Raffensperger says Biden won, again; says conspiracy theories hurt the state

It’s not quite “Groundhog Day,” but President-elect Joe Biden has been declared the winner of the state of Georgia, again, for a third time.

That word came from Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger Monday who said after counting all legally cast ballots three times, “the results have not changed.” But Secretary Raffensperger had another message to both the President of the United States and those who have supported the false conspiracy theories about the election.

“Whether it is the president or a failed gubernatorial candidate, this kind of disinformation regarding election administration should be condemned and rejected. Integrity matters. Truth matters,” Raffensperger said.

With the third vote count completed, Raffensperger said his office will be recertifying the election Monday. After that, Tuesday marks the nation’s safe harbor date meaning all challenges to any election results must be decided by then. The state of Georgia will submit its electors and they will then meet on December 14 to officially cast the state’s 16 Electoral College votes for President-elect Biden.

While that will mark the official end of the election process, it still may not be enough for some of the president’s supporters or other loyalists. Raffensperger said all of the comments from those who support false conspiracy theories and more are doing harm to Georgia.

“All this talk of a stolen election, whether it’s Stacey Abrams or the president of the United States, is hurting our state,” Raffensperger said. “Georgia is the number one state to do business for nearly a decade. Continuing to make debunked claims about stolen elections is hurting our state.”

Raffensperger and his office still have the January 5 Senate runoff election ahead of them. The Secretary of State has said that election will also be a safe, secure, and transparent election.

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