Voting Rights Organizations Insist “Every Vote Must Be Counted”
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CONTACT: Adam Sweat
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Voting Rights Organizations Insist “Every Vote Must Be Counted”
November 4, 2020 (ATLANTA, GA) – As the nation awaits the final results of the presidential election, a coalition of Georgia based civic engagement and voting rights organizations are urging election officials to continue counting ballots until every vote is counted. “In what has been an unprecedented year, from the global outbreak of COVID-19 to a series of natural disasters and economic recession, we must show that our democracy can withstand even the greatest challenges,” said Helen Butler, Executive Director for the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda. “All voices matter and every vote must be counted.”
Counties continue to count absentee ballots and early votes, as well as provisional ballots issued amid technical difficulties at several polling locations on Election Day. “It is not lost on us that this election marked the first time in more than two decades that Georgia is considered an actual battleground state,” said Jerry Gonzales, CEO of GALEO. “In roughly that same period of time, we have increased the population of registered Hispanic voters by 2,560%! Now more than ever, our people need to appreciate just how much their voices and votes do, in fact, matter. That only happens by counting every vote.”
Stephanie Cho, Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Atlanta, echoed this sentiment. “Issues of diversity, inclusion, and representation were all on the ballot this election, and Georgia voters have the right to make sure that our representatives reflect our values and are committed to improving our communities. The will of the people will only be fully expressed,” she said, “if all votes are counted.
All of the leaders, whose organizations are part of the Georgia Votes collaborative, have a common message: the process is working and we must give election officials the time and space to safely and adequately count and process all votes.
About Georgia Votes
Georgia Votes is a bold, trusted, and diverse collaborative that champions an equitable and inclusive democracy, for and with traditionally underrepresented communities.