Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has said a “clerical error” in the state does not “erase valid, legal votes,” responding to renewed scrutiny of Georgia’s 2020 election results, which former President Donald Trump has repeatedly and falsely claimed was “stolen” from him.

Earlier this month, Fulton County acknowledged before the Georgia State Election Board that more than 130 tabulator tapes from the 2020 election were not signed, a lapse officials said involved about 315,000 ballots and which brought renewed scrutiny and questioning of the results even though multiple audits, including a hand count, affirmed the results.

Newsweek has reached out to Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts for comment via email on Wednesday.

Why It Matters

Trump and his allies have consistently claimed, without evidence of widespread voter fraud, that the 2020 election was stolen and that former President Joe Biden did not win in Georgia and other states.

In early January 2021, ahead of Biden taking office, Trump infamously called Raffensperger, a Republican, asking him to help “find” enough votes to overturn the election. Biden won the 2020 election with 306 electoral votes to Trump’s 232, and even if Georgia was flipped for Trump, Biden still would have won the election.

There have been multiple audits, recounts and investigations into Georgia’s 2020 election, including a statewide hand recount and audit that confirmed the original results, as well as reviews by state officials and election boards addressing procedural errors and fraud allegations.

What To Know

Earlier this month, Fulton County attorney Ann Brumbaugh told the Georgia State Election Board that the county “does not dispute that the tapes were not signed,” calling the missing signatures “a violation of the rule.”

Georgia state Rule 183-1-12-.12 states that after polls close, and in order to tabulate results, “the poll manager and the two witnesses shall cause each ballot scanner to print three tapes of the tabulated results and shall sign each tape indicating that it is a true and correct copy of the tape produced by the ballot scanner.” This was not properly done for more than 130 tapes, which accounts for around 315,000 votes.

However, the lack of signature does not negate the ballots, and they have been recounted multiple times to verify results.

In a Saturday X post, Raffensperger reiterated this, writing “all voters were verified with photo ID and lawfully cast their ballots.” He continued, “A clerical error at the end of the day does not erase valid, legal votes.”

ATHENS — Georgia does plenty of things well. It’s a big reason the Bulldogs are in the College Football Playoff after a 12-1 season that saw Georgia win the SEC.

But Georgia is not a perfect team. Like all eight remaining teams in the College Football Playoff, it has flaws.

And the biggest one, per ESPN’s Mark Schlabach, comes on the offensive line.

“Georgia’s offensive line struggled early but improved throughout the season once key players returned from injury,” Schlabach wrote. “Then the Bulldogs lost starting center Drew Bobo to a foot injury in their 16-9 victory against Georgia Tech in the regular-season finale. Bobo, whose father is Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, will miss the CFP because of the injury.”

Bobo did not play against Alabama, as he was on a scooter during the 28-7 win. Malachi Toliver filled in for Bobo, playing well in Bobo’s absence.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart was asked about the status of Bobo specifically on Monday when speaking to reporters.

“Yeah, I’m optimistic we get all those guys back,” Smart said. “We’re hopeful to get those guys back and get them back recovered, get them going. They’re good football players, and they’re going to help us. We’re hopeful to get a lot of those guys back, and we’ve got guys dinged up from the practices we’ve had, too.”

Even with all the injuries — Georgia started six different offensive line combinations in its first six games of the season — Bobo had been a stabilizing force for the group.

Bobo was a second-team All-American selection by the AFCA this year for his play. Without him, questions exist as to whether Georgia will be able to match up with some of the more physical defensive units. Should Georgia beat Ole Miss, the Bulldogs would face the winner of Miami-Ohio State.

“Georgia’s offensive line ended up being among the better ones in the SEC. The team ranked third in the league in sacks allowed (18) and fifth in rushing (186.6 yards) after struggling mightily to run the ball in 2024,” Schlabach wrote. “How well will the line hold up if the Bulldogs end up playing a menacing defensive front such as Miami’s or Texas Tech’s?”

Georgia’s offensive line played well in its first game against Ole Miss, as the Bulldogs rushed for 221 yards and scored 43 points in the win over the Rebels. Georgia did not punt once in the win.

The offensive line will once again need to be sharp if the Bulldogs are to go on a deep playoff run. In last year’s Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame, Georgia’s offensive line struggled mightily. The Bulldogs had just 62 rushing yards in the 23-10 loss, while Gunner Stockton was sacked 4.0 times.

We will have to wait a little while longer to see how Georgia’s offensive line holds up, as the Bulldogs will face Ole Miss on Jan. 1. The game is set for an 8 p.m. ET start on ESPN.