Georgia will conduct a statewide recount of votes cast in the election between President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden, Secretary of State Brad Rafansperg said Wednesday.
“Because the margin is so close, it will require a full, by-hand recount count in each county,” Raffensperg said at a press conference.
Republican Rafansperger said the state will work with county officials to meet with county officials to meet the November 20 deadline to certify statewide election results.
“Certainly, we will take the rest every time,” he said.
Biden’s lead over Trump in Georgia has reached more than 14,000 votes among nearly 5 million cast, according to NBC News, which is no estimated winner in Peach State.
Rafansparger had earlier said that there was a possibility of a recount in the state, which has traditionally voted for Republican presidential candidates. G.O.P. Rep. Trump supporters, including Doug Collins, asked a Georgia official to count the hands earlier this week.
“This will help boost confidence. It will be a one-on-one, one-on-one calculation and reconstruction,” said Raffensperge. “It will be a huge withdrawal but we will work together with the counties to get this done in a timely manner for our state certification.”
Trump falsely insisted on the day after the Nov. election that his campaign “claims Georgia and other states” for electoral purposes. Trump and his surrogates have already demanded a recount in states, including Georgia and Wisconsin, with Biden now expected to get more than the 270 votes needed to win the presidency.
They have also launched a flurry of allegations of electoral fraud, without citing evidence. Trump campaign lawyers have filed lawsuits in several key states over those claims. Many of these cases have already been thrown out by judges.
Trump has refused to accept Biden and is falsely claiming that he has won the election. The transition of power in the Biden administration cannot be formally initiated until the general services administration “inspects” the winner, who has yet to do so.
Raffensperger told a press conference that he would announce the presidency in his state at 1 p.m., subject to a “risk-limited audit.”
“We will count every piece of paper, every ballot. Everyone will, legally, cast a legal vote,” he said.
When a reporter noted that such an audit dit usually only included a sample of the ballot compared to the entire vote, Rafenesperg said, “You really have to recount everything with full hands. [ballots] Because the margin is too close. “
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