[ad_1]
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp on Friday certified the state’s presidential election results in favor of President-elect Joe Biden – but called for another audit of the votes.
Kemp told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that it was “totally unacceptable” that reserves of thousands of uncounted ballots were found in several counties during the manual recount after the initial results.
After the manual recount, President Trump got 888 votes, reducing Biden’s lead slightly to 12,670 votes.
Kemp, who has faced the wrath of Trump and other Republicans over the process and his decision to certify the results, said he understood Trump’s frustration.
GEORGIA CERTIFIES JOE BIDEN’S VICTORY IN THE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
“He’s a fighter,” Kemp said. “But at the end of the day, I have to follow the laws of this state’s constitution and that’s exactly what I’m doing.
The governor told the Journal-Constitution that he was legally required by state law to certify the results given by Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger after the recount.
Now that the results are certified, the Trump 2020 campaign will have until Tuesday to call for another recount, he said, as the vote is under half a percent. The recount would be paid for by the state.
“I would just say that I formalize the certification,” he said. “Now that Secretary Raffensperger is certified, it triggers the Trump campaign’s ability to call for the recount. If anything were to happen, I’m still part of that process. So my take on all of this is: I respect the law and rules. “
THE CHIEF ELECTORAL OFFICER OF FLOYD COUNTY IN GEORGIA AFTER FINDING UNCOUNTED BALLOTS
Kemp said he was also frustrated with the issues during the process.
“But because I was part of the process, I had to be more careful,” he told the newspaper. “I have to make sure that I remain on a solid legal basis for the official functions of the governor.”
Kemp also asked Raffensperger to do an audit sample to compare voters’ signatures on mailed ballots, but the Secretary of State said that was impossible at this point because the ballots are separated from the outer security envelope during the counting process, according to CBS News.
The two officials suggested adding a voter ID requirement for mail-in ballots in the future.
“I would be prepared to work with both organs of the House and the Senate, as well as with the Lieutenant Governor and the President, as well as on this matter,” Kemp told the Journal-Constitution. “Georgians deserve a process where the integrity of the vote is not an issue – and it is certainly on the minds of many people. It is part of the question of what’s going on right now.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Asked what he would say to Trump supporters frustrated by his actions, he replied, “First of all, I would tell them I obey the law. That’s what I told them I would do when I took the oath. I’m frustrated with the result, but we need to focus on the US Senate firewall and send Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler back to Washington to stop the drastic measures the Democrats have taken over the years.
[ad_2]
Source link