Staff Writer
Three Georgia candidates filed a writ of mandamus in Fulton County Superior Court on Monday seeking to force Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to carry out statutorily required public duties for Tuesday’s May 19 primary, and to allow State Election Board members to observe Election Night results aggregation at the state Emergency Operations Center.
Plaintiffs in the petition are congressional hopeful Chris Mora (11th District), State Senator Greg Dolezal, who is running for lieutenant governor, and Cobb County Commission candidate Keli Gambrill. They are represented by attorney David Oles. The petition asks the court to compel Raffensperger to perform his duties publicly under Georgia law, and includes an emergency motion for a temporary injunction to permit members of the State Election Board to be present during results aggregation conducted at the Emergency Operations Center, which plaintiffs describe as a secret bunker. The complaint cites O.C.G.A. 21-2-406.
The filing was submitted in Fulton County, where state election matters are required to be heard. The candidates said delays in resolving the issue would cause irreparable harm. Their counsel indicated he may seek an ex parte ruling from Chief Judge Ural Glanville after the assigned judge, Melynee Leftridge, said she would be unavailable Monday and counsel for Raffensperger requested five days to respond.
The action drew support from 14th District Congressman Clay Fuller, who wrote to House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil asking for designated congressional election observers to monitor all elements of the Secretary of State’s election reporting process, including the Election Night Reporting Room, invoking the Confirmation of Congressional Observers Access Act, 52 U.S.C. 21083a.
Raffensperger, who is running for governor, pushed back in an interview with Atlanta’s 11Alive, saying votes are not counted in the Secretary of State’s Emergency Operations Center. Plaintiffs and outside election integrity advocates disputed that characterization. Garland Favorito, co‑founder of VoterGA, said statewide votes are verified, aggregated, and reported from a secret bunker and urged immediate Department of Justice intervention to protect voting rights and enforce election laws.
The lawsuit asks the court to order public access and strict compliance with state statutes governing how and where election reporting and aggregation are observed and carried out. A hearing date and any court action on the emergency motion had not been announced as of Monday.
No comments:
Post a Comment