ATLANTA — Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger pledged Wednesday to uphold the results of the presidential election no matter who wins, and attorneys for the state are prepared to fight potential lawsuits by a losing candidate.

“I will hold both parties accountable to you, the voters of Georgia, and I stand ready to defend the results of the election,” Raffensperger said during a news conference at the state Capitol. “We know it’s easy to cast a ballot, and we know it’s hard to cheat.”

Raffensperger, a Republican, is responsible for certifying statewide results on Nov. 22, as he did in 2020 when then-President Donald Trump pressured Raffensperger to “find” enough votes to reverse his loss. Raffensperger refused after conducting a manual count and a machine recount.

This year, Georgia voters are setting early turnout records, with 3.3 million people participating as of Wednesday morning. By the time polls close Tuesday, total turnout could exceed the 5 million voters in 2020.

Because Georgia’s election is expected to be a close race between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, the secretary of state’s office has asked Gov. Brian Kemp’s office to be ready for legal challenges after Election Day, said Gabriel Sterling, chief operating officer of the secretary of state’s office.

“If Vice President Harris wins, we expect Trump officials to sue us. If President Trump wins, we expect Harris officials to sue us,” Sterling said. “We’re seeing some of the things they are kind of claiming from previous lawsuits in trying to lay a foundation.”

The courts have already decided several cases in recent weeks. Those rulings invalidated a new State Election Board rule for an election night ballot count, dismissed a Republican Party lawsuit alleging voting machine vulnerabilities and upheld a state law requiring county election board members to certify the results.

Sterling said the secretary of state’s office is in contact with the FBI and GBI about potential threats to the election.

“When you say, ‘Hey, we’re ready for anything,’ people say, ‘Hold my beer.’ We’re just going to see what happens next,” Sterling said. “We are more prepared. The environment is different, and people’s guard is up.”

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