Georgia voters start early visits to polls in elections that will set U.S. Senate control

By Rich McKay and David Morgan

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler speaks at a campaign event at the Cobb County Republican Party Headquarters in Marietta, Georgia, U.S. November 11, 2020. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage/File Photo

 

MARIETTA, Ga. (Reuters) -Hundreds of people lined up in a cold rain on Monday to cast ballots in a pair of U.S. Senate races in Georgia that will determine control of the chamber and influence Democratic President-elect Joe Biden's ability to enact his agenda.

 

The Southern state, dominated by Republicans for decades, is now one of the most competitive U.S. political battlegrounds after Biden's narrow victory in the Nov. 3 presidential election. President Donald Trump and other top Republicans have campaigned to help incumbent Republican senators David Purdue and Kelly Loeffler win on Jan. 5, while Democrats have spent millions to back challengers Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.

 

"Look at this line, all these people. This is what it's about: turnout," said Brenda Reed, 40, a Democrat who works in the hospitality business. "We're in the second round of a two-round bout."

 

Election experts said turnout on the first day of early voting in a contest could offer clues to which side ultimately prevails. Civil-rights monitors said they had received no reports of voting problems.

 

Early in-person voting began in the state of Georgia Monday for a pair of Jan. 5 runoff elections that will determine control of the U.S. Senate. Lisa Bernhard produced this report.

 

Republican voter David Koon waited more than an hour to cast his vote on Monday in Marietta, about 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Atlanta.

 

"We can't risk it being close," said Koon, 62, a sound engineer. "I hope any Republican who sat on the sidelines (in November) will come out and vote this time."

 

The races will determine control of the Senate, and Democrats face an uphill battle as they would need to win both seats to be able to control the chamber and use that power to help advance Biden's priorities. Republicans, meanwhile, are warning voters that Trump's policies are on the line.

 

Biden's narrow victory has buoyed Democratic hopes of another win, aided by aggressive Democratic voter registration drives and demographic trends that have nudged the electorate away from Republicans.

 

Perdue finished just ahead of Ossoff in November, while not quite getting the 50% needed for a victory under Georgia law. In the other race, neither Warnock or Loeffler reached the 50% threshold in a field that included several other challengers.

 

Democratic activist Stacey Abrams, who lost a race for Georgia governor in 2018, told CNN that 1.2 million absentee ballots have been requested thus far, with 85,000 of those coming from people who did not vote in the general election, and they are disproportionately young and people of color.

 

Democrats are depending on voters of color, young people and college-educated whites to turn out for them in urban and suburban communities, especially in the Atlanta area, while Republicans need Trump supporters in outlying areas of the state.

 

More than 260,000 Georgians have already voted by mail, according to the University of Florida's U.S. Elections Project, raising expectations for a mammoth runoff turnout of between 3.5 million and 4 million voters. Just over 5 million people voted in the general election, about 1.3 million by absentee ballot.

 

But both sides face challenges getting voters to the polls without Trump on the ballot in a campaign marked by political turmoil, a surging coronavirus pandemic and the threat of winter weather in a region where ice or snow can paralyze travel.

 

The showdown has also spawned court battles involving the state's removal of nearly 200,000 people from voter registration rolls, and a Republican Party effort to curb the use of drop boxes for absentee ballots.

 

Republican infighting over Trump's unsubstantiated claims of election fraud could lead some of the president's most ardent supporters to stay home in protest.

 

Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have both visited Georgia to warn supporters that failure to vote could mean Democratic rule in Washington.

 

Two Democratic wins would produce a 50-50 party breakdown in the Senate and make Vice President-elect Kamala Harris the tiebreaking vote. Democrats already run the House of Representatives.

 

Biden is expected to visit Atlanta on Tuesday to urge supporters to see votes for Warnock and Ossoff as a way to ensure quick action on coronavirus relief for struggling families.

 

Monday's early voting coincides with an Electoral College vote making Biden's victory over Trump official.

 

(Reporting by Rich McKay in Marietta, Georgia and David Morgan in Washington; additional reporting by Susan Cornwell and Andy Sullivan; Editing by Scott Malone, Lisa Shumaker and Jonathan Oatis)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-12-15

 

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Conspiracy post removed.

 

Loeffler is a nutter.  Ranting about radical libs, defund the police, etc.  All dog whistles for Trump's cult members, and all false.  Stunning some fall for this.

The beauty of Georgia's role in the last election was the fact that votes were reviewed on  3 separate occasions .The original vote , the hand recount and finally the audit controlled by the opposing party of the winner.  At least on this level of transparency there should be no one crying foul or fraud when the results are tabulated  in January.   If the Dems fail to prevail they'll have to wait until 2022 to get another shot at the senate majority. 

I have seen multiple Republicans leaders telling fellow Republicans NOT to vote. Even 45 has claimed every damned day that the elections are rigged. I hope Republicans in Georgia have learned their lesson and stay home. No need to vote in what is surely a rigged process.

Loeffler must be the most uncharismatic politician there has ever been.

If the two Democratic candidates get elected, it will no doubt be a conspiracy because of all the early voting.

A post making claims against the two incumbent Republican senators from Georgia, without any sources or attributions, has been removed.

2 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

Loeffler is a nutter.  Ranting about radical libs, defund the police, etc.  All dog whistles for Trump's cult members, and all false.  Stunning some fall for this.

 

Be assured the top guns of the RNC are full focus on this race, and the items you list, and then some, were foisted upon her by the dark wizards.  Why did Biden not do as well as expected?  Because communist socialist radical left destroy cities repeated enough times begins to sink in.

I also think these two GOP candidates are running for lives, just like DT is.  Being out of office could easily mean being in jail.

 

Georgia Republicans shouldn't vote in this one, teach those libs a lesson.  But send $$$

Trump antagonizes Republicans with Georgia fundraising ploy

 

 

Edited December 15, 20205 yr by bendejo

I always read that Republicans are doing this and doing that. Why does nobody tell the Dem's to vote overwhelmingly ?? Vote and vote and vote ! But they are obviously sleeping. Hope they will get both seats though.

4 minutes ago, moogradod said:

I always read that Republicans are doing this and doing that. Why does nobody tell the Dem's to vote overwhelmingly ?? Vote and vote and vote ! But they are obviously sleeping. Hope they will get both seats though.

Maybe because in the Democrats case it's more of a local news story? Not so much suspense about whether or not they'll turn out to vote.

2 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

Loeffler is a nutter.  Ranting about radical libs, defund the police, etc.  All dog whistles for Trump's cult members, and all false.  Stunning some fall for this.

Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler posed for a photo with a former KKK chief

 

"Appearing at a campaign event in Dawsonville, Georgia, on Friday — ahead of the state's Senate runoff election — Loeffler posed for a photo with Chester Doles, one of America's most famous white supremacist. Doles spent decades in the KKK, including as its leader and as Maryland's grand klaliff, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. He was also a member of the neo-Nazi National Alliance, and was jailed in 1993 after beating a Black man in Maryland."

8 minutes ago, moogradod said:

I always read that Republicans are doing this and doing that. Why does nobody tell the Dem's to vote overwhelmingly ?? Vote and vote and vote ! But they are obviously sleeping. Hope they will get both seats though.

Maybe you haven't been paying attention.

 

2 hours ago, Seth1a2a said:

The beauty of Georgia's role in the last election was the fact that votes were reviewed on  3 separate occasions .The original vote , the hand recount and finally the audit controlled by the opposing party of the winner.  At least on this level of transparency there should be no one crying foul or fraud when the results are tabulated  in January.   If the Dems fail to prevail they'll have to wait until 2022 to get another shot at the senate majority. 

Also, not mentioned often enough, the ballots requiring signatures were verified twice during the voting process. 

Michigan congressman leaving GOP over Trump's attempt to overturn election

 

"Rep. Paul Mitchell of Michigan said Monday that he is leaving the Republican Party and becoming an independent because Republicans have not stood up to President Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the election. 

"As I saw that amicus brief, as well as the discussions over the weekend in the national media, it became clear to me that I could no longer be associated with the Republican Party, that leadership does not stand up and say the process, the election, is over," he said. "It's over today.""

 

Hopefully more GOP reps will rediscover their spines but I fear that will only be the case with reps leaving politics, like this guy.

Verification is performed three times in this Georgia election. There will be NO call of voter fraud.

1 minute ago, J Town said:

Verification is performed three times in this Georgia election. There will be NO call of voter fraud.

It was very close and at least one recount was not only justified but required. But that should have been enough. 

5 minutes ago, Phoenix Rising said:

Michigan congressman leaving GOP over Trump's attempt to overturn election

 

Saw that report in the news this morning, and good for that ONE guy to speak up. Unfortunately, as you pointed out, he's already announced he's going to retire from Congress, so won't be running for reelection and won't face the wrath from Trump supporters.

 

So in other words, it's relatively easy for him to FINALLY speak the truth clearly and directly. What we haven't seen, though, is any/many non-retiring Republican members of Congress doing the same, not during Trump's post election charades and not even now.

 

23 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

It was very close and at least one recount was not only justified but required. But that should have been enough. 

I'm referring to the Senate runoff. Particularly with all the current scrutiny, all eyes will be watching, NO fraud.

2 minutes ago, J Town said:

Particularly with all the current scrutiny, all eyes will be watching, NO fraud.

Oh I hope there is....and the Republican's are caught red handed.

2 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Saw that report in the news this morning, and good for that ONE guy to speak up. Unfortunately, as you pointed out, he's already announced he's going to retire from Congress, so won't be running for reelection and won't face the wrath from Trump supporters.

 

So in other words, it's relatively easy for him to FINALLY speak the truth clearly and directly. What we haven't seen, though, is any/many non-retiring Republican members of Congress doing the same, not during Trump's post election charades and not even now.

 

So true. The closest they've come is Romney and he's not exactly banged on the morality drum, just given it a light tap now and then when trump's cr@p as smelled so bad even muck loving pigs have wrinkled their snouts.

One can only hope that the Dems win these two seats and then use their three majorities for the good of the country. Starting with additional SCOTUS judges, and so on. 

Off-topic posts on possible future Democrat nominees for the U.S. Supreme Court have been removed.

 

The topic here is:

 

Georgia voters start early visits to polls in elections that will set U.S. Senate control

Latest Polls Of The Georgia Senate Runoff Elections | FiveThirtyEight

If both run offs are won by the Dems, senate is 50/50, so who becomes majority and minority leader?

10 minutes ago, Susco said:

If both run offs are won by the Dems, senate is 50/50, so who becomes majority and minority leader?

VP Kamala Harris will have the deciding vote, so the Democrats elect the majority leader.

For those unfamiliar with Georgia elections in recent times, I recommend reading an article or two about the gubernatorial race between Kemp and Stacy Abrams. 

This is a good start https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/11/30/18118264/georgia-election-lawsuit-voter-suppression-abrams-kemp-race

 

IMO Kemp should have stepped down as GA Sec. of State prior to the election.  I'm no expert on body language but whenever I see Kemp on TV he looks nervous.  Stacy never conceded but she does not carry on about it like the orange guy in DC.  I'd guess Kemp knows if he tilted the apple cart in DT's favor all hell would break lose down there and he might end up in an orange jumpsuit himself.  And now that the balance of the US Senate depends on the GA runoff I'm sure the RNC regrets not keeping Kemp in line.  Turning the state blue can be called "Stacy's Revenge."  Speak softly and don't fear the axe handles. 

I'm old enough to remember the things that went on in Georgia 50+ years ago and it's reassuring to see the changes.

 

 

Edited December 18, 20205 yr by onthedarkside
broken weblink removed

2 hours ago, heybruce said:

VP Kamala Harris will have the deciding vote, so the Democrats elect the majority leader.

If that happens I sure hope they replace Schumer.  I think in some other language a "schumer" is someone who sits with their thumb up their sat-upon.

 

 

5 hours ago, bendejo said:

If that happens I sure hope they replace Schumer.  I think in some other language a "schumer" is someone who sits with their thumb up their sat-upon.

 

 

Ummm...you seem to be describing McConnell.  Who's presided over the least productive senate in almost 100 years.  Can't blame Schumer for that.  Though some try.

1 hour ago, Jeffr2 said:

Ummm...you seem to be describing McConnell.  Who's presided over the least productive senate in almost 100 years.  Can't blame Schumer for that.  Though some try.

How about replacing him with someone on the same side of the aisle?