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Georgia Election Interference: Trump Demands Secretary of State 'Find' 11,780 Votes

Trump's January 2, 2021 phone call with Raffensperger was a direct attempt to pressure a state election official to falsify vote tallies. Trump made factually false claims about the election, threatened Raffensperger with unspecified legal 'risk,' and specifically demanded he 'find' a precise number of votes matching the margin Trump needed to win Georgia. Raffensperger refused. The conversation was recorded and published; Trump was later indicted for conspiracy and RICO violations in Georgia.

Record summary

Grade

Grade 4 of 5: Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern

Systematic actions that undermine fundamental constitutional or international legal protections at the structural level. Scale and definitions

Status
Ongoing
Incident date
Location
Washington, DC / Atlanta, Georgia
Category
Rule of Law
Legal posture
Judicial finding
War-crime classification
Potential
Verification
Independently verified
ICC relevance
No
Sources
4 cited
Stable ID
georgia-election-interference-call
Alleged responsible parties
  • Donald Trump, President of the United States— White House
  • Mark Meadows, White House Chief of Staff— White House
  • Rudy Giuliani, Personal attorney to the President— Trump campaign

Key points

  • The recorded call lasted over an hour; Trump made more than 30 specific false factual claims about the Georgia election that Raffensperger's team rebutted in real time
  • Trump's specific demand — to 'find 11,780 votes' — was precisely one more than Biden's margin of victory in Georgia, making clear this was a request to fabricate a specific outcome
  • Trump told Raffensperger 'you know what they did and you're not reporting it. That's a criminal — that's a criminal offense'; implying Raffensperger faced legal jeopardy if he did not comply
  • Raffensperger refused; his office published the recording and transcript the next day
  • The call was one of multiple similar calls to officials in Michigan, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and other states
  • A Fulton County grand jury indicted Trump and 18 co-defendants in August 2023 on 41 counts including RICO, solicitation of violation of oath of office, and false statements
  • Trump was the first former U.S. president ever indicted on state criminal charges

Overview

On January 2, 2021 — four days before the Capitol attack — President Trump called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and delivered what was perhaps the most direct and explicit attempt by a sitting U.S. president to interfere with an election in American history.

The call lasted one hour and two minutes. It was recorded. Its key moment:

"I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have, because we won the state."

The number was precisely calculated: Biden had won Georgia by 11,779 votes, and Trump was asking Raffensperger to locate, identify, or create one more vote than that margin. Raffensperger and his team spent much of the call rebutting, point by point, the false factual claims Trump made. Raffensperger refused to comply.

The Threat

Beyond the explicit ask, Trump made implied threats throughout the call. He told Raffensperger that not reporting the (nonexistent) fraud was "a criminal offense" and suggested Raffensperger was taking a "big risk" by refusing to act. Georgia election law enforcement attorneys listening to the call immediately recognized this as pressure that could constitute solicitation of election fraud.

Raffensperger's office published the audio recording the next day. Raffensperger and his family had already been receiving death threats from Trump supporters; the publication of the call intensified the harassment.

The Broader Scheme

The Georgia call was not isolated. It was part of a coordinated multi-state effort to pressure election officials, legislators, and courts to reverse or delay certification of the 2020 election results. Trump or his allies made similar calls to officials in Michigan, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The legal and political architecture of this scheme was documented in detail by the House Select Committee on January 6 and by Special Counsel Jack Smith's federal indictment.

Indictment and Prosecution

In August 2023, a Fulton County, Georgia grand jury indicted Trump and 18 co-defendants on 41 counts under Georgia's RICO statute and related election interference laws. Several co-defendants pleaded guilty and agreed to testify; Trump did not. The case was significantly delayed by litigation over the recusal of District Attorney Fani Willis, and by Trump's claim of presidential immunity — a claim the Georgia courts must separately assess from the federal immunity questions resolved by the Supreme Court in 2024.

International law engaged

InstrumentProvisionWhat it protects or prohibits
International Covenant on Civil and Political RightsArticle 25Right to genuine elections expressing the free will of voters — direct executive interference with vote counting violates this right
International Covenant on Civil and Political RightsArticle 2States must ensure effective remedies for violations of rights — including protection of electoral integrity from executive manipulation

Update log

  1. Updated with disqualification proceedings delay.

  2. Updated with Fulton County indictment.

Sequence of events

  1. Georgia certifies Biden victory

    Georgia Secretary of State Raffensperger certifies Biden's victory after a hand recount and machine recount, both of which confirm Biden won Georgia by approximately 11,779 votes.

  2. Raffensperger defies Trump pressure to decertify

    Despite multiple calls from Republican senators, the White House, and Trump personally, Raffensperger — a Republican — refuses to decertify Georgia's results. He and his family receive death threats.

  3. Trump's recorded call

    Trump calls Raffensperger and his team in a call that lasts one hour and two minutes. He repeats dozens of false claims about Georgia election fraud. He explicitly tells Raffensperger: 'I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have, because we won the state.' He implies Raffensperger faces criminal jeopardy for not acting.

  4. Recording published

    The Washington Post publishes the full audio recording and transcript of the call. Raffensperger's office confirms the transcript. The story dominates national news four days before the Capitol attack.

  5. Fulton County indictment

    A Fulton County grand jury indicts Trump and 18 co-defendants on 41 counts, including violation of the Georgia RICO Act, solicitation of violation of oath of office, conspiracy, filing false documents, and false statements. It is the largest election interference prosecution in American history.

  6. Case delayed by disqualification proceedings

    The Georgia case is significantly delayed by proceedings to disqualify District Attorney Fani Willis over a personal relationship with a lead prosecutor. The disqualification motion is denied but the delay allows the case to be pushed past the 2024 election.

Sources

  1. Read the full transcript of Trump's call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger — The Washington Post
  2. Trump indicted in Georgia over 2020 election interference — The Associated Press
  3. Trump Is Heard on Tape Pushing Georgia Official to 'Find' Votes to Overturn Election — The New York Times
  4. State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump — Indictment — Fulton County Superior Court

How this record was published

Manually curated This entry was added directly and does not carry an automated audit trail.

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