Fabrication of Forensic Audit Via Official Press Release – Raffensperger November 17, 2020 (GA)

On November 17, 2020, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger issued a press release announcing the successful completion of a voting machine audit using “forensic techniques” that “found no sign of foul play.” This press release was disseminated by major media outlets as confirmation of Georgia’s election security and was used to shape the national narrative at the precise moment certification was being completed. Subsequent open records requests, obtained by election integrity researcher Kevin Moncla, revealed that the audit vendor referenced in the press release – Pro V&V – conducted no such forensic audit activity until July 15, 2021 – more than seven months after the press release was issued. The press release therefore appears to have described an audit that had not yet occurred. This false narrative was broadcast nationally and was referenced as justification for certification, insulating Georgia’s results from audit-driven scrutiny during the critical precertification review window.