Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is self-isolating after his wife tested positive for coronavirus, Raffensperger’s office confirmed Thursday.
The news of the secretary of state’s potential exposure to COVID-19 came one day after he ordered a hand recount of the nearly 5 million ballots from Georgia’s tight presidential contest between President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden.
Having won enough electoral votes from other states to be declared president-elect, Biden has begun working on his transition to the White House, starting with his inauguration on Jan. 20.
However, the race in Georgia remains uncertain, with Biden leading Trump by more than 14,000 votes.
Earlier this week, Georgia’s two Republican senators, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, demanded that Raffensperger resign for mismanaging the counting of the ballots. While dismissing those calls to step down, Raffensperger said he has not discovered any evidence of substantial ballot-casting fraud.
Raffensperger will be working from home while quarantining. Members of his staff who work in his Capitol office have all been advised to be tested and to work from home, according to the office’s established procedures.
The hand recount, which is due to start Friday and run until midnight next Wednesday, will not be affected by the quarantining, according to Raffensperger’s office.
County elections officials – not the secretary of state – will be recounting the ballots.
