Georgia Judge Blocks Hand-Counting Of Ballots Rule In Another Blow To State’s GOP Election Officials
A Georgia judge late on Tuesday blocked a new rule passed that required hand counting of ballots on election night, delivering another blow to GOP election officials in the state—many of whom falsely blame election fraud for Donald Trump’s loss in the state in 2020—just hours after the same judge issued another ruling requiring local officials to certify election results.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney said the hand counting rule would sow ... [+]
In his ruling, Georgia Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney said the hand count rule was “too much, too late” as he halted its enforcement while the court “considers the merits” of the case.
Last month, Georgia’s GOP-controlled State Election Board passed a new rule requiring each county to have three poll workers count the paper ballots, but not votes, on election night after the polls close and before a machine count.
The judge said the new rule was passed too close to election day, and noted that no training or allowances have been made to any county’s election budget for “additional personnel and other expenses” required to implement the hand count.
McBurney wrote the election board “may be right” in believing the hand count is a smart election policy and offers “human eyeball confirmation that the machine counts match reality,” but criticized the timing of its passage.
During the hearing, the election board’s attorney had argued the hand count would only take a few extra minutes, rather than hours, to complete.
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“The administrative chaos that will — not may — ensue is entirely inconsistent with the obligations of our boards of elections (and the SEB) to ensure that our elections are fair, legal, and orderly,” McBurney wrote in his ruling.
The Harris campaign and other Democratic groups issued a joint statement hailing Tuesday’s ruling: “From the beginning, this rule was an effort to delay election results to sow doubt in the outcome, and our democracy is stronger thanks to this decision to block it.” Democratic elections lawyer Marc Elias said on X the ruling was the “Second victory today against election subversion in Georgia!”
Judge Thwarts GOP Georgia Election Officials—Says Board Must Certify Vote Counts (Forbes)