New Delhi: A manual recount of votes for presidential election in the US State of Georgia has now concluded, with the results affirming democratic candidate Joe Biden’s victory. “The audit confirmed that the original machine count accurately portrayed the winner of the election,” news agency AFP quoted a statement posted on the website of Georgia secretary of state.
Notably, the recount makes Biden the first democratic candidate to win this state in nearly three decades. The last Democrat to carry the state was Bill Clinton in 1996.
Outgoing President Donald Trump has refused to concede defeat and has alleged there has been massive voter fraud and electoral malpractice in US elections. Along with Georgia, Trump has filed lawsuits in the state of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada, Arizona and sought recounting of votes in Wisconsin.
Georgia has 16 electoral college votes. Trump has also referenced Georgia with his claims to voter fraud. However, with the confirmation from the Georgia state on the recount, it is now affirmed that Biden won the race.
The recount in Georgia was necessitated due to an audit required by a new state law. A tight margin had separated both republican and democratic candidate. Hence, the US state of Georgia announced a hand recount of votes as President-elect Joe Biden had a narrow lead of over 14,000 over President Donald Trump.