Georgia judge blocks ballot counting rule and says county officials must certify election results

ABC ^ | 10/15/2024 | Brumback

[Phoenix8]

ATLANTA -- A judge has blocked a new rule that requires Georgia Election Day ballots to be counted by hand after the close of voting. The ruling came a day after the same judge ruled that county election officials must certify election results by the deadline set in law.

The rulings are victories for Democrats, liberal voting rights groups and some legal experts who have raised concerns that Donald Trump’s allies could refuse to certify the results if the former president loses to Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in next month’s presidential election. They have also argued that new rules enacted by the Trump-endorsed majority on the State Election Board could be used to stop or delay certification and to undermine public confidence in the results.

The State Election Board last month passed the rule requiring that three poll workers each count the paper ballots — not votes — by hand after the polls close. The county election board in Cobb County, in Atlanta’s suburbs, had filed a lawsuit seeking to have a judge declare that rule and five others recently passed by the state board invalid, saying they exceed the state board’s authority, weren’t adopted in compliance with the law and are unreasonable.

[Phoenix8]

I saw this story on X, Occupy Democrats were celebrating about it. The ruling says Georgia must certify results even if some express concern of fraud and it also blocks hand counting of paper ballots by groups of 3 workers.

BYW Judge McBurney was nominated by a Ga Republican.

Trying to be a neutral as my brain allows me but I do not understand what there is to celebrate.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Friggin’ “judges” setting the RATS up for “The Big Steal-The Sequel”. Bend over America!

[Bishop_Malachi]

They have also argued that new rules enacted by the Trump-endorsed majority on the State Election Board could be used to stop or delay certification and to undermine public confidence in the results.

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I could understand a possible delay (but when have Democrats or judges ever cared about that before?). What sort of rationale did the judge give about “undermining public confidence”? Is the judge implying that finding fraud (perhaps lots of it) is undesirable as it may “undermine public confidence”?

[HombreSecreto]

When is this judge up for election?

[butlerweave]

This judge is part of the democrats army of cheaters

[kenmcg]

Is there time to stop this with an appeal?

[Kleon]

We’re already seeing the Georgia vote being stolen on a massive scale.

[Phoenix8]

Georgia has became the south’s version of California or New York.

[Roadrunner383]

“We’re already seeing the Georgia vote being stolen on a massive scale.”

No, we are not.

The Election Board pretty much pulled this rule out of their azzes at the last minute. The legislature in GA sets the rules for voting and vote counting, there is no state law to back up this rule.

The Election Board hand-count rule would only apply to votes cast in-person on election day. The vast majority of voting in GA will be done in-person in early voting, so there’s not much point to the rule to begin with.

[vikingd00d]

>>The Election Board hand-count rule would only apply to votes cast in-person on election day. The vast majority of voting in GA will be done in-person in early voting, so there’s not much point to the rule to begin with.

I would have prevented last-minute fraud like we saw in 2020, when Fulton Co. kicked out all the republican observers and proceeded to run batches of ballots (that were entirely for Biden) through the machine counters multiple times. That was the intent of the rule.

[ClearCase_guy]

Judges have opinions. Nothing more.

I think it’s time for Executives to start ignoring judges. Do what you want. The court can go pound sand.

[Georgia Girl 2]

I watched part of the trial online. He basically telegraphed his decisions upfront. Fraud is alive and well in GA.

[Wuli]

Georgia offocials need to immediately appeal the idiot judge’s ruling.

The Democrats are trying to obtain fraud and claim that question of election results questions the integrity of the election, and that is wrong. They are wrong. If there are legitimate election voting questions, it is the problem of election officials and the courts to resolve them and only by doing so is the integrity of the process upheld; and that whole process INCLUDES the RIGHT to question election results. Your suspicion might be wrong, but it is not wrong to voice a voting concern.

[Sacajaweau]

Objections are resolved by Congress (not at the state level) before the Vice President reads the final results into the record.

[RoseofTexas]

Yep! Do we think anything otherwise. And they call us conspiracy theorist wackos and so far we’ve been right on the money calling out a lot of things. Unfortunately there is nothing we can do but just sit and wait and see it take place in front of our eyes. This is what they’re doing so close to the election so that the Republicans cannot contest or file an appeal. They’re masters at this game haven’t you learned anything from the past? I have they do this shit every single time so close to the election …we’re always get screwed. It’s time for the RNC’s to start setting up their own judges so that when shit like this happens they can immediately appeal it to a friendly judge. The Supreme Court serves us not by immediately ruling on these outrageous rulings. I know there’s levels that need to take place before the Supreme Court can take any case but this is an emergency this is life or death for our nation They need to bypass any court and rule immediately on crap like this. For the sake of the existence of the integrity of elections and the American people as a nation.

[ducttape45]

To whom can this ruling be appealed to? The rats are pulling out all the stops to steal another election.

[Wpin]

This will be overturned I am sure. What is the purpose of certification that the vote is good if they have to certify even if it is bad? Judge should be removed and imprisoned. These are very real threats to our nation.

[Phoenix8]

“ Judge should be removed and imprisoned. ” I think the part of his ruling about blocking the count of ballots by teams of 3 by hand is very suspicious. He should be investigated for this closely and if not able to explain that well should be removed, disbarred and yes possibly imprisoned. But it’s Georgia. They taught me to never ever donate to state elections outside of my own. In 2020 for the first time in my life I donated $ to both the republicans running for senate in another state and they both lost to: Jon Ossoff a leftist, young, media guy, Jewish heritage with both parents foreign born. Warnock, a black political activist preacher, also big government leftist. If only ONE had lost Dems would not have controlled the senate under sleepy Joe. Shortly before the votes were tallied one if the repubs had a 2+ percent lead!!! The electoral map looked like this and yet they both “lost”.’’ Sure… nothing suspicious at all.

[Chewbarkah]

Per the Constitution of the US, each State Legislature determines how to conduct the federal elections in their state. IMO, this state court has no power over this; its ruling is a nullity. Election officials ought to disregard it and follow the instructions of the Election Board that the Legislature empowered to handle elections.

[Fledermaus]

But when Trump wins GA he’ll ignore his order.