About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 31, 2020)
4A Thursday, December 31,2020 The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com LOCAL LAWSUIT ■ Continued from 1A Miller said he has been served with the suit, which also names Gov. Brian Kemp and Speaker of the House David Ralston. The Gainesville senator, who serves as the presi dent pro tempore of the Georgia Senate, said he and his fellow elected officials were sued in their official capacity and not as a reflec tion on any actions they have taken related to the election. “It’s our longstanding precedent to not comment on pending litigation,” Kemp’s director of communications Cody Hall wrote in an email. Miller said he expected the case “to be resolved in due course.” Erick Kaardal, the plaintiffs’ attorney and special counsel for Amistad Project of Thomas More Society, did not return a call for comment Wednesday, Dec. 30. Bryan Sells, an Atlanta lawyer who spe cializes in voting rights, election law and redistricting, said he put the chances of the lawsuit succeeding at less than 1 %. “It’s hard for me to conceive of a remedy that the federal court could order here,” Sells said. Sells said it would be unlikely for the law suit to be served on all of the defendants before Congress meets next week. In a section concerning Georgia voter practices, the lawsuit claimed the Georgia Secretary of State entered a compromise settlement agreement with the Democratic Party of Georgia in March that materially changed “the statutory requirements for reviewing signatures on absentee ballot envelopes to confirm the voter’s identity by making it far more difficult to challenge defective signatures beyond the express mandatory procedures.” The lawsuit also alleges these changes have not been ratified into law. “I don’t think that the consent decree conflicts with Georgia law or is outside the power that the General Assembly has given to the Secretary of State,” Sells said. Sells said, however, “to the extent that the legislators are claiming that they were denied their constitutional role, they might have standing that a voter would not. ” The Associated Press contributed to this report. PARK ■ Continued from 1A Like Murrayville, Platt Park and others closed due to recession-era budget cuts. Rafe Banks Park, which closed at that time, has since been taken over by the city of Lula. Plans to reopen Tad- more Park in East Hall, are still in the works, Ruffner said. The county’s new Fire Station No. 1, which broke ground in November, will be at that property. Photos by SCOTT ROGERS I The Times Above: Crews rake smooth the soil around a restroom Wednesday, Dec. 30, at Murrayville Park. Hall County hopes to reopen Murrayville Park in the spring after it closed during the recession due to county budget cuts. Left: Grass seed is ready to be planted as crews prepare the soil at the park. a Apartments FOR RENT RPC Partners 2 Bedim Apartments Gainesville, Oakwood & Flowery Branch $ 300 Move in Special Plus Deposit 770-654-2807 FRAUD ■ Continued from 1A Raffensperger has said. Before submitting an absentee ballot, a voter must sign an oath on an outer envelope. When county election offi cials receive an absentee ballot, they must compare the sig nature to the absentee ballot application if one exists and to the signature on file. The signatures must be consistent but don’t have to match exactly, Raffensperger has said. If the signature doesn’t match, the voter is notified and can take other steps to verify identity. If the signature does match, the ballot is separated from the envelope to protect the right to ballot secrecy guaranteed by Georgia law. NOW HIRING Off-Road Truck Drivers, Scraper Operators, and CDL Drivers/Heavy Equipment Operator Competitive pay, Great Benefits (401 k, Health Ins., Vacation) Apply in Person 1364 Candler Rd. 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