Georgia Could Come Down to 1,000 Votes, Deputy Secretary of State Says: 'Things Are Getting Really Close'

Georgia's Deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs said that the results for the presidential election in her state could come down to 1,000 votes.

Although President Donald Trump took an early lead in the southern state, which has gone for Republican presidential candidates in every election dating back to 1996. But as more mail-in ballots were counted—particularly in urban areas with a higher percentage of Democratic voters—the president's lead narrowed dramatically, giving supporters of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden hope that he could pull ahead and flip Georgia.

"Things are getting really close," Fuchs told the Associated Press Thursday morning. She said that by the time all the ballots are counted, "there's a good chance that it's literally between 1,000 votes, between the two of them."

Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, also highlighted the close nature of the presidential contest on Thursday. But Raffensperger asserted that all ballots would be counted properly and securely.

"Officials in numerous counties are continuing to count ballots, with strong security protocols in place to protect the integrity of our election. We have long anticipated—and said publicly—that counting would most likely take place into Wednesday night and perhaps Thursday morning," Raffensperger said in a public statement. "We're on pace to accomplish that responsibly, ensuring that the voice of every eligible voter is heard. It's important to act quickly, but it's more important to get it right."

Raffensperger said that as of 9:15 a.m., about 61,000 votes still needed to be counted. Currently, Trump leads Biden by less than 14,000 votes. Some analysts have suggested that if current trends continue, this could give the Democratic nominee a narrow lead over the incumbent president.

Newsweek reached out to the Trump and Biden campaigns for comment, but they did not respond by the time of publication.

The Trump campaign and the Georgia GOP filed a lawsuit, which was dismissed by the Chatham County Superior Court on Thursday, challenging vote counting in the Savannah area. Two Republican election watchers testified in the case, raising concerns about a stack of 53 ballots, suggesting that they had come in after the deadline. They did not offer evidence to back their allegations, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

"I'm denying the request and dismissing the petition," Judge James F. Bass said.

"The lawsuits are meritless," attorney Bob Bauer, an election lawyer for Biden, told reporters Thursday. Bauer described the legal action as "silliness." The Trump campaign has filed lawsuits in several key swing states expected to decide the presidential contest.