GOP recruits 4,000 poll watchers for 'most aggressive ballot security operation in Georgia history'

EXCLUSIVE: Republicans in Georgia have recruited more than 4,000 volunteers to serve as poll watchers during the state's early voting period ahead of the Jan. 5 Senate runoffs, part of what they call the “largest and most aggressive” ballot security operation in the state’s history.

That's more than the number of volunteers who signed up during the general election, and the most in the state's history, a Georgia GOP official told Fox News.

The official told Fox News that the state party will have “regular trainings for poll workers” leading up to Jan. 5.

The official also said the state party is “doing everything in our power” to ensure that there is “transparency” surrounding signature matching on absentee ballots.

Georgia Republican Party Chairman David Shafer, this month, sent a letter to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger requesting that he allow the state party to monitor all absentee ballot signature matching in all counties. The request comes after the Georgia GOP, senators and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp have requested an audit of the signatures on absentee envelopes from the Nov. 3 general election.

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The Republican National Committee, Georgia’s state Republican Party, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee have sent thousands of staffers and volunteers to the Peach State ahead of next month’s Senate runoffs, and has committed to spending at least $20 million in the state in support of GOP Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler in an effort to “ensure the runoff elections are safe and secure and that every legal vote is counted.”

“Georgia Republicans are building the largest and most aggressive ballot security operation in Georgia history,” Shafer told Fox News. “We have filed lawsuits to make sure that there are eyes on every part of the election process that is legally open to the public.”

Shafer said that Republicans will “fight to count every lawful vote and reject every unlawful vote.”

“It is imperative that every Georgian concerned about election integrity vote in the January 5 runoff election,” Shafer said.

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Meanwhile, Republicans in the state are working to ensure that drop box locations for ballots are monitored, demanding footage from all drop box locations be provided to the Republican Party daily.

“We have sent open records requests to counties asking for their footage,” the official said.

The RNC on Tuesday filed a lawsuit to ensure Georgia election law is “properly followed” ahead of the Jan. 5 Senate runoff elections, demanding access for GOP poll watchers and more restrictions around the use of ballot drop boxes.

The RNC lawsuit, first obtained by Fox News, seeks enforcement of “two vital facets of the Georgia Election Code governing the rights of duly appointed poll watchers and statutory safeguards attending the use of ballot ‘drop boxes’ as a method of absentee voting.”

The RNC argued that during the Nov. 3 general election and the subsequent recounts in Georgia, “the legal right of political party committees to appoint poll watchers to observe the process was abridged in numerous polling and tabulation locations" across the state.

“Upon information and belief, the same or substantially similar unlawful practices will resume in connection with the imminent January 5, 2021 runoff election,” the RNC’s lawsuit claims, adding that Georgia election officials are “statutorily required to ensure that county and municipal superintendents and registrars are properly and lawfully instructed on the rights of poll watchers and do not implement policies or procedures that impair their ability to fully and meaningfully observe the election process.”

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Additionally, the RNC’s suit demands that Georgia clarify rules made by the Georgia State Election Board to ensure drop boxes are properly secured and surveilled, arguing that laws pertaining to those drop boxes were not properly followed during the general election last month.

The RNC claimed that, in April, Georgia’s State Election Board promoted the “Drop Box Rule,” which authorizes the county registrars to “establish one or more drop box locations as a means for absentee by mail electors to deliver their ballots to the county registrars.”

“The Drop Box Rule further mandates continuous video recording surveillance of every drop box location,” the suit states.

The RNC argued that they are “entitled to access or view video surveillance of drop box locations in real time, or as near real time as practicable.”

The suit also demands that the Georgia Secretary of State's Office prepare and distribute materials and guidance instructing the continuous video surveillance of all drop box locations.

Meanwhile, the Georgia GOP official told Fox News they are investigating several left-leaning groups to determine if there is any wrongdoing or potential for litigation, and monitoring investigations into several left-leaning organizations and “their questionable activities to determine if further legal action is warranted.”

Earlier this month, Raffensperger launched investigations into several groups, including one founded by former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, for seeking to “aggressively” register “ineligible, out-of-state, or deceased voters” before the runoff elections.

Raffensperger for weeks has issued warnings against efforts to register individuals who are ineligible to vote in Georgia’s runoff elections or to encourage people to come to Georgia with the sole purpose of casting ballots.

The official also told Fox News that they are working to ensure people are “not moving to Georgia and registering to vote with the sole intention of voting in the runoff.”

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“We are closely monitoring new voter registration information and cross-checking it against the national file,” the official said. “We will aggressively pursue and request all relevant authorities to prosecute any individual who moves here with the sole intent to vote in the runoffs.”

The current balance of power for the next Senate coming out of this month’s elections is 50 Republicans and 48 Democrats. That means Democrats must win both of Georgia’s runoff elections to make it a 50-50 Senate. If that occurs, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would be the tie-breaking vote, giving her party a razor-thin majority in the chamber.

In Georgia, where state law dictates a runoff if no candidate reaches 50% of the vote, GOP Sen. David Perdue narrowly missed avoiding a runoff, winning 49.75% of the vote. Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff trailed by roughly 87,000 votes.

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In the other race, appointed Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler captured nearly 26% of the vote in a whopping 20-candidate special election to fill the final two years of the term of former GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson. The Democratic candidate in the runoff, Rev. Raphael Warnock, won nearly 33% of the vote in the first round.