Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger will go into quarantine after his wife contracted coronavirus as the Peach State prepares to undertake a full hand recount of 2020 presidential election ballots.
In a statement to The Associated Press, Deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs said Tricia Raffensperger tested positive for the illness on Thursday. Raffensperger will get tested and then self-isolate as a precaution, the official added.
On Wednesday, Raffensperger announced that the state will conduct a “by-hand recount in each county.”
“At 1 p.m. today, I will make the official designation of which race will be the subject of the RLA [risk-limiting audit]. At that time, I will designate that the RLA will be the presidential race,” the Georgia secretary of state told reporters during a press conference. “With the margin being so close, it will require a full, by-hand recount in each county. This will help build confidence.”
“We have all worked hard to bring fair and accurate counts to ensure that the will of the voters is reflected in the final count and that every voter will have confidence in the outcome whether their candidate won or lost,” he added.
Raffensperger’s announcement came after Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) was tapped by the Trump campaign to lead its recount efforts. Collins requested a “full hand-count of every ballot cast in each and every county,” attributing the request to “widespread allegations of voter irregularities, issues with voting machines, and poll watcher access.”
As of Thursday, former Vice President Joe Biden leads by 14,000 votes over President Donald Trump.
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