Fact check: Claim of Georgia vote spike for Biden after pipe burst at counting site is FALSE
[Beware of stories you see on Twitter. Reddit, Parler, etc. FACT CHECK. Here is a fake claim de-bunked]
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/12/16/fact-check-claim-ga-vote-spike-biden-after-pipe-burst false/3879081001/#Pipe%20Leak%20Delays%20Vote%20Counting,%20No%20Ballots%20Damaged
McKenzie Sadeghi USA TODAY, Dec 16, 2020
"The claim: A large 'dump of Biden votes' happened while election officials in Georgia were evacuated during a pipe break. Social media users are using surveillance footage of poll workers from Election Day in Georgia and reports of a pipe leak to push unproven claims of fraud in the presidential election.
"Online posts claim that election workers pulled out suitcases full of ballots in President-elect Joe Biden's favor while observers were allegedly evacuated during a pipe break at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. The same claim has since been reposted by other Facebook users and spread to several social media platforms, including Twitter, Reddit forums and Parler.
"Fulton Commission Chairman Robb Pitts told the Journal-Constitution that the pipe burst occurred at 6:07 a.m. and was repaired within two hours. The Fulton County Elections office also took to Twitter to issue a clarification on the incident.
"Around 6 am on Nov 3, a pipe burst in the room at State Farm Arena where absentee ballots were processed. Arena staff swiftly completed repairs. Work resumed in approx 2 hours," the tweet reads, noting that "no ballots or equipment were damaged" during the incident.
"Chief Investigator for the Georgia Secretary of State Frances Watson wrote in an affidavit that the Secretary of State's Office received complaints that election staff was asked to leave due to a water leak at State Farm Arena, but "Fulton County staff continued to scan ballots in the tabulation center."
"Georgia law regarding poll watchers states that political parties are "entitled" to have official poll watchers, however, it is not required for observers to be present for vote counting to continue.
"Both an independent monitor and an investigator oversaw the vote count in Fulton County, and an election board monitor and a state investigator remained at the facility until the count concluded for the night, the Associated Press reported.
"Sterling told the Associated Press that staff members started leaving the facility as their duties concluded and they put prepared ballots back in boxes under a table for the night.
"Biden won Georgia's 16 electoral votes and the outcome was reaffirmed by a hand audit ordered by the secretary of state, which found that Biden won by 12,284 votes, USA TODAY reported.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/12/16/fact-check-claim-ga-vote-spike-biden-after-pipe-burst false/3879081001/#Pipe%20Leak%20Delays%20Vote%20Counting,%20No%20Ballots%20Damaged
McKenzie Sadeghi USA TODAY, Dec 16, 2020
"The claim: A large 'dump of Biden votes' happened while election officials in Georgia were evacuated during a pipe break. Social media users are using surveillance footage of poll workers from Election Day in Georgia and reports of a pipe leak to push unproven claims of fraud in the presidential election.
"Online posts claim that election workers pulled out suitcases full of ballots in President-elect Joe Biden's favor while observers were allegedly evacuated during a pipe break at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. The same claim has since been reposted by other Facebook users and spread to several social media platforms, including Twitter, Reddit forums and Parler.
"Fulton Commission Chairman Robb Pitts told the Journal-Constitution that the pipe burst occurred at 6:07 a.m. and was repaired within two hours. The Fulton County Elections office also took to Twitter to issue a clarification on the incident.
"Around 6 am on Nov 3, a pipe burst in the room at State Farm Arena where absentee ballots were processed. Arena staff swiftly completed repairs. Work resumed in approx 2 hours," the tweet reads, noting that "no ballots or equipment were damaged" during the incident.
"Chief Investigator for the Georgia Secretary of State Frances Watson wrote in an affidavit that the Secretary of State's Office received complaints that election staff was asked to leave due to a water leak at State Farm Arena, but "Fulton County staff continued to scan ballots in the tabulation center."
"Georgia law regarding poll watchers states that political parties are "entitled" to have official poll watchers, however, it is not required for observers to be present for vote counting to continue.
"Both an independent monitor and an investigator oversaw the vote count in Fulton County, and an election board monitor and a state investigator remained at the facility until the count concluded for the night, the Associated Press reported.
"Sterling told the Associated Press that staff members started leaving the facility as their duties concluded and they put prepared ballots back in boxes under a table for the night.
"Biden won Georgia's 16 electoral votes and the outcome was reaffirmed by a hand audit ordered by the secretary of state, which found that Biden won by 12,284 votes, USA TODAY reported.
