…As waiting continues
A Judge in the State of Georgia has denied a Republican attempt to question vote-counting, in the first ruling from a flurry of lawsuits filed by the Trump campaign.
The case was filed on Wednesday in Chatham County, after a Republican witness said, without providing evidence, that he did not know whether a pile of 53 ballots were received on time.
A Pennsylvania appellate court also on Thursday ruled in favour of guaranteeing Republican observers the right to watch ballot counts from no more than six feet away.
Commonwealth Judge Christine Fizzano Cannon, a Democrat, said effective immediately “all candidates, watchers, or candidate representatives be permitted to be present for the canvassing process pursuant to 25 P.S. § 2650 and/or 25 P.S. § 3146.8 and be permitted to observe all aspects of the canvassing process within 6 feet, while adhering to all COVID-19 protocols, including, wearing masks and maintaining social distancing”
President Donald Trump had filed multiple lawsuits and requested a recount of votes in Wisconsin.
Legal experts said the flurry of lawsuits had little chance of changing the outcome, but might cast doubt on the process.
As Trump’s paths to victory narrowed, his campaign yesterday was ramping up legal challenges and filed its latest case in Nevada.
The President said his re-election campaign will challenge the vote in all states that were recently declared wins for former Vice President Joe Biden.
All of the recent Biden claimed states will be legally challenged by us for Voter Fraud and State Election Fraud. Plenty of proof – just check out the media,” the president posted on Twitter yesterday.
“WE WILL WIN! America First!”, he said.
The campaign also filed lawsuits in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Michigan and Wisconsin were declared wins for Biden, who has amassed 264 of the 270 Electoral College votes needed to take the White House. Trump has 214 electoral votes.
Other states are still tabulating mail-in and absentee ballots received on or before Election Day.
However, a second day of growing demonstrations over the integrity of the election started early yesterday in Philadelphia and other cities as ballot counting dragged on in a handful of states that would decide the outcome.
Biden was continuing to cut into Trump’s leads in Pennsylvania and Georgia while holding on to slim margins in Nevada and Arizona.
Thursday morning, Judge James Bass dismissed the suit in a one-sentence ruling, without giving his reasoning.
“After listening to the evidence, I’m denying the request, dismissing the petition.
Thank you gentlemen,” he concluded at the end of the hour-long hearing in Savannah.
In their complaint, the Trump campaign argued: “Failing to ensure that absentee ballots received after the deadline are stored in a manner to ensure that such ballots are not inadvertently or intentionally counted, as required under Georgia law, harms the interests of the Trump Campaign and President Trump because it could lead to the dilution of legal votes cast in support of President Trump.”
He alleged, but provided no evidence of, impropriety.
Pumphrey said he saw 53 ballots placed on a table separate from ballots in bins ready to go out to be counted.
Ben Perkins, a lawyer representing Chatham County, asked Pumphrey if he had evidence that the ballots arrived after 7pm on Election Day, and Pumphrey said he did not know.
The board’s witness said the ballots were indeed, received on time, and Sabrina German, the director of Chatham County’s Voter Registration Office, backed up the board witness’s testimony.
