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WASHINGTON: The US state of Georgia has completed a manual recount of all ballots cast there in the presidential election, and the results confirm Joe Biden’s victory in the state, a local official announced Thursday (November 19).
“The audit confirmed that the original machine count accurately represented the winner of the election,” said a statement posted on Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s website.
The confirmation makes Biden the first Democratic presidential candidate to win the southern U.S. state in nearly three decades, despite allegations of fraud from rival Donald Trump.
President Trump has unsubstantiated assertions that Georgia’s recount of around 5 million votes is fraudulent and that the state would “turn it around” if authorities conduct a fairer process.
But Georgia officials have defended the integrity of the audit, saying there is no evidence that the tally changes the result.
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The laser-like focus in Georgia isn’t just about counting. The two state elections to the United States Senate will qualify for the second round on January 5.
With those races poised to determine which party controls the Senate next year, both Republicans and Democrats are pouring resources into the state.
By promoting the allegations of voter fraud, Trump and his allies could be fueling a narrative that elections are being stolen, which may lead Georgia Republicans to vote in large numbers.
