On Tuesday, Georgian judge a new rule from the state board of elections Critics said a provision requiring counties to manually count ballots cast on Election Day would lead to delays and irregularities in reporting battlefield results.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney wrote in his ruling that the rule would be implemented too close to an election and would cause “administrative chaos” given the limited time available to train poll workers.
“[T]He is not protecting the public interest by pressing pause here. This election season is intense; The memories of January 6 have never faded, regardless of one’s view of that date’s glory or infamy,” he wrote. “Anything that adds uncertainty and unrest to the election process discredits the public.”
The temporary ruling, which can be appealed, is a victory for Democrats Who made the claim? After the state Board of Elections voted 3-2 in favor of a hand-count rule last month. It was supposed to take effect on October 22, two weeks after Election Day.
The rule required election workers to count the number of ballots cast on Nov. 5 before delivering them to the county for tallying and finalization — not every vote on the ballot. is the main state in presidential elections.
This was approved by three board members praised by former President Donald Trumpand was opposed by state Democrats as well as the Republican secretary of state and attorney general.
Days after the vote, the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Party of Georgia, backed by Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, sued in Fulton Circuit Court to stop the new rule from taking effect.
Democrats praised Tuesday’s order.
“From the beginning, this rule was an attempt to delay the outcome of the election, which ultimately raised doubts, and our democracy was strengthened by the decision to block it. We will continue to fight to ensure that voters can vote knowing that their votes will be counted,” said Harris Deputy Campaign Manager Quentin Fulks, DNC Acting Co-Director Monica Guardiola and Georgia Democratic Party Chair Nikema Williams. joint statement.
Despite ample evidence that manual counting is more expensive and less accurate than using ballots, manual counting has drawn attention from many on the right in recent years in response to unsubstantiated allegations of hacked voting machines.
Georgia has been one of the main centers of Trump’s baseless claims of stealing the 2020 election. He repeatedly praised the three board members who passed the event, saying they were “pit bulls fighting for integrity, transparency and victory.”
The three members are Janice Johnston, Rick Jeffares and Janelle King. Johnson was appointed to the board by the state Republican Party, and Jeffares was appointed by the Republican-controlled state Senate and King GOP-led state House.
The two members who voted against the measure were appointed by GOP Gov. Brian Kemp and the state’s Democratic Party.
In August, the same members of Georgia’s board passed other new rules this will allow constituency board members to make “reasonable” inquiries before certifying the results.
Critics say it could throw the election into chaos because “reasonable inquiry” is not defined and an individual board member could block certification for any reason. That decision is the subject of another lawsuit led by Democrats.
McBurney dealt another blow to Trump allies on Tuesday. Manages district election conventions It is not allowed to refuse to confirm the election results in Georgia.
Dareh Gregorian and Jane C. Timm contributed.