The Georgia Secretary of State’s office this week finalized the names appearing on the Georgia general election ballot for U.S. President.
That’s the first time that more than four candidates have qualified for the Georgia presidential ballot since 1948.
Georgia figures to be a swing state again as the race between the two leading party candidates is polling closely, following their recent political conventions.
In addition to Democratic Party nominee Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump, two third-party candidates qualified, as did two independent candidates.
Chase Oliver of Atlanta is the Libertarian Party candidate, while Jill Stein qualified for the third time to head the Green Party ticket.
The independent candidates are Cornel West, a longtime professor, author and political activist, and Claudia de la Cruz, a political organizer and pastor from New York.
The latter is officially with the Party for Socialism and Liberation but qualified as an independent. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger overruled a state administrative court ruling that denied her, Stein and West Georgia ballot access, according to the AP.
The administrative law judge had ruled that third-party and independent candidates should be left off the Georgia ballot, following challenges from Democratic interests. All but Oliver are on the political left, and in 2020 Georgia’s presidential race was one of the closest in the country.
Democrat Joe Biden was declared the winner by fewer than 12,000 votes, but Trump—who edged out Hillary Clinton in Georgia in 2016—and his supporters have been claiming election fraud ever since.
Trump and 18 others were indicted in Fulton County earlier this year for allegedly trying to overturn the Georgia results. While some have pleaded guilty or negotiated other pleas, Trump has been able to delay that prosecution by trying to get Fulton County District Attorney disqualified.
Those proceedings have been put on hold, until likely after the election, by the Georgia Court of Appeals.
Another candidate who had been attempting to qualify was Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who was running as an independent after leaving the Democratic primary races.
But he dropped out of the race last week and endorsed Trump.
Under Georgia law, Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians automatically qualify for the presidential ballot.
In 2020, Cobb voters gave Biden a majority of the vote, while Trump won a slim majority of the precincts in East Cobb.
Harris, the sitting vice president who was nominated by the Democrats when Biden declined to seek re-election, appeared in Savannah this week with her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, also have appeared in Georgia since the Republican convention in July.
Current polls have Harris and Trump in a tight race in Georgia, which has 16 electoral votes.
Georgia will send out military and overseas ballots starting Sept. 17; advance voting begins Oct. 15 for the Nov. 5 elections.
Campaign websites:
Related:
- Cobb adopts state electoral maps; Richardson in limbo
- Cobb commissioners feud over resolving electoral map dispute
- Cobb may consider vacating District 2 commission seat
- Cobb judge upholds decision to call special elections
- Absentee ballot request period for Cobb, Ga. underway
- MORE: Visit the East Cobb News Politics & Elections Page
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You mean like trying to charge two women in Fulton with a crime they didn’t commit?
You mean like asking Brad R to “find” 12,000 votes?
Seriously, Jim. Just stop. You and your ilk have lost the plot. You probably think Rudy Giuliani is a great man.
Signed,
Your son
Rudy Giuliani is a great man who has been railroaded.
I hope he can get out of paying these two grifters.
You bring shame to the Turner family name.
I wonder what shenanigans the Democrats have planned for Fulton on election night.
I hope we have vigilant poll watchers out in Cobb too!
Cheating and fraud means nothing to Democrats.
To them, the ends justifies the means.
They are going to try to get away with fraud again.
Do we have the necessary safeguards in place?