A significant change has been approved by Georgia’s election board, impacting the state’s crucial role in the 2024 presidential election. The board narrowly passed a controversial new rule requiring ballots to be counted manually on election night. The decision, approved by a 3-2 vote, mandates that poll workers count the number of paper ballots by hand once voting concludes. This move was backed by many conservatives, though it faced opposition from the state attorney general’s office, the secretary of state, and local election officials.
The three board members who voted in favor had been publicly praised by former President Donald Trump at a rally in Atlanta just last month. However, critics argue that this last-minute change will slow down the reporting of election results in Georgia.
In a memo shared with the board, the office of Attorney General Chris Carr pointed out that no state law currently allows for ballots to be hand-counted at the precinct level before being brought to county officials for tallying. The memo further stated that the rule is “not tethered to any statute” and could be considered “impermissible legislation” by an agency.
According to the Associated Press, the new rule mandates that three poll workers at each voting location count the paper ballots, not the votes, until all three counts match. If there are over 750 ballots in a scanner at the end of voting, the poll manager can delay the count until the next day.
John Fervier, the board’s Republican chair, voted against the rule, citing widespread opposition from election officials. “It’s too late to train a lot of poll workers,” Fervier noted, expressing concerns about the proximity to the election.
On the other hand, some conservatives praised the decision as a victory for election integrity. Former Trump spokesperson Liz Harrington hailed the move as “great news,” while Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene celebrated it on social media, saying, “Way to go GA State Election Board!! Thank you for taking every step to fight for election integrity!!”
In 2020, Georgia saw roughly five million votes cast in the presidential election, with more than half submitted through early voting. Current polling shows that the state remains a tight battleground, with former President Trump and Vice President Harris nearly tied in support.