Today is november 11. Before i get started talking about what we are here today, id like to give a heartfelt prayer of thanksgiving to all of those that gave their lives to this country, all those people are continue to serve. This is a special day. This is a hollow day. Growing up my dad served in world war ii, in the navy, and people were called to serve and then we had korea, vietnam and the people serving today. So we can never forget and we can never give them enough thanks what theyve done for this nation. One of the things they fought for is for our right, our freedom to have free and fair elections. So that is at the end of day what we really need to be mindful, particularly of our office as we work finishing up and closing out the election we just had. Also want to do, give a heartfelt thanks to the minute women who are standing with me here today. These are election of directors from across georgia. They represent large counties, small cans, diverse counties and just all over the state of georgia. They and their staffs are the ones that do the hard work on the ground of making sure that all legal votes will be counted. Their job is hard. They executed their responsibilities and they did their job. This is a process. It is a process to find defined by law. Hes been a women in my office will continue to follow the law and count every legal vote. As it stands today, 97 counties have sent the final numbers in. The current margin stands at 14,111 between the president and senator wyden, Vice President biden. My office will continue to investigate each and every instance of illegal voting. Double voting, felon voting, people voting out of state. If you reported, we will investigate it. Every legal vote will count. We will continue to follow and enforce the law. Now lets look at the next steps. We are currently at looking at having a statewide runoff on december 1 and another on january 5. This is an untenable situation for these men and women to try and run both of these elections. With that, under my powers under the Health Emergency eye moving the date of the december 1 election to coincide with the federal runoff on january 5. Fifth. This will protect the integrity of both elections and make for better election administration. It has the added benefit of saving taxpayers millions of dollars. The reason we have so many of these on rollover list voters is a direct function of covid. This is the reality. The next step in the current election process is getting the final county certifications in. We will then moved to the risklimiting audit or rla. At 1 p. M. Today i will make the official designation of which race will be the subject of the rla. At that time i will designate that the rla would be the president ial race. With a margin being so close it will require a full by hand recount in each county. This will help build confidence. It will be an audit, a recount and every canvas all at once. It will be a heavy lift but we will work with the counties to get this done in time for a state certification. Many of the workers will be working plenty of overtime. We have all worked hard to bring their and accurate counts to assure that the will of the voters is reflected in the final count and that every voter have confidence in the outcome, whether their candidate won or lost. Take you for coming today. Do we have any questions . [inaudible question] well, because we now have had that verifiable paper ballot for the first time in 18 years well have something to get us that just pressing a button again come cemented or so we will be counting every single piece of paper, every single ballot, every single legal cast ballot. [inaudible question] that will be the names that on the balance. Whoever they voted for president. The english written words. [inaudible question] yes, it will get as us that people will working lots of overtime the next coming week. Lots of people would be pleased with those paychecks that they are getting overtime. [inaudible question] that will be coming out of we will be determined at some point adding additional workers we will probably have to augment that and will be looking that and that will be the election directors of each county. They will handle their own county recount county by county. [inaudible question] small segment of the votes larger picture. That interest them and start started into probability theorem. When you have lied billion votes and the market is so close, 14,000. If we pulled out 10,000 votes, all of a sudden you could say this is a person who won. We poll of 100,000 and us is this person one. Coupon when billy come this person whether thats why mathematically you have to do a full and by hand recount of all because the market is so close. Right now its 14,101. Its just the mathematics, the statistics, the probability the rooms that are taking us to that step. There was another race we didnt have such close thing and you could do that and it would just be a sample size but we cant do that when its that close. This race has National Significance, national importance. We get that. We understand. The trump we do. We follow a process and we understand the significance of this for not just georgia but for every single american. At the end of the day we do a hand count, and we can answer the question exactly what was the final margin in this race. Yes, maam. [inaudible question] absolutely. We have been open and transparent. In fact, weve had multiple meetings like this meeting with the press, Gabriel Sterling are implication managers come in to talk you really dig into the weeds. If you have any information about illegal voting or voter fraud, bring that to our attention and we will investigate every case that we hear. Have you heard anything with that particular allegations of our . I am hearing that just came out this money. We will look at those records and start digging into that. Wont the hand recount reflect accuracy of the computer recount . Humans make mistakes and are you concerned about accuracy of a hand recount . It really is what the numbers take us to and were following the process that would drive us to what is an current state law. Is it reasonable to believe the results will change much . 14,000 votes, is there any chance that the outcome or the results of the president ial election would change as a result, if its possible 14,000 votes could flip . You are asked me to make predictions and we are dealing with fact. What is the probability . Our get out my khaki or and get that back to you. Cant do that offthecuff. Can the Trump Campaign still as far recount once this is done and you folks of certified like the system used to or is this count as a one recount . Thats a good question but after it is certified the candidates within one half would still be entitled recount, i scanned recount because that is what is state law. Just serve. [inaudible question] we are going to continue to work with the counties but thats their deadline. That is the process we have in place. We fed great cooperation and dedication from the county election officials. Thats why we have so many here. We have professionals out there. At the end of the day i havent asked him but i know theres some folks back your that vote this way and some go this way, that we have different elections. At the end of the day they are following the process and what they want is you never want you to be able to question their integrity. Thats what we anyone, following the process, integrity still matters. [inaudible question] we will continue with every county that we have and if there some that are still buttoning up then we will roll to that, hopefully thats the smaller counties. How long will this take place . It will take every bit of the time we have left, for sure. Its a big lift. Does that mean our date is november 20. Youve been saying for more than you we should actually trust why is a hand recount necessary . Statistically because of where we are. We have a team of people, National Experts who worked on risklimiting audit and several other states. We reached out to these experts weve been working with them for several months and we just follow the science of the risklimiting audit, follow the numbers and thats where it leads us to count every single ballot by hand. Is their her certification e no longer in effect . They are still required and we want to hear by friday at the latest. We have 97 counties already. [inaudible question] ill talk to legal about that but we want to start this really before the week is up because we understand theres an awful lot to do. Could you elaborate again on the timeline of the audit and what is going to be counted exactly . The ballots that you had, whether it was absentee ballot that you sent that in or if it was voted by in person like i did hear we will look at that ballot and someone will look at who did you want and it will go through that and you have two people that are doing all the counting. They will put them out in stacks and make sure the stack has lets a 1000 ballots and and you look at the end, 501 for this person, for 99 for that one. Just keep on rolling through and thats how its going to be all the way through and you will tally at all up. Its in the process, and methodical process an active process. Im sure the with plenty of oversight we want to make sure both parties have the opportunity to observe this because we understand the stakes are high. [inaudible question] i dont really know. In georgia we follow our laws. Every state come 50 states, 50 different election laws. What you do if these hand counts dont match the computer counts . Do you count against . No. Never did become the full recount and that is what we are going to be certifying on november 20. [inaudible question] thank you very much. That wont be certified, the most count, the most accurate count. The paper ballot count. [inaudible question] it is an audit. Its an audit, we can this and we can all of one because it will just be a process they get it all. Before the Election Office and over and over again a and ballots will take longer, take longer to certify these and go through all these. Now this is being used in claims the election is an academic took so long. What you had to say about that . What many people are not aware of is that when we are in the process now in our accounting come when same place lord is, North Carolina and texas. The thing is in those races its not real close. In our case theres 14,101 votes right now the separate the top versus number two. So, therefore, all i said focus on that and thats why you are seeing that. The other states are still out there tabulating their absentee ballots. Thanks for bringing that up. What happened to john lewis thats still going on. Even though someone been sworn in for that, sworn in by the time special election will take place . The Fifth District is not affected by what we are doing here. Republican party saying a lot of Republican Voters and Trump Supporters [inaudible] how will you remedy that in the boats . [inaudible] well, number one, im not the postmaster general. We have no control over the federal Postal Service so when people mail their ballots back, its under federal government control and the federal post office, Postal Service. Once he gets to the counties, then thats when the counties handle that. Through this process we believe and we know the machines are correct in which youll which d we believe in the kent. As it relates to dead people and other ones of illegal voting, thats why weve asked for, if enough of of a case of illegal voting or suspected illegal voting, bring that to us. Anecdotes and stories to work. We when something we can actualy investigate, actually very grateful that attorney general barr, respect that man. This second round of being attorney general of the United States of america and he is calm, very thorough attorney and hes directed his u. S. Attorneys to look for things. One thing though the federal government does have his resources that we dont have. If they can find something that we cant, they can help to bring to bear, we want to make sure the only people that vote our legal voters. Thats not part of the process we are counting what the paper ballots are and those will be ongoing. Does this hand recount set aa precedent for every close race Going Forward . We can pick whatever one but we understand the National Significance of this session right now. Next time it may be some other statewide race. As we roll this out you have to understand, many states that are doing risklimiting audit statistics after it took them five to seven years. When colorado did that was a long multiyour process. We passed in 2019 come we stood up despite come at risklimiting audit this year and so and nine must come 11 were going to first statewide election with the risklimiting audit. This is record time we done this. We are eventually going to be doing risklimiting audits for host of elections to give you the voter confidence that when you cast your ballot it was accurately counted to give the confidence and you can leave at the end of the day knowing the system got it right. When we do that come we think its good for all of georgia. Are you knew this right now because the Trump Campaign asked you to . No. Within this because its what makes the most sense with the National Significance of this race and the closeness of this race. We have to run statewide audit. This is the race the makes the most sense logically as i worked with eric and this is what made the most sense and will be following the process. Amano. I understand you dont have total confidence this will be a lot of overtime it sounds like. It is. We understand that. Typically the Counties Fund their own elections and this is part of one of the things they got into them right now everyone is austerity cuts so thats the issue. But thats we are and i dont have an answer specific on that. My domain as secretary of state and i can only have my authority that i have with an office, and we dont, that is something that would really it sounds like the county will fit the bill . At the present time that would be what it would be. You put yourself as a National Leader in election is anything changed in that . Do you still consider yourself a National Leader . I think georgia has done a great job if you look to what we do pop accomplish in this past year. We stood up a a new voting sys, new Voting Machines in less than six months and that was really because we had enacted you cant use the old machines and so we had to do that for the first time with coming up the call of said we got hit with covid that started hitting in february and march the joe soma had to take a hiatus of and march 15. Then we had to do a 360, 180. What are we going to do to run in elections that are safe for voters . What does that look like . And then coming out of that we stood up about the portal so we would have safe secure requests for absentee ballots the required voters to tell us your name, day month and year so we could identify you and also your department of drivers, you know, your drivers license number so we make sure it truly is the voter was requesting this absentee ballot for additional security. And we had about tracking the added the wait time. And we had very successful early day voting. We had a few lined the first couple of days and we had record 2. 8 million voters plus voted in early voting. We had very short find for that. State farm stood up across the state. As one of these election jurisdictions had great success. On the day of election we had average wait time in the afternoon was about two minutes. At one point i screenshot put it out of facebook would wait times along this week i was 40 minutes, drop a 20 minutes and then ten minutes. Tremendous results. I think we have let in some different areas and we have proven every vote counts and integrity matters. At the end of the day thats good. What happens if the recount is that done by november 20 . Will just have to continue the process but we have our charge, the from a 20 is our day. The one thing weve learned in the Construction Industry ive been in this thing really, hit my First Construction site when i was about sutures old, sitting in my dads pickup truck. I grew up with the idea of deadlines. In our business it is all about deadlines. Evident its about hitting deadlines. Our collection directory is all the deadlines because we are this day for this, mr. For that. Your registration, this early vote, they election and then all of a sudden you have a runoff and then roll into next you will have city and municipal elections and then go into the next year. This is, this whole operation is deadline driven. Unkind understand how hundreds of human beings working long hours are going to be more accurate . Thats why the with the plaintiff eyeballs on them to verify that every vote is accurately counted. Thats the way the process works because of the large number of votes and the closeness of the vote. Its the only way to do that. We have talked to our risk limiting experts in our office and also National Experts. We are following the process. Thank you very much for coming out. Will have another announcement later today. Thank you. Journals washington everyday we take your calls live on the air on the news everyday and discuss policy issues in the news that impact you. A discussion on the Trump Campaign challenges with the executive director of the honest elections project. We will also talk with National Council on integrity member and former democratic congressman Richard Gephardt on the validity of the 2020 election. Watch cspans washington journal live at 7 00 eastern on thursday morning. Live on thursday, House Speaker to a supremacy and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer hold a briefing at 10 15 a. M. On the on cspan. And House Minority republican leader kevin mccarthy. Then the Federalist Society holds a discussion on the rule of law and the trump residency. On cspan2 at 11 00 a. M. , the Senate Returns to work on the judicial nomination of violin can a lean cannon to be a district judge in south florida. Book tv on cspan two has top nonfiction books and authors all we can. Saturday at 1 00 p. M. Eastern , author sarahs marsh, thomas burton, and lane winkler reflect on life in appalachia. And two authors discuss the jim crow era in the south. Then, new yorker staff writer evan discusses his book joe biden, the life, to run, and what matters now. From the southern festival of books, a journalist talks about his book, deep the delta justice, about the civil rights case which helped to reaffirm the right to trial by jury in most criminal cases. And an author talks about Investigative Journalism and its role in the democracy. At 9 00 p. M. Eastern on after words, a professor talks about his book american contagion, epidemics and the law, from smallpox to covid19. He is interviewed by a Georgetown University law professor. Watch book tv this weekend on cspan two. Next come up pennsylvania senators bob casey and pat toomey on the Election Results and what they mean for the commonwealth
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