Georgia Judge Halts Disputed Rule for Hand Counting Ballots
The decision has only been temporarily stayed by the ruling.
TroibNews 
A Georgia state judge issued a temporary block on a contentious rule backed by supporters of former President Donald Trump, which election administrators were concerned would lead to last-minute disruptions during the election.
Judge Robert McBurney approved a request from officials in Cobb County and others to halt a rule mandating that poll workers hand-count the number of ballots promptly after polls close. In his ruling, McBurney highlighted that the timing of the rule's implementation left no opportunity for poll workers to receive proper training.
“Should the Hand Count Rule take effect as scheduled, it would do so on the very fortnight of the election,” he wrote. “As of today, there are no guidelines or training tools for the implementation of the Hand Count Rule.”
This order came after extensive hearings in McBurney's courtroom but only serves as a temporary measure; it may be appealed to a higher court in the state for the current election cycle or potentially affect future elections.
Recently, members of the Georgia State Election Board affiliated with Trump had pushed through the contentious hand-counting policy. Under this rule, local poll workers would not be determining results but would simply count the total number of ballots cast and compare that figure to the machine-counted results.
Election officials cautioned that this late alteration would require significant labor and could delay the reporting of results by several hours in a critical state, potentially exacerbating mistrust in the electoral process.
Georgia was a focal point for the misinformation spread by Trump and his supporters following the 2020 election. They falsely asserted that the state was "stolen" from Trump, promoting conspiracy theories regarding tampered voting machines and election workers allegedly using "suitcases" filled with fake ballots to manipulate the count.
Trump's attempts to persuade Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to aid in overturning the election results were unsuccessful. In his ruling, McBurney referenced the fraught atmosphere surrounding this election season. “This election season is fraught; memories of January 6 have not faded away, regardless of one’s view of that date’s fame or infamy,” he said. “Anything that adds uncertainty and disorder to the electoral process disserves the public.”
Thomas Evans for TROIB News
Judge Robert McBurney approved a request from officials in Cobb County and others to halt a rule mandating that poll workers hand-count the number of ballots promptly after polls close. In his ruling, McBurney highlighted that the timing of the rule's implementation left no opportunity for poll workers to receive proper training.
“Should the Hand Count Rule take effect as scheduled, it would do so on the very fortnight of the election,” he wrote. “As of today, there are no guidelines or training tools for the implementation of the Hand Count Rule.”
This order came after extensive hearings in McBurney's courtroom but only serves as a temporary measure; it may be appealed to a higher court in the state for the current election cycle or potentially affect future elections.
Recently, members of the Georgia State Election Board affiliated with Trump had pushed through the contentious hand-counting policy. Under this rule, local poll workers would not be determining results but would simply count the total number of ballots cast and compare that figure to the machine-counted results.
Election officials cautioned that this late alteration would require significant labor and could delay the reporting of results by several hours in a critical state, potentially exacerbating mistrust in the electoral process.
Georgia was a focal point for the misinformation spread by Trump and his supporters following the 2020 election. They falsely asserted that the state was "stolen" from Trump, promoting conspiracy theories regarding tampered voting machines and election workers allegedly using "suitcases" filled with fake ballots to manipulate the count.
Trump's attempts to persuade Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to aid in overturning the election results were unsuccessful. In his ruling, McBurney referenced the fraught atmosphere surrounding this election season. “This election season is fraught; memories of January 6 have not faded away, regardless of one’s view of that date’s fame or infamy,” he said. “Anything that adds uncertainty and disorder to the electoral process disserves the public.”
Thomas Evans for TROIB News
