DOJ to Monitor Voting in Georgia During Runoff Election

(Left) Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) gives a speech at his Election night party at Atlanta Marriott Marquis in Atlanta on Nov. 8, 2022. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images); (Right) Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker speaks to supporters during an election night event in Atlanta on Nov. 8, 2022. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

As Georgians head to the polls again on Dec. 6 to decide who will claim the last U.S. Senate seat, the Justice Department (DOJ) will be monitoring the polls in four counties for compliance with federal voting laws.

“For this election, the Civil Rights Division will monitor for compliance with the federal voting rights laws on Election Day in four jurisdictions: Cobb County, Fulton County, Gwinnett County and Macon-Bibb County,” the department announced in a Tuesday press release. “Monitors will include personnel from the Civil Rights Division and from the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices.”

The DOJ Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section enforces federal voting laws, including the Voting Rights Act, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act, and the Civil Rights Acts.

The statement did not elaborate on why those specific counties were chosen for monitoring, though three of the four—Cobb, Fulton, and Gwinnett—were among those the DOJ monitored during last month’s election.

On Nov. 8, neither Democrat Sen. Raphael Warnock nor Republican challenger Herschel Walker was able to secure a majority of the vote, forcing Tuesday’s runoff. With the current balance of power in the Senate favoring Democrats 50–49, a Warnock win would gift Democrats a razor-thin majority. Yet, in the event of a 50–50 split, Democrats would still have the crucial tie-breaking vote of Vice President Kamala Harris on their side.

Nonetheless, given that some senators like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) do not always vote along party lines, one vote could make all the difference—a fact former President Barack Obama stressed while stumping for Warnock on Dec. 1 in Atlanta.

“An extra senator gives Democrats more breathing room on important bills,” Obama noted. “It prevents one person from holding up everything and puts us in a better position.”

While encouraging voters to support Warnock, the 44^th president also took the opportunity to slam Walker, contending that he did not have “the competence or the character or the track record of service that would justify his representing Georgia in the United States Senate.”

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump, who endorsed Walker, urged his supporters to go out and vote for the former Georgia Bulldogs and NFL running back.

“To the Great State of Georgia, Get Out and Vote for the WONDERFUL Herschel Walker TOMORROW,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday. “Herschel was a fantastic Athlete, and he will be an even greater United States Senator! To all MAGA Voters, that is, people that want to Make America Great Again and Put America First, tomorrow is a big day. Vote for Herschel!”

On Nov. 7, Warnock netted 49.4 percent of the vote compared to Walker’s 48.5 percent, but heading into Tuesday’s election, the Real Clear Politics average indicated Warnock might have expanded his lead, holding a 3.7 percent edge.