Nov 18, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Judge allows Saturday voting in Georgia's Senate runoff

Sen. Raphael Warnock is seen on Nov. 10, 2022, in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo: Megan Varner/Getty Images

A Georgia judge ruled Friday that early voting can take place on a Saturday in the state's Senate runoff election between Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and Republican Herschel Walker.

Driving the news: Judge Thomas A. Cox Jr. found that Georgia's election code "does not specifically prohibit counties from conducting advanced voting on Saturday, November 26, 2022, for a runoff election."

Catch up quick: Warnock's campaign, along with national and state Democratic groups, filed a lawsuit earlier this week, challenging the secretary of state's interpretation that counties can't hold early voting on Saturday, Nov. 26.

  • Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger had previously said counties could hold early voting that day but his office later backtracked.
  • Raffensperger's office cited a preexisting law that prohibits early voting the day after a holiday, which is the case for Nov. 26 as it falls immediately after the Thanksgiving holiday.

What they're saying: "I am delighted by the judge’s ruling," Warnock said at a rally at Georgia Tech on Friday per the Washington Post.

  • "We should want every eligible voter to have an opportunity to vote, and not having Saturday voting disproportionately impacts working-class people in an adverse way.”

The other side: "We disagree with the court’s order and look forward to a prompt appeal," Raffensperger said in a statement per WaPost.

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