GEORGIA — Republican Georgia Rep. Doug Collins is calling on his state to conduct a manual recount of the 2020 election, as President Trump and Joe Biden were roughly 0.2% apart as counting continued Tuesday morning.
One week after Election Day, the state is headed toward a recount, and with the Trump campaign raising allegations of voter fraud, Collins is hoping a thorough audit will bring any irregularities to light. He listed three specific requests that he would like to see Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger fulfill during the recount process, Fox News reported.
“First, there must be a full comparison of absentee ballots cast and in-person and provisional ballots cast throughout the state,” Collins said in a statement released by the Trump campaign. “Second, there must be a check for felons and other ineligible persons who may have cast a ballot. Third, and most importantly, the Secretary of State should announce a full hand-count of every ballot cast in each and every county due to widespread allegations of voter irregularities, issues with voting machines, and poll watcher access.”
If Raffensperger does not agree to these terms, the campaign will file a court petition seeking an order from a judge, said Collins.
On Monday, Georgia Voting System Implementation Manager Gabriel Sterling acknowledged that voter fraud is real while speaking out against allegations of foul play.
“We are going to find that people did illegally vote — that’s going to happen,” Sterling told reporters. “There are going to be double voters. There are going to be people who did not have the qualifications for registered voters to vote in this state.”
However, Sterling said the fraudulent practices will not be large scale. As a result, he doesn’t see it changing the outcome, Fox reported.
“Is it 10,353?” Sterling said, referring to Biden’s lead at the time. “Unlikely. But every election, as I’ve said I think every day at this podium, is imperfect.”
