Five GOP Senators to Watch in Next Month's Electoral College Fight; Georgia Officials Say Change to Laws Led to Reduced Ballot Rejection Rate, and related stories

Five GOP senators to watch in next month's Electoral College fight:

Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) is hunting for a Senate Republican to take part in his guaranteed-to-fail effort to overthrow the election results on Jan. 6.

The fight is emerging as a division point between Senate GOP leadership and President Trump.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is privately warning his caucus against objecting because it would force a high-profile vote that would not change the outcome, while Trump has publicly endorsed the effort and met with a group of conservative firebrands to plot strategy.

There’s no chance Republicans backing Trump will be able to block the results when Congress formally counts the Electoral College votes on Jan. 6, with Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) predicting it will “go down like a shot dog” in the upper chamber.

In order for Congress to contest a state’s election results, majorities in both chambers would have to vote to uphold the objection, something that has never happened.

But Brooks needs only one GOP senator to side with him to force a debate and vote on any objection. If he’s successful, it would be the third time Congress has had to debate an objection since 1887, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Here are the five Senate Republicans to watch in the Electoral College fight. --->READ MORE HERE

Associated Press

Georgia officials say change to laws led to reduced ballot rejection rate:

President Trump is citing a dramatically lower rejection rate for mail-in ballots in Georgia in 2020 compared to 2016 and 2018 as evidence of widespread voter fraud, but state officials say fewer ballots were tossed this year because of changes to election laws, not because of cheating.

The rate of mail-in ballots rejected for errors, such as a missed deadline or use of an incorrect return envelope, plummeted from 6.4% in 2016 to 3.1% in 2018 to 0.6% in this year’s Nov. 3 election, according to state records.

Georgia election officials said changes in their election laws since 2018 account for the lower rate of discarded ballots.

Other battleground states also saw significant declines in rejection rates.

In Nevada, the rejection rate rose from 1.6% in 2016 to 2.05% in 2018 and then dropped to 0.58% in 2020.

In Pennsylvania, the rejection rate for mail-in ballots soared from 0.95% in 2016 to 2.85% in 2018 and then crashed to 0.28% this year, according to data compiled by the U.S. Elections Project, an information source founded by University of Florida professor Michael McDonald.

Not all official state numbers have been published. The projected trend of decreases, however, shows the drop could have changed the outcomes in close races such as in Georgia, where President-elect Joseph R. Biden beat Mr. Trump by about 10,000 votes. --->READ MORE HERE

Follow links below to related stories and opinions:

Questionable videos of ballot counters dismissed as innocent behavior -- not misconduct: Officials

Michigan AG Dana Nessel Pursues Legal Sanctions Against Lawyers Questioning Election

Some Republicans plan to challenge Biden's Electoral College victory. Here's what happened when Democrats challenged Bush

Trump Slams 'Totally Incompetent and Weak' SCOTUS, Claims It Refused To See Election Fraud Proof

Trump announces Georgia rally next week

GOP Rep. predicts 'chaos' when Congress certifies electoral college count

Trump's minority outreach laid groundwork for expansion of Republican base, pollster says

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