Trump Allies Claim Election Officials Stopped Counting Ballots In Georgia’s Chatham County—It’s False
Topline
As the Georgia runoff election tipped in Democrats’ favor overnight, allies of President Donald Trump claimed Chatham County election workers illegally stopped counting ballots in an effort to hurt Republicans’ prospects in the state, a conspiracy theory that was quickly debunked by state election officials.
CUMMING, GA – DECEMBER 20: Georgia Senators David Perdue (left) and Kelly Loeffler (right) watch … [+]
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Key Facts
Democrat Raphael Warnock knocked off Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) on Tuesday, the Associated Press projected, while Democrat Jon Ossoff appeared poised to defeat Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) Wednesday morning with the race too early to call.
As the results poured in across the state, Trump allies began floating a conspiracy theory alleging election officials purposefully stopped counting ballots to damage Loeffler and Perdue’s chances.
“Georgia just stopped counting votes for the night in Chatham County,” Charlie Kirk, a conservative youth activist, said on Twitter, adding, “They’re doing this again—you can’t make this up.”
Gabriel Sterling, Georgia’s voting systems manager who has been forced to fend off countless conspiracy theories about voter fraud hurled by the president and others, took to Twitter late Tuesday night to put the claim to rest.
“Chatham County didn’t just stop,” Sterling, a Republican, said, “They completed the counting of everything they have in.”
Crucial Quote
“Intentional use of peoples’ misunderstandings of the election process to spin up a false narrative that undermines democracy,” Sterling said in a press conference Wednesday. “It’s hurting GOP now and in the future.”
What To Watch For
New conspiracy theories. “Just happened to have found another 4000 ballots from Fulton County,” Trump said on Twitter Tuesday, without evidence, continuing his run of baseless claims of election irregularities he has peddled since he lost the November election. “Here we go!” he added, with Twitter flagging the post “this claim about election fraud is disputed.”
Key Background
Prior to the runoff election Tuesday, state election officials said results could take “days” because of the large influx of mail-in ballots this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Further Reading
Georgia Election Official Believes Getting Results In Senate Races Will Take ‘A Couple Of Days’ (Forbes)
Warnock Beats Loeffler In Senate Race: ‘I Am Going To The Senate To Work For All Of Georgia’ (Forbes)
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