The rule, which was first proposed in August, passed in a 3–2 vote.
The Georgia Election Board has approved a new rule requiring election workers to hand count ballots in the November election and confirm that the numbers match machine counts before the vote can be certified.
The rule, which was first proposed in August, passed in a 3–2 vote on the morning of Sept. 20, making Georgia the only state in the union to adopt such a requirement as part of its standard vote-counting.
The new hand-count regulation was, at the time of reporting, the first of 11 that the board was set to vote on Friday. The others include a proposal that absentee ballots be visually distinct from other types of ballots, and another that requires poll workers to record the number of ballots cast from in-person scanners and reconcile those numbers to ensure accurate reporting of votes.
Advocates have framed the proposed rules as common-sense measures to bolster election security. Supporters of the hand-count rule, specifically, have argued it would help increase public trust in the voting process.
Critics, such as the Georgia Association of Voter Registration and Election Officials (GAVREO), say the proposed rules are, on the whole, impractical, poorly written, and inefficient in achieving their intended goals.
“We respectfully ask that these proposed rules, and any other petitions for rulemaking, be tabled until 2025,” the group wrote in a Sept. 17 letter to the election board.
GAVREO also expressed specific concern about the new hand-count rule, arguing in the letter that it could cause delays and introduce errors.
“We continue to oppose the rules for the reasons we have previously stated including: the rule’s potential to delay results; set fatigued employees up for failure; and undermine the very confidence the rule’s author claims to seek,” the group wrote.
Chris Carr, Georgia’s Attorney General, issued a letter on Sept. 18 stating that the proposed rules may be inconsistent with existing laws.
By Tom Ozimek
