Georgia election officials on Monday asked a judge to toss out a lawsuit filed by an organization backed by unsuccessful Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams that challenges the way the state’s elections are run. Lawyers for recently sworn-in Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who is the state’s top elections official, and election board members said in a motion to dismiss that the lawsuit fails to bring valid claims. They also argue that state officials are not responsible for any of the harm alleged and are immune from such suits. The lawsuit was filed by Fair Fight Action, a group associated with Abrams and staffed by some of her former campaign workers. In a speech ending her bid for governor 10 days after the November midterm election, Abrams promised a lawsuit against the state “for the gross mismanagement of this election and to protect future elections from unconstitutional actions.”
The lawsuit, filed Nov. 27, says mismanagement of the election resulted in some citizens, particularly low-income people and people of color, being deprived of their constitutional right to vote. It seeks major reforms and asks that Georgia be required to get a federal judge’s approval before enacting any voting rules to ensure that changes wouldn’t disenfranchise minorities.
… Fair Fight CEO Lauren Groh-Wargo, who previously served as Abrams’ campaign manager, said there is no doubt the recent elections were mismanaged and tainted by voter suppression.
“With the motion to dismiss defendants filed today, the state continues to pretend they are not culpable of disenfranchisement,” she said in an emailed statement. “Our lawsuit will lay out compelling and irrefutable evidence of an interlocking system of voter suppression that has unfairly impacted election outcomes in our communities and that cannot be allowed to stand — and if the suit succeeds, Georgia elections will be closer to being fair for all Georgians.”
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