The Georgia State Election Board has enacted a new rule that will significantly impact the vote-counting process in one of the key swing states for the 2024 presidential election. By a close 3-2 vote, the board has mandated that all paper ballots must be counted by hand on election night, a decision that is likely to please former President Donald Trump and his campaign.
This rule, which has garnered support from three board members and received praise from former President Donald Trump, faces criticism from both the Democratic Party and some prominent Republicans in Georgia, including the Secretary of State and the Attorney General. Critics argue that the rule will lead to unnecessary delays in reporting election results. According to the Associated Press, the new regulation requires that paper ballots—rather than just votes—be counted by three different poll workers at each polling location until their counts match. Furthermore, if a scanner processes more than 750 ballots at the end of voting, poll managers have the option to begin the count the following day.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, nominally a Republican, voiced his concerns about the recent changes to the voting procedures in a Thursday interview with NBC News. “We consider these major changes to the election process,” he said. “I guess we have several concerns. Number one is the actual counting of the number of ballots that you have at the precinct. That’s going to take time. Everything that we’ve done for the last six years has to speed up the process to give the voters the results quicker, and all of a sudden, now they’re adding an element that it’s actually going to take longer.”
In a memo addressed to election board members, the office of State Attorney General Chris Carr clarified that state law prohibits the hand counting of ballots at precincts before they are sent to county election superintendents for official counting. According to the memo, the new rule lacks a legal foundation, stating it is “not tethered to any statute” and represents “likely the precise kind of impermissible legislation that agencies cannot do.”
Still, former Trump spokesperson Liz Harrington wrote on X, “GREAT NEWS! GA State Election Board passes 3-2 resolution 181-1-12-.12 … HAND COUNT at precinct level to ensure the totals match with the machines. This is a HUGE win and was opposed by the Fake News, the Left, and Raffensperger.”
The last election in Georgia became a significant battleground for President Trump and his supporters, who raised serious questions about the integrity of the vote-counting process. Despite Georgia being a traditionally red state, it narrowly flipped to Joe Biden, sparking doubts about the fairness of the election, particularly in Democratic strongholds like Fulton County.
Trump’s legal team focused on allegations related to absentee ballots, claiming that signature verification was insufficiently enforced and raising concerns about the validity of some votes. There were also accusations that ballots were counted after the deadline, breaching state election laws. Trump and his allies called for audits and recounts to address these perceived irregularities and demanded greater transparency in the process.
Disclaimer: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.