Republican appeal denied, Ga. high court allows Sat. voting for Senate runoff
The Georgia Supreme Court rejected the Republican appeal Wednesday to prohibit early voting Saturday in the U.S. Senate runoff election between Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker.
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Court officials issued the unanimous, one-sentence ruling and declined to review or stay a ruling by the state’s intermediate appellate Court.
“Once again, this is a victory for every Georgia voter, and we look forward to at least 22 counties across the state providing voters the opportunity to cast their ballots on Saturday, November 26th,” said Warnock Campaign Manager Quentin Fulks, DSCC Executive Director Christie Roberts, and Democratic Party of Georgia Executive Director Rebecca DeHart in a statement.
The initial lawsuit filed by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Warnock campaign on Nov. 14 challenged the state’s finding that it would be illegal to hold early voting on Nov. 26, the day after a state holiday.
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Democratic leaders also said in the lawsuit that the state’s interpretation hurts Warnock because Democrats tend to push early voting more than Republicans.
The Georgia Republican Party, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and the Republican National Committee filed the appeal Tuesday that asked the Court to issue an emergency stay of a lower court ruling regarding the Democrats’ lawsuit.
In their appeal, the Republicans said it is illegal to vote on a Saturday if there is a holiday on the Thursday or Friday preceding it.
Thursday is Thanksgiving and Friday is a state holiday.
Warnock and Walker were forced into a Dec. 6 runoff because neither won a majority in the midterm election this month.
Early in-person voting ends on Dec. 2, the Friday before Election Day, meaning that Nov. 26 would be the only possible Saturday when early voting could be held.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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