Georgia’s Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, has publicly opposed election rule changes that are pending before the State Election Board, specifically rejecting a proposal to count ballots by hand at polling places on election night. Raffensperger argues that such a change would delay the reporting of election results and introduce risks to chain of custody procedures. He believes that last-minute changes outside of the legislative process undermine voter confidence and burden election workers.
The State Election Board has received a variety of rule proposals in recent months, with many of them coming from activists aligned with former President Donald Trump. Trump and his supporters have continued to allege, without evidence, that widespread voter fraud cost him victory in Georgia’s 2020 presidential election. Raffensperger has been consistent in defending the integrity of that election, despite facing criticism from Trump and his followers. Three of the five members of the board are Republican partisans who were specifically praised by Trump during a campaign rally in Atlanta.
One of the proposals submitted to the State Election Board involves having three poll workers hand count ballots at polling places, sorting them into stacks of 50 ballots until all have been counted and the total matches the number recorded by voting machines. This proposal was put forward by Sharlene Alexander, a member of the Fayette County Board of Elections and Voter Registration. Alexander cited the tradition of hand counting ballots in Fayette County and other places, which had been discontinued after an email from Blake Evans, director of elections for the secretary of state’s office, advised against it in 2022.
In response to the proposal, Secretary of State Raffensperger criticized the members of the State Election Board, referring to them as “unelected bureaucrats who have never run an election.” He stated that they seem to reject the advice of anyone who has actual experience in running elections. The board consists of five members, each representing different entities such as the state House, state Senate, Republican party, Democratic party, and a nonpartisan chair. Spokespersons for Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, and state House Speaker Jon Burns did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the issue.
The debate over election rule changes in Georgia comes amidst ongoing concerns about election integrity and the impact of misinformation on public trust in the electoral process. With the 2024 Election approaching, the state’s election procedures are under increased scrutiny, especially in light of the controversies surrounding the 2020 presidential election. It remains to be seen how the State Election Board will proceed with the proposed rule changes and how they will address the differing perspectives on ensuring fair and secure elections in Georgia. Ultimately, the decisions made by the board will have a significant impact on voter confidence and the overall legitimacy of the electoral process in the state.
