Authored by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
The Georgia Election Board has given the green light to a new regulation mandating that ballots in the upcoming November election be manually counted and verified to match machine tallies before final certification.
The rule, which was initially proposed back in August, was passed in a narrow 3–2 vote on the morning of September 20, making Georgia the sole state to embrace such a mandate as part of its standard vote tabulation process.
The new manual counting directive was just the first of 11 regulations that the board was slated to deliberate on that Friday. Among them is a proposal to distinguish absentee ballots from other types of ballots, as well as another requiring poll workers to document the number of ballots scanned in person and reconcile those figures to ensure accurate vote reporting.
Advocates have positioned the suggested rules as sensible measures to fortify election integrity. Specifically, proponents of the manual counting requirement argue that it would help enhance public faith in the electoral process.
Critics, such as the Georgia Association of Voter Registration and Election Officials (GAVREO), assert that the proposed regulations are generally impractical, poorly drafted, and ineffective in achieving their intended objectives.
“We respectfully urge that these proposed rules, along with any other rulemaking petitions, be postponed until 2025,” the group stated in a letter to the election board on September 17.
GAVREO also voiced specific apprehension about the new manual counting rule, contending in the letter that it could lead to delays and introduce inaccuracies.
“We remain opposed to the rules for the reasons we have previously articulated, including: the potential for result delays; setting fatigued employees up for failure; and undermining the very confidence that the rule’s author aims to instill,” the group emphasized.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr issued a memo on September 18, stating that the proposed rules may conflict with existing laws.
“A review of the proposed rules reveals several issues, including the likelihood that several of the proposed rules, if approved, may exceed the Board’s statutory authority and in some cases appear to clash with the statutes governing election conduct,” he wrote. “Where this is the case, and as outlined below, the Board risks enacting rules that could easily be contested and deemed invalid.”
The missive from Carr’s office specifically addressed the manual counting rule, noting that the statutes cited in support of the rule do not permit the manual counting of ballots at the precinct level before submission to the election superintendent for official tabulation.
“Consequently, these proposed rules lack a statutory basis—and are, therefore, likely the exact type of impermissible regulations that agencies are prohibited from enacting,” the memo stated.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger also voiced concerns that last-minute rule adjustments could sow confusion on election night.
“Activists pushing for last-minute alterations to election procedures outside of the legislative framework undermine voter trust and burden election personnel,” he remarked in a press release in mid-August.
Speaking at a rally in August in Atlanta, former President Donald Trump commended the three Republican members of the Georgia Election Board, hailing them as “pit bulls championing honesty, transparency, and victory.”
The Epoch Times has reached out to the Georgia Election Board for comment on the criticism of the manual counting rule and the other proposals.
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