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Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal officially signed in Doha; Cabinet nominees push deregulation of America's food systems; Ohio Dems encourage community-focused people to run for office; in State of State address, GA Gov. Kemp proposes tax cuts, tort reform.

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Biden highlights the challenges faced reaching a Gaza ceasefire, progressives urge action on the Equal Rights Amendment, the future of TikTok remains up in the air, and plans for protests build ahead of Trump's inauguration.

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"We can't eat gold," warn opponents of a proposed Alaskan gold mine who say salmon will be decimated. Ahead of what could be mass deportations, immigrants get training about their rights. And a national coalition grants money to keep local news afloat.

Last-minute GA election challenges put security under microscope

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Wednesday, November 6, 2024   

With Election Day over, Georgia officials and election integrity groups are focused on securing every vote, amid new rule changes and legal challenges.

A new report from the nonprofit Informing Democracy confirmed the state has strong election protections in place but warned of potential vulnerabilities. One rule requiring counties to hand-count ballots after machine tallies was recently blocked by judges, who ruled it came too close to Election Day.

Jenny Gimian, director of legal research and senior policy counsel for Informing Democracy, said while safeguards are in place, staying alert to the issues is crucial.

"Given the egregiousness of the rules they've attempted to put in place, we will be watching to ensure the State Board of Elections does not otherwise attempt to undermine the vote planning and certification processes," Gimian explained. "Additionally, we will be on the lookout for misinformation related to these, as some election deniers may try to use the fact that these rules were struck down to try to undermine confidence in the election."

In Cobb County, delays in mailing over 3,000 absentee ballots led the Georgia Supreme Court to rule only ballots received by 7 p.m. on Election Day would be counted, reversing an earlier extension and creating last-minute challenges for some voters.

Gimian pointed out her organization will closely monitor Georgia's 159 counties, each with its own approach to administering elections. The report shows local variations create both challenges and unique security measures, such as risk-limiting audits and paper ballot records.

Gimian believes if issues arise, the courts will ultimately safeguard election integrity.

"With so much focus on the actions of election officials, it's easy to overlook that elections are decided by the voters who cast ballots," Gimian emphasized. "When votes are cast, we're confident this fundamental piece of our democracy, the will of the voters, won't be devalued by the courts should their intervention be needed."

Results are due for certification by 5 p.m. on Nov. 12 and recount requests are possible until Nov. 14 if the margin is within one-half of 1%.


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