The key battleground state of Georgia's election board voted Friday to force ballots to be hand-counted three times before a result is declared.
As one of multiple motions on changing how elections are run, less than 50 days out from the November 5 election, the new rule was passed 3-2 by the conservative-leaning panel.
The changes come after Donald Trump heavily criticized the way the state handled the 2020 election results, repeatedly and falsely claiming he won the state.
President Joe Biden narrowly won in Georgia, with 49.5 percent of the vote against Trump's 49.2 percent.
Gwinnett County election workers handle ballots as part of the recount for the 2020 presidential election on November 16, 2020, in Lawrenceville, Georgia. The state's election board voted September 20, 2024, that ballots would need... Gwinnett County election workers handle ballots as part of the recount for the 2020 presidential election on November 16, 2020, in Lawrenceville, Georgia. The state's election board voted September 20, 2024, that ballots would need to be hand-counted on election night. More Megan Varner/Getty Images
"The purpose of the rule is to ensure the secure, transparent, and accurate counting of ballots by requiring a systematic process where ballots are independently hand-counted by three sworn poll officers," the motion reads.
On Election Day, the poll manager and two sworn poll officers would unseal boxes, remove and record ballots, and then three officers would each count all the votes.
If all three totals match, then the result would be signed off and the documents sealed again.
The method of tallying votes will stand in contrast to the way the majority of elections are managed, using tabulation machines, and could delay Georgia's results being declared by days or even weeks, per NPR.
Other ideas, touted as ways to make the election more transparent, include expanding access to partisan poll watchers.
Newsweek reached out to the Elections Board Friday morning via email for comment.
Critics have claimed the board, which has swung more to the right, is trying to rewrite the rules to favor former president and Republican candidate Donald Trump.
"After changing election rules to give new power to local election officials to refuse to certify election results, the pro-Trump Election Board's newest changes passed today seem meant to create a fail point in our system," voting rights group Fair Fight's CEO Lauren Groh-Wargo, said in a statement.
"It's a perfect illustration of the MAGA operation's strategy to sow doubt and chaos, and upend the 2024 election. But it won't work, the people will decide and their conspiracy will fail."
In a letter Thursday, the office of Georgia's Attorney General issued a warning that the board was pushing rules that "very likely exceed the board's statutory authority" while voting rights groups had also raised concerns.
"County election boards have a clear duty under Georgia law to faithfully report and timely certify their election returns," Sophia Lakin, Director of the ACLU Voting Rights Project, said in a press release last week. "The State Election Board's last-minute rule changes inject uncertainty and confusion into certification and threaten the fundamental right to vote."
Following the election four years ago, Trump pushed claims of voter fraud and that some voting machines were rigged, leading him to lose the state. Despite recounts and multiple court cases failing, the Republican has still warned of "cheating" this November.
The Georgia Election Integrity Coalition, which supports Trump, already made accusations of voter fraud, despite early voting not beginning in the state until October 15.
Officials in some parts of the state, and in other swing states targeted by Trump's election fraud claims, have had to increase security for poll workers ahead of election day.
Newsweek reached out to the office of Georgia's Attorney General for comment, but the office said it could not comment further.
Update 9/20/24 1:25 p.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information.
Update 09/20/24 4:27 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Lauren Groh-Wargo.
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jackstraw97 on September 20th, 2024 at 18:10 UTC »
Even Georgia’s own AG (Republican) stated that the board is likely overstepping its authority with this move.
I wouldn’t be surprised if a lawsuit is filed and an emergency injunction is granted stopping these rules from taking effect. Especially since the AG would be the one presumably having to defend the election board in court.
JubalHarshaw23 on September 20th, 2024 at 17:13 UTC »
Which is a violation of Federal Voting laws.
shawnaroo on September 20th, 2024 at 17:03 UTC »
This is so transparently being done in bad faith. The fact that they're making significant changes so close to a huge election makes that clear, even without looking at any of the specific decisions.
When you do look at some of the specifics, it's obvious that they're going to create huge logistical problems that in no way can be properly planned for in such a short amount of time. And all of these problems were clearly brought up to the election board members.
They are purposely sabotaging the election counting process in order to create chaos that they thing might help their preferred candidate. It's blatantly clear, and the fact that they're even allowed to make changes this close to the election is ridiculous.