As the pair of runoff elections in Georgia kick off, Democrats are asking supporters to do more than just campaign for Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. National Democrats are encouraging activists and supporters to move to, and vote in, Georgia for Ossoff and Warnock in the state's two overtime Senate elections. The trend began with former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang:
There isn’t much time. The earliest date for absentee ballots to be mailed for the runoff is Nov. 18. The registration deadline is Dec. 7. The In-person early voting begins Dec. 14.
— Andrew Yang?????? (@AndrewYang) November 6, 2020
Great news #yanggang - Evelyn and I are moving to Georgia to help @ossoff and @ReverendWarnock win! This is our only chance to clear Mitch out of the way and help Joe and Kamala get things done in the next 4 years. More details to come but let’s go!!! ???????? https://t.co/egcdwqC1qZ
— Andrew Yang?????? (@AndrewYang) November 8, 2020
New York Times columnist and CNN guest Tom Friedman encouraged viewers to do the same, though he incorrectly identifies Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock as elected Senators when neither of the Democratic candidates have ever been elected to any office.
“I hope everybody moves to Georgia in the next month or two, registers to vote, and votes for these two Democratic Senators,” he said on Monday.
Legally, Georgia’s law is vague, but experts say that casting a vote in a state without intention of staying would be classified as a felony, via Wall Street Journal:
“...any potential voters would have to move quickly since the last day to be registered for the Jan. 5 contests is Dec. 7. And, the new resident also would have to stay in the state for a while or risk getting into trouble. Under Georgia law, anyone with a legal primary residence in the state can register to vote with their county board of elections. The law does not specify a specific time limit...People moving to Georgia briefly can work on campaigns and canvass for candidates, but voting in the state without the intention of staying would be considered fraud.”
The runoff elections for Sens. Perdue and Loeffler are both representative of Democrats’ last chance to take back the majority in the Senate. Apparently, activists with their sights set on Democrats taking back power will stop at nothing to elect Ossoff and Warnock.
