Former Georgia SOS Says Raffensperger Should Recuse Himself From Voting Hearings
![](https://www.wabe.org/app/uploads/2020/09/BradRaffensperger.080720-e1596820446204.jpg)
Former Georgia Secretary of State Cathy Cox says the current secretary of state should not take part in hearings into the 1,000 voters suspected of casting two ballots in the June primaries.
Russ Bynum / Associated Press file
Former Georgia Secretary of State Cathy Cox says the current holder of that office should not take part in hearings into the 1,000 voters suspected of casting two ballots in the June primaries.
At a news conference Tuesday, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said those voters “knew what they were doing” — even as he admitted that investigations into their actions hadn’t concluded yet.
Cox, a Democrat, says that amounts to a pre-judgment. “I presume from the start that the secretary of state would appropriately recuse himself from sitting as a member of the state election board when those matters get to the state election board for evaluation.”
Cox says Raffensperger’s office should have provided clearer guidance to voters — many of whom were casting absentee ballots for the first time amid the pandemic.
Meanwhile, former Georgia State Representative Dee Dawkins-Haigler is not taking lightly Raffensperger’s words regarding the controversial June primaries.
Raffensperger said a thousand Georgians are under investigation for knowingly voting twice and therefore committing a crime.
Dawkins-Haigler, who ran and lost a bid for Secretary of State in 2018, is calling on Raffensperger to slow down and be more compassionate and understanding.
Raffensperger stands by his investigation and says voting twice carries a penalty of between one and 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.