(The Hill) — Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) reassured the state’s voters that the upcoming election is secure and that voters’ ballots will be counted.
Raffensperger said that no matter which presidential candidate triumphs in the 2024 White House election, “every voter in our state should know that the results will be valid because the election is secure.”
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“Election security begins with highly accurate voter registration lists — and to even get on that list Georgia verifies the U.S. citizenship of everyone attempting to register to vote,” Raffensperger wrote in an op-ed published Thursday in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“Noncitizens cannot vote in Georgia,” he continued, adding that the state cross-checks applications with a database administered by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. “Registering to vote or even attempting to register to vote as a noncitizen is a felony under both federal and state law and carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.”
He wrote that voter roll maintenance is done “daily,” and emphasized that voters are required to show government-issued identification and sign an oath.
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Raffensperger said in the op-ed that ballots are printed on “a special paper with security features built into the fibers of the ballot.”
“Election workers in Georgia can use a handheld scanner to detect the presence of security features woven into the fibers of the ballot itself to detect any counterfeit ballots,” he said, adding that this year’s ballots have a “unique watermark to visually identify any attempt to create a phony ballot.”
Earlier this month, the Republican election official shut down claims of voter fraud as the state saw a historic early-voting turnout. Days later, he also warned Republicans that vote integrity claims will “really hurt” the turnout of the GOP.
Raffensperger concluded the op-ed by backing election workers in the state, saying they are “hardworking public servants who do their absolute best under intense public scrutiny and on tight deadlines.”
“They are people who live and work and worship in the very communities you live in,” he added. “They have their eyes on the process, and, if something out of the ordinary happens, they notice.”