A federal judge in Georgia has temporarily halted a rule that required election officials to hand count ballots in the upcoming 2024 elections. The rule was put on hold by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, who found that it introduced uncertainty into the election process. Judge McBurney stated that pausing the hand count rule was necessary due to the proximity of the election and the potential for disorder in the electoral process.
The judge described the election season as “fraught” and ruled that enforcing the Hand Count Rule at this time would be “too much, too late.” However, he mentioned that the rule could be implemented in future elections once local election boards have had time to prepare and train workers.
The lawsuit, filed by the Cobb County Board of Elections and Registration, focused on six rules passed by the Georgia State Election Board on Sept. 20. The plaintiffs argued that these rules added unnecessary and burdensome requirements to the election process, violating state election laws.
Among the six rules, the hand count rule was considered the most disruptive. It required election workers in each precinct to verify ballots by hand counting after polls closed on Election Day. The rule was set to take effect on Oct. 22, just days after early voting began and two weeks before the election.
Hand Count Rule Details:
Under the halted hand count rule, poll managers and officers in each precinct were expected to open the scanner ballot box after polls closed on Election Day. They would then remove the paper ballots and count them independently in stacks of 50. If discrepancies were found, the poll manager had to investigate and document any errors.
If a precinct had more than 750 ballots on Election Day, the hand count could be postponed to the following day and completed during the county certification period. Judge McBurney expressed concern about the lack of training for poll workers under the new rule and how it could impact public confidence in the election.
He stated, “A rule that introduces new responsibilities for over 7,500 poll workers without adequate training and requires multiple handling of paper ballots before they are securely transported to the tabulation center does not inspire confidence in the election process.”
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