Janice R. Andrews
A Fulton County judge has invalidated a recent State Election Board rule requiring manual ballot counting on Election Day. Judge Robert McBurney found the last-minute requirement lacked essential implementation details, training protocols, and funding.
The blocked measure would have required three poll workers to hand-count ballots after polls closed. Critics argued this could delay results and potentially undermine election confidence, particularly in the upcoming presidential contest between Trump and Harris.
McBurney’s ruling also reaffirmed that county officials must certify results by the statutory deadline, rejecting potential certification delays based on unproven fraud allegations. The decision clarifies that election officials’ role is limited to reporting suspected fraud to proper authorities rather than investigating claims themselves.
The ruling has drawn support from Democratic groups and the Harris campaign, who view it as crucial for ensuring timely election administration in Georgia – a key battleground state where early voting is already underway. The decision comes amid ongoing legal challenges to new election rules and as Trump faces criminal charges in Georgia related to attempts to overturn the 2020 election results.
