Team Abrams Considers Unprecedented Legal Challenge Involving New Vote

[DonViejo]

Source: Talking Points Memo/The AP



By BILL BARROW and KATE BRUMBACK

November 16, 2018 6:49 am

ATLANTA (AP) — Stacey Abrams’ campaign and legal team is preparing an unprecedented legal challenge in the unresolved Georgia governor’s race that could leave the state’s Supreme Court deciding whether to force another round of voting.

The Democrat’s longshot strategy relies on a statute that’s never been used in such a high-stakes contest. It is being discussed as Georgia elections officials appear to be on the cusp of certifying Republican Brian Kemp as the winner of a bitterly fought campaign that’s been marred by charges of electoral malfeasance.

Top Abrams advisers outlined her prospective case to The Associated Press, stressing that the Democratic candidate hasn’t finalized a decision about whether to proceed once state officials certify Kemp as the victor. That could happen as early as Friday evening.

Allegra Lawrence-Hardy, Abrams’ campaign chairwoman, is overseeing a team of almost three-dozen lawyers who in the coming days will draft the petition, along with a ream of affidavits from voters and would-be voters who say they were disenfranchised.

Read more: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/team-abrams-considers-unprecedented-legal-challenge-involving-new-vote

[Honeycombe8]

1. So I guess Kemp's lead has widened, with more votes having been counted?

Not counting the ones illegally thrown out, and which the courts ordered added to the vote count.

I think they should do everything to ensure that every vote was counted AND allowed. So many were thrown out, seemingly illegal.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

2. Do what's needed to restore public confidence in the system.

Although Republicans won't give a shit, I would speculate that the majority of folks in Georgia have zero confidence in the integrity of their systems of registration and voting.

Until that's resolved, cheaters will just keep cheating......

[brush]

3. Kemp has purged voting rolls for years, hundreds of thousands, in anticipation...

of someday benefiting from it, not to mention the withholding of the 70k ballots this cycle, or closing of polling places in AA precincts, the cutting down of early voting, not including power cords for voting machines in AA precincts on election day, few or broken machines is AA neighborhoods—in other words, the whole repug, dirty tricks playbook.

Here's to Abrams and her legal team. Time to stop the cheating by not giving up. Take the bastards to court over and over and expose the many ways they suppress Dems/AAs from voting.

Make any validation of Kemp as governor a public specter and the sham that it is.

[onetexan]

5. Yep, this will definitely be a precedent setting case to preserve free and fair elections

going forward. The move by Adams' team will certainly heighten the level of scrutiny of the present rampant cheating and suppression by the GOP. If they can get away with this in Georgia, they will certainly do the same in other states, if they haven't already.

[Farmer-Rick]

4. It's about time folks started taking counting the vote seriously.

"Abrams would then decide whether to go to court under a provision of Georgia election law that allows losing candidates to challenge results based on “misconduct, fraud or irregularities … sufficient to change or place in doubt the results.”"

Yes she should do this. If nothing else it would put future cheaters on notice.

But the heart of the matter is this attitude:

“I would say with pretty great confidence there has probably never been an election … without some irregularity, where some poll worker did not make some mistake.”

Really? And that my friends is from a supposed Dem who is a dean of Mercer University’s law school.

Would you be OK if your bank transactions had some irregularities, where some bank clerks made a few mistakes every time you used them? Would you be fine if the bank double charged you by accident for each transaction? Would a few pennies miscalculated every day on your checking account be fine by you?

Of course NOT. But according to even supposed liberal lawyers mistakes, irregularities and poll worker errors at every single election, is perfectly fine. It is NOT perfectly fine. Each mistake takes away control from the voters and hands it to the politicians. Each mistake takes away your decision, your choice. We should demand and expect 100% accuracy in vote counting. We can do it in counting pennies, why not do it for our democracy?

[The Mouth]

6. "It's not who votes that counts

It's who counts the votes"

Joseph Stalin

[Farmer-Rick]

7. So true

Allowing a degree of error in vote counting just plays into the hands of those who would manipulate the vote.

[MichMan]

13. 100.000 % accuracy at all elections isn't feasible.

[Farmer-Rick]

14. Why Not? You get 100% accuracy in your bank records

We can rebuild our voting system. We have the technology. We can make it better than it is. Better Stronger Faster.

If we can track every penny and where it goes, we can track every vote and where it goes.

[AlexSFCA]

8. very important case to pursue

otherwise voter suppression will never stop.

[not fooled]

9. Whatever the outcome of this election

going forward Dems/real Americans who believe in "one person, one vote" should be eternally vigilant and monitor SofS actions--especially in states with puke/unAmerican anti-democracy control of voting--and take legal action well before elections.

Of course, donnie's fixers on the Federal bench might stop corrective measures in some cases but there should be long and loud exposure of all the tricks (purges, etc.) while they are being conducted and to demand restoration of voting rights. The news media needs to cover this.

[Politicub]

10. I'm not opposed to a new Abrams/Kemp election, but,

honestly, I'm worried about losing some of the gains we made down ballot if the entire election is unwound. My rep, Lucy McBath in the 6th district, won by a slim margin. She's an important dem pickup who speaks truth to power for gun control.

My husband and I discussed it this morning. In principle, no one should be disenfranchised from voting. I am scared about this blowing up in our faces, though.

[SkyDaddy7]

15. I agree...

Plus, the public is far more forgiving or tolerant toward Republicans in general than they are with Democrats...I’m positive this has a lot to do with the power Conservative Media has in this country ESPECIALLY down here in the Deep South!!

...I live on the South Side of the ATL but still saw all the ads on TV for/against McBath & even though I couldn’t vote for her I was cheering for her!! WOW! …What a HUGE WIN she had taking the NEWT’S old seat & giving Horrible Handel the boot!

[KPN]

11. Awesome. Go for it Stacey. Until Dems do everything in their power to expose every little bit

of voter suppression, we can have no confidence in any election results coming out of Georgia and other States (Florida) like it.

There is absolutely no reason for Democrats to feel that mounting a legal challenge is unreasonable, irresponsible, corrupt, risky, negative or destructive in any way. In light of what we know and have already experienced, it would be unreasonable, irresponsible and maybe even risky and destructive to not take appropriate legal action right now.

[MichMan]

12. All 50 states?