Georgia Judge Temporarily Halts Rule Mandating Hand-Count of Election Ballots.

 


A Georgia judge has temporarily blocked a rule requiring hand-counting of ballots in the Nov. 5 election, a setback for Donald Trump and his Republican allies who advocated for the change after his 2020 loss in the state. The hand-counting rule, approved by a pro-Trump conservative majority on Georgia’s election board on Sept. 20, aimed to enhance security and transparency. However, Democrats argued that the rule would create chaos and delay results.

Judge Robert McBurney ruled that the rule added uncertainty to the election process just weeks before Election Day, stating, “Anything that adds uncertainty and disorder to the electoral process disserves the public.” He emphasized that the resulting administrative chaos would conflict with the responsibility of election boards to ensure fair, legal, and orderly elections.

The rule, which required three poll workers in each of Georgia’s 6,500 precincts to manually count ballots, faced opposition from voting rights groups. They warned it could lead to delays or disputes over certifying results, potentially destabilizing the state's vote count. Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger had previously voiced concerns about the rule, saying it would increase the risk of errors and fraud.

Democrats welcomed the judge's decision, framing the rule as an attempt to undermine trust in election results. While the rule has been paused pending further review, an appeals court could potentially overturn the decision.

In a related ruling, Judge McBurney also confirmed that Georgia counties must certify election results, dismissing the notion that counties could refuse certification over concerns about voting procedures.

Trump, who faces criminal charges for pressuring Georgia officials to overturn the 2020 election, continues to deny wrongdoing and has pleaded not guilty.

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