Georgia judge says counties can offer early voting on Saturday after thanksgiving

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Georgia Secretary of State weighs in on Senate runoff

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger discusses Georgia’s runoff election plans and policies, weighing in on what the future of the GOP may look like.

A judge in Georgia ruled that counties can offer early voting on the Saturday after Thanksgiving for the U.S. Senate runoff election on Dec. 6.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Thomas A. Cox Jr. made the decision after hearing arguments on Friday, according to FOX 5. 

Sen. Raphael Warnock's campaign, the Democratic Party of Georgia, and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, all sued the State of Georgia, arguing that Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger "misreads" and "cherry-picks" the state's election law.

The plaintiffs state in their lawsuit that the state ban on opening election sites after a holiday applies to general elections and primaries, not runoffs. Democrat Sen. Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker will be on the ballot in December's runoff election.

"Based on the Court’s ruling, counties may provide advance voting on Saturday, November 26, 2022. Further, Defendant is hereby enjoined from interfering in efforts by counties to provide for advance voting on Saturday, November 26, 2022," Cox Jr. wrote in his opinion.

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Democratic Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock, who also serves as the head pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, speaks from the pulpit. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

In a statement following the decision, Raffensperger said that Warnock and Democrats are attempting to change election laws in the state.

"Senator Warnock and his Democratic Party allies are seeking to change Georgia law right before an election based on their political preferences," Raffensperger said. "Instead of muddying the water and pressuring counties to ignore Georgia law, Senator Warnock should be allowing county election officials to continue preparations for the upcoming runoff."

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Senate candidate Herschel Walker speaks during his campaign rally in Newton, Ga., on Friday, Nov. 4, 2022. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc )

Warnock's campaign and the state Democratic Party said in a statement that the decision is a win for voters.

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U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) speaks at a campaign rally at the Tubman Museum on November 17, 2022, in Macon, Georgia. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

"Allowing for Saturday early voting is a win for every Georgia voter, but especially for workers and students who will have a greater opportunity to make their voices heard in this election. We look forward to counties announcing that they will provide Georgians the opportunity to cast their ballots on Saturday, November 26th," the statement reads.