The Georgia State Elections Board has issued a new ruling requiring all ballots to be hand-counted before the certification of this November’s election.
The board voted 3-2 to pass resolution 181-1-12-.12, mandating that a hand count be conducted at the precinct level on election night to ensure the totals align with machine results.
The New York Times further reports:
The new rule, which passed on a 3-2 vote, runs counter to extensive legal advice from the top election official and law enforcement officials in the state. A nonpartisan collective of local election officials had also objected to the change.
The measure is the latest in a stream of right-wing election policies passed by the State Election Board over the past few months. The board has come under increasing pressure from critics already concerned that it has been rewriting the rules of the game in a key swing state to favor former President Donald J. Trump. Last month, the board granted local officials new power over certifying the election, which opponents say could potentially disrupt the process if Mr. Trump loses in November.
Critics argue that requiring hand counting, in addition to a machine count, could introduce errors and confusion into the process and potentially disrupt the custody of ballots.
To start hand-counting on election night, poll workers would likely have to break open the seals on boxes of completed ballots, possibly exposing the ballots to fraud or loss. In previous elections, ballots remain sealed and stored securely unless a recount was ordered.
The ruling comes less than 50 days before a fiercely contested presidential election.
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This resolution is a non-partisan resolution that is merely trying to keep elections legitimate so as not to repeat the debacle of 2020. I think it will clarify honest voting numbers. It favors neither party.