More than 500 Georgia Republicans signed a letter this week asking Republican Gov. Brain Kemp to pursue a forensic audit of the 2020 presidential election similar to the audit taking place in Arizona’s Maricopa County.
The letter, signed by 531 state Republicans who range from conservative activists to Georgia GOP delegates, demands an “independent forensic audit to take place through the convening of a Special Session” of the state legislature, according to the Washington Examiner.
“We believe that anyone who has a problem with a statewide forensic audit in Georgia has something to hide,” the letter said. “Our goals are simple: we want to discover the underlying problems that occurred last year and ensure that we never make those same mistakes again.“
In a statement, Kemp responded to his party’s request by claiming he does not “have the constitutional or statutory authority to conduct an audit of the 2020 election.”
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However, the letter asks Kemp only to use his authority to convene a special session so that state legislators can do what the Arizona Senate did and launch an independent audit.
Georgia’s Republicans raised several concerns about the integrity of the state’s presidential election, including questions about the chain of custody of absentee ballots.
They noted Georgia officials have yet to produce chain-of-custody records for more than 333,000 absentee ballots, even though each of Georgia’s counties is legally required to document the transfer of every batch of absentee ballots picked up at drop boxes and delivered to county election offices.
Kemp’s office did not address this concern, instead pointing to the election integrity bill he recently signed into law.
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“By requiring a photo ID to vote absentee, securing ballot drop boxes around the clock in all 159 counties, and ensuring continuous ballot tabulation on Election Day, Gov. Kemp took action to restore trust in Georgia’s election system,” Kemp’s press secretary, Mallory Blount, said in a statement.
“While Gov. Kemp was disappointed with the outcome of the 2020 election, he is laser-focused on ensuring that future Georgia elections are safe, accessible, and secure,” said the statement.
