Georgia Judge Blocks MAGA Election Subversion Rule – Mother Jones

A judge from Georgia On Monday, he blocked a controversial rule passed by the Trump-aligned majority on the Georgia State Election Board that would require ballots to be counted by hand on election night. Fulton County Judge Robert McBurney said the new ruling was issued too close to the election. McBurney cited the Jan. 6 insurrection in his order ordering the eleventh-hour change, which had led to fears among election officials that the results would be delayed and ultimately not certified by pro-Trump officials.

“The public interest will not be compromised by pressing pause,” McBurney wrote. “This election season is tense; The memories of January 6th have not faded, no matter how one judges the glory or infamy of that date. Anything that brings uncertainty and disorder to the electoral process benefits the public.”

It was McBurney’s second decision in a day, upholding democratic norms and handing a major loss to election deniers in the state. On Monday, McBurney ruled that county election officials were required to certify the election results.

The hand-counting rule was passed on September 20, less than two months before the election, and was set to take effect right as early voting began. Election officials expressed widespread concerns that the new mandate would delay election results and potentially lead to new inaccuracies in the counting, which could then be used as a weapon by Trump and his allies to sow distrust in the voting process and pressure election officials , not certifying the result Kamala Harris carried the state.

“A rule that establishes a new and substantive role on the eve of the election for more than 7,500 poll workers who have not received formal, coherent or consistent training and that allows our paper ballots – the only tangible evidence of who voted.” “After a busy election day, being handled multiple times by multiple people before being safely transported to the official tabulation center does nothing to ease tension or increase public confidence in this election,” McBurney wrote. “SEB clearly believes the hand count rule is smart electoral policy – ​​and it could be right. But the timing of its adoption now makes its implementation completely wrong.”

McBurney blocked the rule only for the 2024 election. It is not the only controversial rule change passed by the pro-Trump majority on the election board. They also created new rules requiring counties to conduct a “reasonable investigation” before certifying and reporting election results to county officials Access to “all election-related documents.” Those changes will be challenged in court in a separate lawsuit on Wednesday.

McBurney’s orders, which could go a long way toward ensuring free and fair elections in Georgia, came as the state saw record turnout of more than 300,000 voters on the first day of early voting.