Georgia judge denies GOP lawsuit over 24-hour ballot drop boxes

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Loeffler, Perdue will see ‘huge turnout’ in Georgia Senate runoffs: Alyssa Farah

Georgia GOP senior adviser Alyssa Farah says the party is ‘feeling optimistic’ ahead of the Jan. 5 races.

A Georgia judge on Thursday rejected a Republican Party lawsuit seeking to limit ballot drop box hours ahead of the crucial Senate runoffs next month.

Superior Court Judge Kimberly Esmond Adams dismissed the suit after an online court hearing.

The ruling allows voters to continue using drop boxes 24 hours a day -- under video surveillance -- until the polls close on Jan 5, according to the Atlantic Journal-Constitution.

Lawyers for the Republican National Committee and Georgia GOP argued that drop boxes should be limited to the same hours as county election offices.

TURNOUT IN GEORGIA SENATE RUNOFF SURGES PAST 2M VOTES

All eyes are on the Peach State for the runoffs between Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., and Democratic challenger Rev. Raphael Warnock, and Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., and Democrat Jon Ossoff.

The races will decide which party controls the Senate. If the Democrats win both, they will take the chamber -- meaning the Democrats will have control of both chambers of Congress and the White House. But if Republicans can win just one of the two races, they will remain in control.

POLITICAL SUPPORTERS TURNED 'PORCH PIRATES' IN GEORGIA SENATE RACE

As a number of Republicans, including President Trump, continue to cast doubts on the results of the November presidential election -- including how it played out in Georgia -- they have turned their attention to the rules regarding the Jan. 5 vote.

They have filed a number of lawsuits in Georgia challenging the results and vote-counting procedures, leading to a string of defeats in court.

As of Thursday, more than 2 million Georgians have cast their votes in the runoffs -- more than a quarter (26.7%) of all registered voters.

More than 1.3 million cast ballots through early in-person voting at polling stations that have been open for a week and a half, with more than 720,000 casting absentee ballots.

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A record 4.9 million voters in the state cast ballots in the general election.

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.