Amid fears of post-election lawsuits challenging the results of this year’s presidential election, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s allies have raised millions to defend the outcome.
A nonprofit called the Election Defense Fund, created by Ryan Germany — Raffensperger’s former top attorney — and other allies has raised about $2 million to defend local election officials against anticipated challenges over election procedures, certification and potential litigation.
“We want to make sure that election officials throughout the country, particularly those who work under high scrutiny, can do their jobs and follow the law as prescribed without fear of personal ruin and litigation if they’re sued in their personal capacity,” said Brian Robinson, a spokesperson for Germany and longtime Republican strategist.
Raffensperger sent out an email soliciting potential donors last month. He wrote that the outcome will be close this year and the fund is “dedicated to protecting this year’s election results, and standing up against those who attempt to delay certification.”
Famously, Raffensperger was on the receiving end of a phone call from then-President Donald Trump almost four years ago in which Trump asked him to “find” enough votes to overturn the Georgia results of the 2020 election. Since then, a series of laws, rule changes and court rulings have changed the way elections are conducted in the state, and Raffensperger, a Republican, has pledged to uphold the results of the election no matter who wins.
But partisan activists have already filed legal action ahead of this year’s election, and some legal experts view it as a way to sow doubt about the legitimacy of the presidential contest.
The nonprofit will also fight disinformation through digital ads educating voters about the state’s electoral process and identifying election officials who may not certify this year’s election. The fund has set a goal to raise at least $5 million before Election Day, Robinson said.
This week, Raffensperger issued a statement debunking a video circulating on X alleging that Haitian immigrants were casting illegal ballots in multiple Georgia counties. On Friday, the leaders of several U.S. intelligence agencies issued a joint statement saying the video appeared to be the work of Russian internet trolls.
But while the federal government is on guard for foreign interference in the election, there are domestic concerns as well.
A rising number of Republican county election officials have voted to not certify election results since 2020, including Fulton County Elections Board member Julie Adams and at least 18 other county election board members across the state, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation.
Adams refused to certify the results of May’s primary election because she never received a trove of requested election-related documents before the certification deadline. The primaries were certified after she was outvoted by the Fulton election board’s Democratic majority.
Following her vote, Adams sued, asking Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney to declare election certification discretionary rather than mandatory.
McBurney ruled last month that certification is mandatory even if there are questions about the results. He said state law allows any concerns over election fraud or abuse to be handled in formal election challenges in court. Adams appealed that ruling last week.
In another case last month, a series of last-minute State Election Board rule changes were struck down by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Thomas Cox Jr.
For those watching the legal action prior to the election, these and other lawsuits are a taste of what is to come.
“There’s a lot of unknowns as to the where, when and who, but it’s safe to assume, given the mountains of lawyers that have been put on retainer of both parties, that there’s going to be litigation out there,” Robinson said.
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