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The potential impact of the Georgia Senate race has been greatly exaggerated

Both Republicans and Democrats agree why the Jan. 5 runoffs for Georgia’s two U.S. Senate seats are important. But there is far less agreement on how they will be important, with considerable exaggeration from both sides.

Republicans have a 50-48 lead in the new Senate, which means they need to win at least one of the two Georgia races to keep their majority. By contrast, Democrats need both to take control, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris then able to cast the deciding vote to break 50-50 ties.

Maintenance of a GOP majority would at the very least make life difficult for President-elect Joe Biden by giving Majority Leader Mitch McConnell the power to block the new president’s proposals and nominees.

Some Republicans are already saying they may refuse to give even a confirmation hearing to Neera Tanden, Biden’s choice to head the Office of Management and Budget. Biden’s judicial nominees

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Iowa board certifies 6-vote win for Republican in nail-biter House race

On Monday, Iowa state election officials certified the razor-thin 6-vote margin favoring Republican House candidate Mariannette Miller-Meeks over Democratic rival Rita Hart, following a recount in Iowa’s 2nd District.



a man wearing a suit and tie

© Provided by Washington Examiner


The state canvassing board met to finalize the results of the Iowa races, including the 2nd District, in which over 394,400 ballots were cast.

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate tweeted Monday afternoon: “The State Canvassing Board has officially certified the results of the 2020 general election. We had record turnout of more than 1.7 million voters & 76% participation. The official result in #IA02 is @millermeeks 196,964 to @RitaHartIA 196,958. 6 vote difference.”

At the end of election night, Miller-Meeks led Hart by just 47 votes, which led to a recount of all 24 counties in the district.

“While the race is extraordinarily close, I am proud to have won this contest and look

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Firms team up to tackle systemic race issues

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Intersection

By Cynthia L. Cooper

Jamila Johnson: “We have a responsibility as lawyers to fix this.” Photo courtesy of the Promise of Justice Initiative.

At the virtual summit of the recently formed Law Firm Antiracism Alliance this fall, Louisiana lawyer Jamila Johnson walked through the ways that post-Reconstruction and Jim Crow laws inscribed white supremacist beliefs into criminal law—and how the effects are still felt in practical and painful ways.

This is not a new conversation for Johnson, managing attorney for the Promise of Justice Initiative’s Unanimous Jury Project, an initiative that fought against a Louisiana law giving divided juries the ability to convict people of serious crimes, disproportionately sending African Americans to prison. Although the Louisiana law was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in April, prior cases were not vacated, and

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Recount drama in US House race as Iowa candidates near a tie

The race is the closest in the nation, and both sides expect it to tighten further as Scott, Jasper and Clinton counties finish their recounts in the coming days. A single-digit victory for either candidate is possible as is a tie, which according to state law would result in a winner’s name being drawn from a hat, bowl or some other receptacle.

Hart expects to net 26 votes in Scott County if the tentative results from its recount board are certified. Her campaign says it also expects to net nine votes in Jasper County, where the recount board was set to meet Wednesday afternoon to finalize its work.

Miller-Meeks’ campaign hopes those gains will turn out to be illusory and disappear once anomalies in both counties are addressed. But if they stand they would tie the race with only Clinton County — where Hart lives on a Wheatland farm and

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Georgia election officials to give update on hand recount of ballots cast in presidential race

ATLANTA (NewsNation Now) — A Georgia election official said Tuesday morning that the hand tally of ballots cast in the presidential race would be complete by Wednesday evening.

“We feel like we’re on a good path,” said Gabriel Sterling with Georgia’s Secretary of State Office. “The audit is on pace.”

Sterling said the by-hand recount is so the state can move to certify its election results. Once certified, the losing campaign can request a recount, which would be done using scanners that read and tally the votes. The AP has not declared a winner in Georgia, where Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump by 0.3 percentage points.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger did not attend Tuesday morning’s news conference. Trump and his allies have criticized Raffensperger, saying that mismanagement and fraud tainted the state’s presidential election.

Over the weekend, Trump posted on social

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Machine recount of presidential race gets under way in Georgia; requested by Trump – News – Athens Banner-Herald


Associated Press

Tuesday


Nov 24, 2020 at 2:10 PM

ATLANTA — County election workers across Georgia on Tuesday began a machine recount of the roughly 5 million votes cast in the presidential race in the state, just days after completing a hand tally that confirmed President-elect Joe Biden’s lead.

The recount was requested by President Donald Trump after certified results showed him losing the state to Democrat Joe Biden by 12,670 votes, or 0.25%. Under state law, the losing candidate can request a recount when the margin is less than 0.5%. Trump’s campaign on Saturday formally requested the recount.

Counties were allowed to begin the machine recount at 9 a.m. Tuesday and they have until 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 2 to wrap it up.

Some counties only planned to get as far as testing the equipment Tuesday, with the actual counting to begin Wednesday. With

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Tammy Wendt, former lawyer for Jason Van Dyke, wins Cook County Board of Review race

A lawyer who was part of the defense team for former Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke has ousted the sole Republican on the Cook County Board of Review.

A final tally of votes from the Cook County clerk’s office and from the Chicago Board of Election commissioners showed Democrat Tammy Wendt ahead of Dan Patlak, who has served on the board since 2010, by 11,693 votes — a 1.5-percentage-point margin.

In a statement Tuesday, Wendt thanked her team and supporters and said she was humbled and “can barely believe this is my reality.”

“I have a big job to do, and I’m looking forward to diving in and doing my very best for my constituents, just as I have promised during my campaign,” Wendt wrote. “I am looking forward to filling my staff with qualified professionals who I can lead into this next chapter with the Board of Review.”

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District Attorney Race In Oconee And Clarke Has Partisan Element

This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author’s own.

Nov. 3 Vote In Oconee, Clarke Counties
Nov. 3 Vote In Oconee, Clarke Counties (Lee Becker)

James Chafin said repeatedly in appearances during the campaign for District Attorney for the Western Judicial Circuit that he chose to run in the special election without a party label because he wanted to keep party politics out of the courtroom where the District Attorney operates.

Intentionally or not, his decision led to a campaign with strong partisan undertones that has spilled over into the runoff that will take place on Dec. 1 and for which early voting began on Monday morning.

Deborah Gonzalez, who ran as a Democrat and joins Chafin on the ballot in the runoff, was a featured speakers at the Oconee County Democratic Party meeting last Thursday. Chafin wasn’t invited.

Chafin, in turn, is a featured speaker at the Oconee

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Trump campaign requests recount of Georgia’s presidential race

ATLANTA – President Donald Trump’s campaign requested a recount of votes in the Georgia presidential race on Saturday, a day after state officials certified results showing Democrat Joe Biden won the state, as his legal team presses forward with attacks alleging widespread fraud without proof.

Georgia’s results showed Biden beating Trump by 12,670 votes out of about 5 million cast, or 0.25%. State law allows a candidate to request a recount if the margin is less than 0.5%. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp formalized the state’s slate of 16 presidential electors.

The Trump campaign sent a hand-delivered letter to the secretary of state’s office requesting the recount in an election that has been fraught with unfounded accusations of fraud by Trump and his supporters.

ATLANTA, GA – NOVEMBER 21: Protesters rally outside the Georgia State Capitol during a ‘March for Trump’ protest against the results of the 2020 Presidential election on

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Trump team requests recount of Georgia presidential race after results show a Biden victory – News – Savannah Morning News


Associated Press

Saturday


Nov 21, 2020 at 10:46 PM

President Donald Trump’s legal team said Saturday that his campaign has requested a recount of votes in the Georgia presidential race after results showed Democrat Joe Biden winning the state.

Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Friday certified the state’s election results, which had Biden beating Trump by 12,670 votes out of about 5 million cast, or 0.25%. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp then certified the state’s slate of 16 presidential electors.

The statement from Trump’s legal team said: “Today, the Trump campaign filed a petition for recount in Georgia. We are focused on ensuring that every aspect of Georgia State Law and the U.S. Constitution are followed so that every legal vote is counted. President Trump and his campaign continue to insist on an honest recount in Georgia, which has to include signature matching and

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