About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 8, 2020)
4A Tuesday, December 8, 2020 The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com LOCA^STATE Georgia again certifies election results showing Biden won BY KATE BRUMBACK Associated Press ATLANTA — Georgia’s top elections official on Monday recertified the state’s election results after a recount requested by President Donald Trump con firmed once again that Democrat Joe Biden won the state, his office said. “We have now counted legally cast ballots three times, and the results remain unchanged,” Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said during a news con ference at the state Capitol before the results were recertified. Georgia law allows a losing candidate to request a recount if the margin between the candidates is within 0.5%. Trump requested the recount after the results certified by Raffensperger showed that Biden led by a margin of 12,670 votes, or 0.25% of the roughly 5 mil lion ballots cast. During the recount, which was done using scanners that read and tally the votes, there were discrepancies in vote totals in some counties. Since the results of a recount become the official results, those counties had to recertify their results. Once that was done the secre tary of state recertified the statewide results, his office said in a news release. Next, the governor will have to recertify the state’s slate of 16 presidential electors. A spokesman for Repub lican Gov. Brian Kemp did not immediately respond to a phone call and text message asking when the governor planned to do that. Tuesday is the federal “safe harbor” deadline — electors named by that date in accordance with state law cannot be disregarded by Congress. The recount was the third tally of votes in the presidential race in the state. After the initial count following Election Day, Raffensperger selected the presidential race for an audit required by state law. The tight margin meant the audit required the roughly 5 million votes in that contest to be recounted by hand, he said. That count also affirmed Biden’s victory. The total number of votes in the recount results cer tified Monday and posted on the secretary of state’s website was 766 fewer than the number certified when the ballots were first tallied after the election. Biden’s lead dropped from 12,670 to 11,779. That appears to be largely due to a discrepancy in Fulton County, the state’s most populous county that includes most of Atlanta. Fulton County’s recount results showed 880 fewer votes than the results certified after election night, with an overwhelming majority of those votes coming from Biden’s total in the county. Gabriel Sterling, who oversaw the implementation of the state’s new voting system, called the discrepancy in the county “a little worrisome” but said it’s a big county that’s had mana gerial issues. He also noted the difference isn’t enough to change the overall outcome of the election. Also Monday, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed on behalf of would-be Republican presidential electors by former Trump lawyer Sidney Powell. The suit alleged widespread fraud and sought to decertify the results of the presidential race in Georgia, among other things. In the lawsuit, “the plaintiffs essentially ask the court for perhaps the most extraordinary relief ever sought in any federal court in connection with an elec tion. They want this court to substitute its judgment for that of 2 and a half million Georgia voters who voted for Joe Biden and this I am unwilling to do,” U.S. Dis trict Judge Timothy Batten as he dismissed the suit fol lowing a hearing. Separately, an election challenge filed Friday by Trump, his campaign and Georgia Republican Party Chairman David Shafer was rejected by the Fulton County Superior Court because the paperwork was improperly completed and it lacked the appropriate filing fees. Even as lawsuits filed by Trump and his allies have been rejected around the country, the president has con tinued to make repeated baseless claims of widespread fraud. In Georgia, he has rained criticism on Raffens perger and Kemp, both fellow Republicans. Raffens perger, meanwhile, has been steadfast in his defense of the integrity of the election in the state and Kemp has said he has no power to intervene in elections. “I know there are people that are convinced the election was fraught with problems, but the evidence, the actual evidence, the facts tell us a different story,” Raffensperger said during the news conference Monday. Hours before coming to Georgia for a rally Saturday night, Trump called Kemp and asked him to call a spe cial legislative session. The governor declined. In a tweet Sunday, Trump criticized Kemp and Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan for inaction and again called for a special session. After four Republican state lawmakers on Sunday also requested a special session, Kemp and Duncan put out a statement saying that convening a special session to select a different slate of presidential electors would not be allowed under state or federal law. Signature Auction taking place of Junior League’s annual Charity Ball Image courtesy Junior League of Gainesville-Hall County The Junior League of Gainesville-Hall County has canceled its Charity Ball and will instead hold a silent auction from Wednesday, Dec. 9 to Saturday, Dec. 12. Signature Auction What: Silent and live auction fundraiser to benefit the Junior League of Gainesville-Hall County’s programs and its signature grant When: Silent auction, noon Wednesday, Dec. 9 until 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12; live auction, 6-7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. Where: Silent auction and raffles, one.bidpal.net/signature2020; live auction, the nonprofit’s Facebook page More info: one.bidpal.net/signature2020, charityball.jlgh@gmail.com BY KELSEY P0D0 kpodo@gainesvilletimes.com No Belle of the Ball will be crowned this year, as the Junior League of Gainesville-Hall County has canceled its annual Charity Ball because of the pandemic. Instead of hosting a large gathering with members of the community, the organization has switched gears with its biggest fundraising tradition of nearly 70 years and will instead hold an online “Signature Auction.” The online silent auction will begin at noon on Wednesday, Dec. 9 and close 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. Carli Jones, co-chair of the event, said a live auction will take place 6-7 p.m. Saturday, on the nonprofit’s Facebook page, to highlight some of the “big ticket items” and encourage people to squeeze in last-minute bids. The Junior League will also hold a raffle, and winners will be drawn dur ing the live auction. Jones said individuals, businesses and groups in Hall County donated items for the auction, including a Big Green Egg, a KitchenAid 24-inch wine cellar and a seven-night stay in Man- ciano, Italy. People can place their bids and view the auction and raffle items by visiting one.bidpal.net/signature2020. “We just hope it exceeds everyone’s expectations,” Jones said. “I appreci ate, and I know the rest of the Junior League appreciates, everyone’s sup port during this unprecedented time.” Angie Kennedy, Junior League’s president, said every five years the nonprofit awards a “signature grant” to a different charity in the commu nity. During this year’s Signature Auc tion, she said, a portion of the money raised will go to the 2021 grant recipi ent, as well as the Junior League’s vari ous programs, like the Diaper Bank of North Georgia — which provides free diapers to families in need — and Done in a Day projects that help local nonprofits. Applications have already closed for the signature grant. The recipient has yet to be announced. Kennedy said the nonprofit aims to donate more than $50,000 for the grant, which has been collected through fun draising efforts, including the Charity Ball, over the past five years. “I think everyone can agree that 2020 has been a challenging year in all aspects,” Kennedy said. “I’ve been really impressed with the Junior League members and how they’ve taken these challenges and turned them into opportunities.” For questions about the virtual auc tion event, email the Junior League at charityball.jlgh@gmail.com. Humane Society of Northeast Georgia announces its new executive director BY KELSEY P0D0 kpodo@gainesvilletimes.com The hunt is over, and the Humane Society of Northeast Georgia has found its new top dog. The nonprofit has named Alli son Mayfield as its executive director to lead the 107-year-old organization. Her first day will begin on Monday, Jan. 4, 2021, according to a news release from the organization. The position opened after Julie Edwards’ departure from executive director in late July 2020. The nonprofit hired The Chason Group, a third party, to help them look for applicants fit for the role. After review and a series of interviews, May- field was selected by a commit tee made of nine members. Mayfield serves as the chief development officer of the Brigade Boys & Girls Club, an after-school youth develop ment organization, located in Wilmington, North Carolina. She has also worked as the executive director of the Salva tion Army Boys and Girls Club in Aiken, South Carolina, outreach director of Seacoast Church in Charleston and the executive director of Maia Moms — a transitional home for homeless single mothers. Mayfield plans to move to Gainesville with her two adopted dogs, Piper and Penelope. “First and foremost, I am a lover of animals,” she said in the release. “I am excited to bring my experience in non profit leadership to the Humane Soci ety and at the same time be a part of a cause that I have passion for.” Mayfield Atlanta-area county hit for cutting early voting locations Associated Press MARIETTA — One of Atlanta’s larg est suburban counties is under fire for cutting its number of early voting loca tions for Georgia’s twin U.S. Senate runoffs. But Cobb County’s elections direc tor says the county is only opening five locations, down from 11 before the November general election, because the county can’t find experienced poll workers willing to work during the early voting period, which coincides with Christmas. Speaking to the county’s Board of Elections last week, Elections Director Janine Eveler said “it really wasn’t our intention to drop back quite that much because we have two high profile Sen ate races.” “Our hands were sort of forced,” the Marietta Daily Journal reported she said, noting people quit or refused to work long hours over the holidays. “This was as much as we could staff,” she said. Early voting begins statewide on Dec. 14 and ends Dec. 30 or Dec. 31 in most counties. The state also offers mail-in ballots and people can vote in person at their regularly assigned precinct on Jan. 5. In the November election, Democrats dominated mail- in balloting, while Republicans won early in person voting and election day voting. Republican U.S. Sen. David Perdue is being challenged by Democrat Jon Ossoff, while Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler is being challenged by Democrat Raphael Warnock. If Democrats win both races, they would control a tied U.S. Senate because Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris would cast the tie-breaking vote. Republicans will maintain con trol of the Senate if they win even one race. Ossoff and Warnock on Monday in a joint statement called the move “unacceptable.” “This plan will result in longer lines, longer wait times and more barriers to the basic right of casting a ballot,” the two said. “It’s especially disturbing that the voters who stand to be impacted the most are people of color. Cobb County must change course and restore the 11 early voting locations so that Georgians can participate in this critically impor tant election.” On Monday, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and five other groups sent a letter to Cobb County officials saying the closures would disproportionately hurt Black and Latino voters because some loca tions were in neighborhoods where those voters live. The groups said they would help recruit and train poll workers in response to Eveler’s concerns. Cobb County, with more than 750,000, is the third-most populous county in Georgia. Long a Republi can stronghold, it is trending Demo cratic, with Joe Biden carrying 56% of the vote in the county, and Demo crats taking control of many local offices. The state’s other three most populous counties told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that they will maintain the same number of polling places. Counties are only required to hold early voting at their main elec tions office during normal business hours and on one Saturday. Addi tional sites and longer hours are optional. BUTLER ■ Continued from 1A got an eye fixed on Washington, D.C., and the congressional debate over a COVID-19 relief package. “Georgia actually has done a very good job getting our economy back on track,” he said. “The thing is we don’t know what (Congress) is going to pass next. Is it some thing that actually helps or is it going to be a hindrance?” Butler said he has spent a lot of time on Zoom video calls “with congressional staff in the last six to eight months and begged and pleaded with them not to do X, Y and Z because of what it’s going to do... and I don’t really know if I’ve made any headway.” He said that after Congress passed the CARES Act earlier this year to provide eco nomic stimulus, including additional unem ployment payments, the onus was on the states to roll out benefits. He particularly noted the Pandemic Unemployment Assis tance aimed at self-employed and gig work ers — people who wouldn’t normally qualify for unemployment. “The reason it was so difficult is that these are people who never paid into the unemployment system,” Butler said. “We had no information on any of these people, so we had to come up with a way to gather SCOTT ROGERS I The Times Georgia Department of Labor Commissioner Mark Butler speaks Monday, Dec, 7, at the Gainesville Civic Center during the Rotary Club of Gainesville’s luncheon. all this stuff from them... and come up with an unemployment amount based on what they’re sending us. ... We had a couple of weeks (to pull it off).” Have a message for someone special this Christmas? Let us help! We will place your message in our December 23 issue. Small Ornaments $50 (50 word limit) Large Ornaments $100 (100 word Limit) Reserve your space by December 18 email Mlewis@gainesvilletimes.com or call 770-535-6371
