The Georgia State Election Board has implemented a new regulation mandating that all paper ballots be manually counted on the night of the election, after a narrow 3-2 decision.
This rule has received support from former President Donald Trump but faces backlash from the Democratic Party and some state Republicans, including Secretary of State Raffensperger, who argue it could delay results.
“We consider these major changes to the election process,” Raffensperger 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.”
Under the new guidelines, three poll workers will count the ballots at each location until their counts match, and if there are over 750 ballots in a scanner, counting may start the next day.
Legal concerns have been raised, with the Attorney General’s office stating the rule lacks legal grounds and may violate state law.
The new ruling is “not tethered to any statute” and portrays “likely the precise kind of impermissible legislation that agencies cannot do,” their memo stated.
The rule comes amid ongoing scrutiny of Georgia’s vote counting, particularly following the contentious 2020 election.
“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,” former Trump spokesperson Liz Harrington wrote.
