisional and military/overseas ballot
results to the Secretary of State's office. Seven days after the
November 6th election, businessman Brian Kemp's lead without a runoff
or recount remains clear and insurmountable. Even with lawsuits,
publicity stunts, and television ads, Stacey Abrams has no viable path
to a recount, runoff, or victory. In response, the Kemp for Governor
campaign issued the following statement:
"Since Election night, hardworking Georgians have watched how the 'new'
Democratic Party behaves," said Cody Hall, Press Secretary. "From
reporting fake vote totals and hosting desperate press conferences to
filing dangerous lawsuits that attempt to rewrite election law, count
illegal votes and create new ones, Stacey Abrams and her radical
backers will stop at nothing to undermine democracy and attempt to
steal this election to be Georgia's next governor.
"After all of the theatrics, the math remains the same. Abrams lost and
Brian Kemp won. This election is over. Stacey Abrams needs to concede.
It’s time to move past the campaign and work towards a safer, stronger
Georgia."
As of Wednesday, November 14, 2018 (12:00 PM)
*Information below is public
Total Votes Reported: 3,938,582
Kemp: 1,978,170 (50.23%)
Abrams: 1,923,185 (48.83%)
Metz: 37,227 (.95%)
Kemp Margin: + 54,985 votes
Counties Certified: 156
Counties Remaining to Certify: 3
Counties Reporting Total Provisional Results: 159 (All counties)
Original Provisional Ballots in all 159 Counties: 21,190
Total Provisional Ballots Accepted in all 159 Counties: 11,872
Percentage of Provisional Ballots Deemed Ineligible by County
Officials: 43.97%
Counties Not Yet Reporting Provisional Ballot Results: 0
Maximum Number of eligible provisional ballots outstanding in all
counties: 0
Maximum Possible Remaining Outstanding Military Absentee Ballots in
Counties Not Yet Certified: 0
Total possible ballots remaining: roughly 411 (absentees reported by
Gwinnett County with birth date issue)
**All numbers provided are available to the general public and reported
by the counties
FACT: Even if every vote (including illegally cast votes) argued for by
Abrams for Governor was granted by the courts, verified, and cast for
Abrams, Brian Kemp still wins this race without a runoff. No pending
court decision changes that mathematical fact. This race is over. Brian
Kemp is Governor-Elect.
Stacey Abrams needs to answer a simple question: Will she accept the
outcome of this election and respect the will of Georgia voters, or
will she continue to put personal ambitions ahead of the state by
contesting this election in an attempt to have the courts help her
steal this race? Kemp for Governor, Inc.
Wednesday, November 14, 2018
JUDGE'S RULING SOLIDIFIES KEMP'S ELECTION DAY VICTORY
(Athens, GA) - This evening, United States District Judge Steve Jones
issued a ruling that allows absentee ballots with incorrect or omitted
birth dates to be counted consistent with Secretary of State guidance.
He also denied Stacey Abrams' request to delay certification and
require the counting of out-of-county provisional ballots. In response
to the judge's ruling, which solidifies businessman Brian Kemp's
victory at the ballot box on November 6, Kemp for Governor issued the
following statement:
"Tonight, Judge Jones rejected efforts by Stacey Abrams and her radical
allies to undermine the democratic process and rule of law in
Georgia," said Ryan Mahoney, Communications Director.
"He denied her requests to create new voters and slammed the door on
attempts to count illegal votes. The judg''s ruling puts the people of
Georgia and their voice ahead of Abrams and her political ambition.
"This ruling solidifies Brian Kemp's insurmountable lead. The election
is over and Brian Kemp is the Governor-elect. It's time for Abrams to
concede and join our efforts to keep Georgia moving in the right
direction."
How we found 30,823 additional Georgia
votes … and why we’re still counting
by Lauren Groh-Wargo
The bedrock of the Abrams for Governor campaign has always been to lift
up the voices of those who have been unseen and unheard; in a Georgia
that has trended in the right direction in recent years but left far
too many behind.
Almost a week after Election Day, we find ourselves in the unfamiliar
place of having to advocate for those voices, for that representation,
and for the rights of those Georgia voters who were not seen or heard
in this election — an election overseen by gubernatorial candidate and
recent Secretary of State Brian Kemp.
So here’s what we know:Georgia
voters
were
confronted at the voting booth by widespread irregularities,which were reported by
multiple media outlets. Insufficient machines, long lines, confused
poll workers, conflicting and arbitrary guidance that varied widely by
county … none of it designed to make voting easy or simple for
millions of eligible Georgia voters.
But we’ve come to expect — although not to accept — such activity from
Brian Kemp, who is the architect ofsome
of
the
greatest voter suppression tactics this country has seen in
recent years.
Here’s what else we know: the Secretary of
State office is lying about the number of votes cast, as well as the
number of votes still to be counted. How do we know? We went to the
counties directly to see the votes and count them for ourselves.
The diligent work of our data and field teams revealedthousandsof provisional ballots in
every region of Georgia, completely unacknowledged and uncounted by the
Secretary of State office.
We found a minimum of30,823
ballotsyet to
be counted, mostly concentrated in Democratic areas of Georgia. And
that’s not even including the ballots submitted by members of the
military or Georgia voters overseas, which could be as high as 2,684
(which is the number of requested ballots). Combined, they represent
33,507 ballots entirely ignored by the Secretary of State office.
So where else did the rest of these votes come from? See for yourself:
And
that’s not all. Just this weekend, our campaign discovered that Brian
Kemp’s office had also lied about how many votes hadalreadybeen counted. In multiple
counties, the office noted that “100% of the votes had been reported.”
And
yet, the Secretary of State’s website was quietly being updated with
more and more votes — the overwhelming majority of them cast for Stacey
Abrams. Here’s where those votes came from:
What
does it say when the Secretary of State — whose office is tasked with
counting the ballots and reporting the will of the people — lies about
the results? How can Georgia voters possibly be expected to trust them?
It’s
just
one reason why we’re doing this hard work ourselves. Last week,
the Abrams for Governor Campaign won alawsuit
filed
in
Dougherty County demanding absentee ballots delayed by
Hurricane Michael and other such events be counted. Yesterday, we filed
another lawsuit demanding that absentee and provisional ballots be
counted. Our legal team is exploring all options to ensure every vote
is counted and every voice is heard.
As
of
today, if only 19,383 additional votes yet to be counted are for
Stacey Abrams, they would trigger an automatic recount in this race. A
mere 21,727 votes for Abrams would bring Brian Kemp’s vote totals to
under 50%, which would be enough to send this race into a runoff
election.
This
race is not over, and our fight will not end until every last ballot is
counted. Until every voice is heard and every vote is valued.
Georgians
on
all sides of the aisle — Democrats, Republicans and independents
alike — are deeply concerned about the integrity of our election
system. As a matter of basic fairness, we must ensure that every
eligible Georgian’s vote is counted, and pledge to prevent the
widespread irregularities faced by Georgia voters in this election
cycle from happening ever again. Our democracy — and our
people — deserve no less.
-Lauren
Groh-Wargo,
Campaign Manager
Abrams for Governor
(Athens, GA)- Radical Stacey Abrams
refuses to accept the convincing results of the November 6th election.
Days after businessman Brian Kemp earned a clear victory at the ballot
box, Abrams and her left-wing backers continue to manufacture counts,
file frivolous lawsuits, and spread misinformation to reporters and
voters alike. In response, Kemp for Governor issued the following
statement:
"Stacey Abrams and her radical backers have moved from desperation to
delusion," said Ryan Mahoney, Communications Director. "On
Saturday, military, overseas, and provisional ballots were reported
throughout Georgia. The counts are in line with publicly available
tracking reports. This is not breaking news and does not change the
math. Stacey Abrams lost and her concession is long overdue.
"It's incredibly shameful that liberal lawyers are doubling down on
lawsuits desperately trying to create more votes for Stacey Abrams.
They don't want to win this election. They are trying to steal it."
As of Monday, November 12, 2018 (6:00
AM)
*Information below is public
Original Provisional Ballots in those 124 Counties: 9,225
Total Provisional Ballots Accepted in those 124 Counties: 4,490
Percentage of Provisional Ballots Deemed Ineligible by County Officials
Thus Far: 51.42%
Counties Not Yet Reporting Provisional Ballot Results: 35
*Even with these counties not yet reporting final provisional results,
several have already reported ineligible ballot numbers. For example:
DeKalb County (646 of 3,000), Chatham County (140 of 329), Henry
County (172 of 339) and Cobb County (770 of 2202)
Maximum Number of eligible provisional ballots outstanding in those 35
counties - 10,219
Maximum Possible Remaining Outstanding Military Absentee Ballots in
Counties Not Yet Certified - 3,141
Total possible ballots remaining (all eligible provisional ballots +
all possible military ballots) - 13,360
*Military ballots must have been received by 5PM on Friday, November 9.
They are included in certified count from their respective county.
If all 13,360 possible votes were verified and accepted and were cast
for Stacey Abrams these would be the final results:
**All numbers provided are available to the general public and reported
by the counties
Kemp for Governor, Inc. November
11,
2018
ABRAMS,
DEMOCRATIC
PARTY
FILE SHOCKING LAWSUIT TO COUNT ILLEGAL VOTES AND STEAL
ELECTION IN GEORGIA
[this release missing]
Democratic Party of Georgia November 11, 2018
Democratic
Party of Georgia and Abrams for Governor File Lawsuit To Protect The
Rights Of Absentee and Provisional Ballot Voters
Democrats Continue To
Fight To Count The Vote Of Every Eligible Georgian Suits Seek Relief
For Voters Who Cast Absentee, Provisional Ballots In
Good Faith
ATLANTA — Today, the Democratic Party of Georgia and Abrams for
Governor filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the arbitrary,
unlawful rejection of thousands of absentee ballots and seeking relief
for voters whose votes were wrongfully rejected despite good faith
efforts on the part of the voters to properly cast their ballots.
The complaint seeks relief for voters casting:
Absentee
mail-in ballots. The Democratic Party of Georgia and Stacey
Abrams
for Governor is suing the Secretary of State and the Board of
Registration and Elections for Gwinnett County, while asking for relief
for voters in all 159 counties. Gwinnett County has been rejecting
absentee mail in ballots for spurious reasons. Federal and state law
both require counties to accept absentee mail in ballots even if all of
the oath information is imperfect or missing, so long as elections
officials can identify the voter. Case law that shows that these
ballots should be accepted, for example, if a voter inadvertently
writes the current year instead of that voter’s birth year. We are
asking for a court order that these votes be counted.
Provisional
ballots. The Democratic Party of Georgia and Stacey Abrams
for
Governor is suing the Secretary of State and the Board of Registration
and Elections for DeKalb County, while asking for relief for voters in
all 159 counties. The 2018 General Election saw a historic number of
provisional ballots cast in Georgia, leading to significant problems
and irregularities both on Election Day and during the three-day period
after Election Day during which voters can fix problems with
provisional ballots. For example, one voter moved from Cobb County to
DeKalb County and changed her registration address prior to the
registration deadline, but her registration address was not updated.
She showed up to her polling place in DeKalb County, where she was
wrongfully not on the rolls, and she was offered a provisional ballot.
Even though she then appeared in DeKalb County to prove her
registration was changed before the deadline, DeKalb did not even
review the documents she provided to cure her provisional ballot. This
suit seeks to count the votes of voters who, in good faith, fill out a
provisional ballot in one county but are registered in another county,
and to extend the time that voters have to cure any problems.
ATLANTA — Today, the Democratic Party of
Georgia released a new ad calling for every vote to be counted,
and asking Georgians who struggled to cast their ballot to share their
stories. Since Election Day, the party has heard from thousands of
Georgia voters who were either not able to cast their vote or had
trouble casting their vote. Georgia Democrats are fighting to make sure
that that every voice is heard and every vote is counted.
SCRIPT:
Narrator: Behind every vote is a voice. The voices of our family
members, friends, our communities. The voices of Georgia. This
election, was your voice heard? Too many were silenced.
Reporter: The Abrams campaign continues to push for all of the state’s
ballots to be counted.
Reporter: Elections officials are still counting votes, provisional
ballots yet to be counted
Reporter: 31,000 uncounted ballots.
Reporter: We are still continuing to follow this.
Narrator: For every voice to be heard, every vote must be
counted. Share your story. Make Georgia count.
###
Kemp for Governor, Inc.
Saturday, November 10, 2018
UPDATED, PUBLICLY AVAILABLE
BALLOT NUMBERS AGAIN PROVE THAT ABRAMS CANNOT WIN, FORCE RUN-OFF, OR
TRIGGER RECOUNT
(Athens, GA)- Days after the November
6th election, Governor-elect Brian Kemp still maintains a strong lead
over Stacey Abrams. Even though it is mathematically impossible for
Abrams to force a runoff or win, her campaign refuses to concede.
"Stacey Abrams' antics are a disgrace to democracy and completely
ignore the will of the people," said Ryan Mahoney, Communications
Director. "This is not how America works. Brian Kemp earned a clear
victory on Tuesday night and holds a sizable lead as remaining
provisional and military ballots are counted.
"Clearly, Stacey Abrams isn't ready for her 15 minutes of fame to end
so she's manufacturing numbers to trick reporters and confuse
hardworking Georgians. It is mathematically impossible for Stacey
Abrams to win, force a run-off, or trigger a recount. Georgia voters
have spoken. It's time for Abrams to listen and concede
immediately."
As of Saturday, November 10, 2018
(12:00PM)
*Information below is public
Original Provisional Ballots in those 118 Counties: 4,472
Total Provisional Ballots Accepted in those 118 Counties: 2,138
Percentage of Provisional Ballots Deemed Ineligible by County Officials
Thus Far: 52%
In the counties that have reported official provisional numbers on the
Secretary of State’s website thus far, Abrams has only a net
ninety-vote margin on Brian Kemp.
Counties Not Yet Reporting Provisional Ballot Results: 41
*Even with these counties not yet reporting final provisional results,
several have already reported ineligible ballot numbers. For example:
Fulton County (1,556 of 3,722), DeKalb County (646 of 3,000), Chatham
County (140 of 329), and Henry County (172 of 339)
Maximum Number of eligible provisionals outstanding in those 41
counties — 14,204
Maximum Possible Remaining Outstanding Military Absentee Ballots in
Counties Not Yet Certified — 3,291
Total possible ballots remaining (all eligible provisional ballots +
all possible military ballots) — 17,495
*Military ballots must have been received by 5PM on Friday, November 9.
They are included in certified count from their respective county.
If all 17,495 possible votes were verified and accepted, and were cast
for Stacey Abrams these would be the final results:
So even if Abrams received every possible outstanding ballot there
would be no runoff and no recount. This election is over. Brian Kemp is
Governor-Elect of Georgia.
**All numbers provided are available to the general public and reported
by the counties. Kemp for Governor, Inc.
Thursday, November 8, 2018
ABRAMS LOST AT THE BALLOT BOX,
DOUBLES DOWN ON EFFORT TO STEAL ELECTION
(Athens, GA)- Following the
Stacey Abrams' press conference where angry campaign staff and liberal
lawyers doubled down on desperation and conspiracy theories, Kemp for
Governor issued the following statement:
"Stacey Abrams can't accept the fact that Georgians rejected her
radical agenda at the ballot box, so now she's desperately trying to
steal this election in the courtroom," said Ryan Mahoney,
Communications Director. "After realizing that it was mathematically
impossible to win the race with votes outstanding, Abrams' team has
decided to file frivolous, politically motivated lawsuits that will
force elections officials to break the law and add votes that didn't
exist on Election Day. Simply put: Abrams campaign is trying to create
new votes, because they know it’s their only remaining hope.
"The people have spoken and this election is over. Hardworking
Georgians elected Brian Kemp as governor. It's time for Stacey Abrams
and her team of liberal activists and lawyers to realize that.
Governor-elect Brian Kemp has launched his transition with Governor
Deal, working to ensure a safer, stronger Georgia. We welcome Ms.
Abrams to do what's best for Georgia - join us." Kemp for Governor, Inc.
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
Absentee Ballots Counted, Brian
Kemp Declares Victory And Begins Transition
(Athens, GA)- After county elections
officials counted and reported absentee ballots for the November 6th
election, businessman Brian Kemp leads Stacey Abrams by 1.6% - more
than 64,000 votes.
"Brian Kemp earned nearly two million votes on Tuesday - by far the
most of any gubernatorial candidate in our state's history," said Cody
Hall, Press Secretary. "Absentee ballots are counted and Kemp leads his
opponent by 64,000 votes. Based on counts released by the Secretary of
State's office, Brian Kemp's margin is so large that the number of
provisional ballots and overseas ballots will not change his Election
Day victory. Simply put, it is mathematically impossible for Stacey
Abrams to win or force a run-off election.
"Peach State voters made a clear decision at the ballot box. Brian Kemp
will now begin his transition as governor-elect of Georgia. He will
work every day to keep our state moving in the right direction."
