Nov 22, 2022 - Politics & Policy

GOP groups ask Georgia Supreme Court to halt Saturday voting in Senate race

Sareen Habeshian

Photo illustration collage of Herschel Walker and Raphael Warnock. — Photo illustration: Maura Losch/Axios. Photos: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images, Sean Rayford/Getty Images.

Republican groups are asking Georgia's Supreme Court to overturn a ruling allowing early voting to take place Saturday for the state's Dec. 6 Senate runoff between Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and Republican Herschel Walker.

Driving the news: After the state court of appeals denied an appeal of the ruling Monday, the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the Georgia Republican Party argued the court had made a mistake and so they're appealing again, this time to the state's highest court.

In their appeal, the Republican groups argued that only 10 counties, "all of them Democrat-leaning," plan to conduct early voting on Nov. 26, "eviscerating the statutorily-required uniformity among Georgia’s counties on that day."
They further argued that it creates "an unequal system, where some counties will vote on November 26 and others will not."

What we're watching: The state Supreme Court has given Democrats until Wednesday morning to respond to the appeal.

Catch up quick: Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger decided counties could not hold Saturday early voting the weekend after Thanksgiving, citing a preexisting law that prohibits early voting the day after a holiday.

A Fulton County judge found Friday that the 10 counties could, in fact, do so after Warnock’s campaign, along with national and state Democratic groups, sued the state.

As a result, several counties, including Fulton, Gwinnett, DeKalb and Douglas, added early voting hours for this upcoming Saturday.

Go deeper:

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GOP groups ask Georgia Supreme Court to halt Saturday voting in Senate race

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