Election Results and Verification

Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in Georgia by 11,779 votes out of approximately five million cast — a margin of 0.25 percent. The result was verified through three separate processes:

1. Risk-limiting audit (November 11–19, 2020): Georgia conducted the largest hand count of ballots in U.S. history, with audit boards from all 159 counties hand-sorting approximately five million ballots. The statewide variation between machine and hand counts was 0.1053 percent — well below the expected 1.0–1.5 percent variance. The audit confirmed Biden as the winner.

1. State certification (November 20, 2020): Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger certified results showing Biden with 2.47 million votes and Trump with 2.46 million, a margin of 12,670 votes. Governor Brian Kemp certified the slate of 16 Biden electors the following day.

1. Machine recount (November 24–December 1, 2020): Requested by the Trump campaign under Georgia law (margin within 0.5 percent), this scanner-based recount again confirmed Biden’s victory.

No recount or audit changed the outcome. Raffensperger, a Republican, publicly stated the results were accurate.

Trump’s Pressure Campaign on State Officials

Between November 2020 and January 2021, Trump and his allies pursued a sustained campaign to pressure Georgia’s Republican officials into reversing Biden’s certified victory.

Governor Brian Kemp: Trump publicly demanded that Kemp call a special session of the state legislature to appoint Trump electors, override the certified results, and order a signature audit of absentee ballots. Kemp refused, stating he had no legal authority to interfere with the election outcome. Trump attacked Kemp repeatedly on social media and at rallies, calling him disloyal.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger: Trump called Raffensperger’s office at least 18 times between the election and January 2, 2021. Chief of Staff Mark Meadows also contacted Raffensperger’s office and visited a Cobb County audit site in person. Raffensperger’s office rebuffed each request, stating the results were accurate.

The January 2, 2021 Phone Call

On January 2, 2021, Trump held an hour-long phone call with Raffensperger, Deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs, and Georgia general counsel Ryan Germany. On Trump’s side were Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and attorneys Cleta Mitchell and Kurt Hilbert. The Washington Post obtained and published a recording the following day.

Key elements of the call:

• “Find 11,780 votes”: Trump stated: “All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have, because we won the state.” The number was precisely one vote more than Biden’s margin of victory.

• Debunked fraud claims: Trump cited conspiracy theories about dead voters (Raffensperger’s office had confirmed only two), shredded ballots, manipulated Dominion voting machines, and out-of-state voters — all of which Raffensperger and Germany refuted in real time on the call.

• Threats: Trump warned Raffensperger and Germany: “That’s a criminal offense. And you can’t let that happen. That’s a big risk to you and to Ryan, your lawyer.” He suggested they faced legal jeopardy for failing to act on his claims.

• Raffensperger’s response: “Mr. President, the challenge that you have is the data you have is wrong.” His office had investigated every claim Trump raised and found them unsubstantiated.

The call became central evidence in multiple investigations and prosecutions.

The Fake Elector Scheme

On December 14, 2020 — the date presidential electors met nationwide — 16 Republicans convened in a meeting room at the Georgia State Capitol while the legitimate Biden electors met in the Senate chamber. The fake electors signed certificates falsely declaring Trump the winner and themselves Georgia’s “duly elected and qualified” electors.

Key facts:

• The slate was organized by attorney Kenneth Chesebro, who authored memoranda proposing “alternate electors” as a strategy to prevent Biden from reaching 270 electoral votes.
• David Shafer, chair of the Georgia Republican Party, presided over the meeting and reserved the room at the Capitol.
• Four originally selected Republican electors, including former U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, refused to participate and were replaced.
• The falsified certificates were transmitted to the U.S. Senate and the National Archives by Giuliani and Chesebro’s team.
• State Senator Shawn Still and local Republican operative Cathleen Latham were among those who signed.
• At least eight of the 16 fake electors later accepted immunity deals from the Fulton County DA in exchange for cooperation.

Threats Against Election Workers

Fulton County election workers Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea “Shaye” Moss became targets of a sustained harassment campaign after Rudy Giuliani falsely identified them in security footage from State Farm Arena as perpetrating ballot fraud. Giuliani told a Georgia legislative committee the footage showed them passing USB drives “like vials of heroin or cocaine.” The “USB drive” was actually a ginger mint.

Freeman and Moss received a barrage of racist and violent threats. Freeman was forced to leave her home. The Georgia Secretary of State’s office investigated and concluded that “all allegations made against Freeman and Moss were unsubstantiated and found to have no merit.”

In December 2023, a federal jury in Washington, D.C. ordered Giuliani to pay $148 million in damages to Freeman and Moss for defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and civil conspiracy. The court declared Giuliani’s statements were made with “actual malice” as part of an agreement with Donald Trump and others.

Coffee County Voting Machine Breach

In January 2021, Trump-allied operatives gained unauthorized access to election equipment in Coffee County, Georgia. Sidney Powell and associates organized a team that copied software and data from Dominion voting machines, allegedly seeking evidence of fraud. The breach was later investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which produced a 392-page report. Participants included former NSA contractor Scott Hall and operatives connected to Powell’s network. The copied data was distributed to multiple third parties.

The Fulton County RICO Investigation and Indictment

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis launched an investigation in February 2021. In January 2022, she convened a special purpose grand jury with subpoena power. On August 14, 2023, a regular grand jury indicted Trump and 18 co-defendants under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. All 19 were charged with participating in a criminal enterprise to unlawfully change the outcome of the 2020 election.

The 19 defendants included:

• Donald Trump — the central figure, charged with RICO violation and 12 additional counts
• Rudy Giuliani — Trump’s personal attorney, who spread false fraud claims
• Mark Meadows — White House Chief of Staff, who participated in the Raffensperger call and visited audit sites
• John Eastman — attorney who authored the legal theory for overturning electoral certification
• Kenneth Chesebro — architect of the fake elector scheme
• Sidney Powell — attorney who organized the Coffee County breach
• Jeffrey Clark — DOJ official who attempted to use his position to pressure Georgia
• Jenna Ellis — Trump campaign attorney
• David Shafer — Georgia Republican Party chair and fake elector organizer
• Shawn Still — state senator and fake elector
• Cathleen Latham — fake elector connected to the Coffee County breach
• Scott Hall — bail bondsman involved in the Coffee County breach
• Ray Smith III, Robert Cheeley, Michael Roman, Harrison Floyd, Trevian Kutti, Stephen Lee, Misty Hampton — various operatives and attorneys

The indictment listed 161 individual overt acts in support of the enterprise, including acts in other states.

Plea Deals

Four defendants entered guilty pleas and agreed to testify against co-defendants:

All four were required to testify truthfully in future proceedings, turn over evidence, and submit public apology letters to the state of Georgia. Ellis tearfully told the court she regretted representing Trump and admitted fabricating details about election fraud. These plea deals remain binding despite the case’s subsequent dismissal.

DA Willis Disqualification

In January 2024, attorney Ashleigh Merchant (representing defendant Michael Roman) filed a motion revealing that Willis had a romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor she hired in November 2021 to lead the case. Evidence showed Willis and Wade took vacations and cruises together, paid for in part with Wade’s earnings from the case.

• March 2024: Judge Scott McAfee found a “significant appearance of impropriety” and a “tremendous lapse in judgment” but ruled Willis could remain if Wade resigned. Wade resigned hours later.
• December 2024: The Georgia Court of Appeals reversed McAfee, ruling that “disqualification is mandated and no other remedy will suffice to restore public confidence.” Willis and her entire office were removed from the case.
• September 2025: The Georgia Supreme Court declined to hear Willis’s appeal, finalizing her removal.

Case Dismissal

Pete Skandalakis, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, appointed himself as District Attorney Pro Tempore after all other prosecutors he contacted declined the case. On November 26, 2025, Skandalakis moved to dismiss all charges, and Judge McAfee granted the motion.

Skandalakis cited the impracticality of trying a sitting president — Trump’s term extends to January 20, 2029, by which point eight years would have elapsed since the phone call — and concluded the case belonged in federal court. He dismissed charges against all remaining defendants, not just Trump.

The dismissal marked the end of the last criminal case related to Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election. By 2026, Trump and other defendants were seeking recovery of legal fees under Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 17-11-6), with Trump claiming over $6.2 million and total claims reaching nearly $17 million.

Congressional Participants

Several sitting members of Congress aided the pressure campaign or fake elector effort:

• Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC): Called Raffensperger after the election, asking about the possibility of discarding legally cast ballots.
• Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA): Objected to Georgia’s electoral votes on January 6, 2021.
• Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA): Amplified false fraud claims and objected to Georgia’s electoral certification.
• Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA): Voted to object to Georgia’s electoral votes.
• Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA): Led a Capitol tour the day before January 6 and later objected to Georgia’s electoral votes.
• State Sen. Burt Jones: Served as a fake elector; later elected Lieutenant Governor. A separate investigation by a special prosecutor was initiated due to Willis’s conflict of interest (she had fundraised for Jones’s opponent).

Significance

The Georgia election subversion effort represents one of the most thoroughly documented attempts by a sitting president to overturn a democratic election in American history. Despite three verifications confirming the result, sustained pressure on state officials, a fraudulent elector scheme, intimidation of election workers, and unauthorized access to voting equipment were deployed in an effort to reverse the outcome. While the criminal prosecution ultimately collapsed due to the prosecutorial misconduct that led to Willis’s disqualification and the practical barriers to trying a sitting president, the evidentiary record — including the recorded phone call, signed false elector certificates, plea agreements with cooperating witnesses, and the GBI investigation — remains part of the public record.