We're 14 days out from Election Day. Here's the news that you'll want to know:
More than 2,600 ballots -- previously un-tallied -- have been discovered during Georgia recount. "A recount of ballots in Georgia’s presidential race revealed more than 2,600 ballots in Floyd County that were never entered into the final tally. Floyd County Republican Party Chairman Luke Martin says the ballots, once counted, will likely give President Trump a roughly 800-vote bite into Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s roughly 14,000-vote lead, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution." (Daily Wire) • More than 2,600 ballots that were not tallied in the final count were discovered in Georgia. The ballots were cast in Floyd County, which President Trump already had a major lead in over Joe Biden. In total, it will likely change the vote margin by 800 votes in favor of President Trump.
• An investigator from the Georgia Secretary of State's office is reportedly looking into the issue. (The Georgia Secretary of State is a Republican.)
• Georgia's Voting System Implementation Manager said at a press conference (emphasis our own): "The secretary, since this was such an amazing blunder and they had issues in August, would like to see that elections director in Floyd County step down from his position."
• The Floyd County GOP Chairman said: "It’s very concerning. But this doesn’t appear to be a widespread issue. I’m glad the audit revealed it, and it’s important that all votes are counted.”
And for background:
• Last week, Georgia announced a by-hand recount of the presidential race. That's because the state is very close: President Trump and Joe Biden are separated by approximately 14,000 votes out of nearly 5 million cast, and the Associated Press hasn't yet called the race.
• Although some counties have completed their counts already, the final results will be released all at once, with all counties and the final statewide vote total included.
• County recounts have been overseen by poll monitors from both major parties, the press, and some members of the public.
• The recount must be done by midnight tomorrow. The deadline for the state to certify its election results is this Friday.
• Georgia awards 16 Electoral College votes.
Twitter CEO on blocking New York Post's reporting on Hunter Biden allegations: "We admitted this action was wrong and corrected it within 24 hours." "'That to me seems like you’re the ultimate editor,' committee chairman Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said during his opening statement. 'The editorial decision by the New York Post to run the story was overridden by Twitter and Facebook in different fashions to prevent its dissemination. Now if that's not making an editorial decision I don't know what would be." (Fox News) • At a Senate hearing today, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said, referring to the Hunter Biden story from before the election (emphasis our own): "We made a quick interpretation using no other evidence that the materials in the article were obtained through hacking, and according to our policy, we blocked them from being spread. Upon further consideration, we admitted this action was wrong and corrected it within 24 hours."
• When the New York Post published allegations about Hunter Biden's alleged laptop, both Facebook and Twitter responded. Facebook "reduced [its] distribution"; Twitter initially blocked sharing the link, though it later back-tracked.
• National Review explained what it means, in a sharp editorial worth your time: "Instead of simply asking pertinent questions, or debunking the [New York] Post’s reporting, a media blackout was initiated. A number of well-known journalists warned colleagues and their sizable social-media audiences not to share the story."
VP Mike Pence to campaign for GOP Senate candidates in Georgia; Biden reportedly considering campaign trip too. "Pence will partake in a bus tour in the Peach State that includes two rallies. [...] The vice president's travel will mark the first instance of the White House throwing its weight behind Perdue and Loeffler in the elections that will determine control of the U.S. Senate." (The Hill) • VP Mike Pence will join Republican Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue on the campaign trail in Georgia on Friday for a bus tour and two rallies.
• Joe Biden will reportedly campaign in Georgia "closer to Election Day," which is January 5th for these races.
• Georgia will have two run-off races for Senate on January 5th. That will determine which party controls the Senate in 2021 and beyond. Right now, the split is 50 Republicans to 48 Democrats -- and any tie-breaking votes are cast by the Vice President.
• Georgia requires run-off elections when candidates don't get more than 50%.
On November 3rd, there were two Senate elections in Georgia: a regular election for incumbent Sen. Perdue (R-GA) and a special election for a seat held by Sen. Loeffler (R-GA), who was appointed by the Georgia governor in January.
Sen. Perdue won the November 3rd regular Senate election but was just shy of the 50% mark at 49.7%. Sen. Loeffler was second in the special election with 25.9% of the vote; the winner, Rev. Raphael Warnock, received 32.9%.
Bottom line: the top two finishers in both the regular and special Senate elections in Georgia go to run-offs on January 5th.
• Because control of the Senate is on the line, expect big spending -- and a lot of media coverage. One report estimates it could be up to $200 million among all four campaigns.
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