Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R-Ga.) has achieved a legal victory as the 11th Circuit Court upheld his position in the ongoing Curling v Raffensperger lawsuit. The court underscored the lack of verified evidence for election tampering or voter disenfranchisement, which had been a central point of dispute in the case.
According to a press release from Secretary Raffensperger’s office, Mike Hassinger, the press secretary for Raffensperger, said: “Georgia’s election security practices are top-tier. Casting doubt on Georgia’s elections, which these plaintiffs and deniers are doing, is really trying to cast doubt on all elections. That is dangerous and wrong. Our office continues to beat election deniers in court, in elections, and will ultimately win this case in the end as well. The allegations that plaintiffs made, which have already been parroted by well-known election deniers such as the Gateway Pundit, follow typical election denier tactics— misstate, obfuscate, and sensationalize because there is no evidence of any Georgia voter ever having an issue voting or having their vote accurately counted on our current system. Georgia’s system is widely trusted by voters because it lets them easily cast and verify their votes.”
In another statement from Secretary Raffensperger’s office, it was revealed that the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Georgia Secretary of State’s legal arguments in the ongoing Curling v Raffensperger lawsuit. The court reiterated that the plaintiffs’ stance in the case was deemed a “clear error.” Hassinger added that the forthcoming bench trial is expected to involve discussions from both activist plaintiffs on the left and right; however, he asserted that no evidence supporting election compromise or voter disenfranchisement in Georgia has been presented. Furthermore, despite demands from the plaintiffs for his personal involvement, Raffensperger was informed that his testimony will not be required in the trial, as senior officials and expert witnesses are already available for testimony.
According to another press release from Secretary Raffensperger’s office, Georgia has implemented automatic voter registration, at least 17 days of early voting, and no-excuse absentee voting. The state has witnessed significant voter turnout, with record-breaking participation in 2020 and 2022, utilizing a paper ballot system. Recent evaluations rank Georgia highly for Election Integrity by the Heritage Foundation, Voter Accessibility by the Center for Election Innovation & Research, and Election Administration according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.
As reported by 11 Alive, the lawsuit was initiated by individual voters and the Coalition for Good Governance against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and the State Election Board. It alleges that the state’s current election system jeopardizes voters’ rights to ensure accurate vote counting. The lawsuit was triggered by an expert report that purportedly revealed vulnerabilities in Georgia’s election setup, prompting an investigation by a federal cybersecurity agency and calls from some Georgia Republicans to discard the machines.
