Swing State Election Board Issues Major Ruling That Could Benefit Trump

The Georgia State Election Board has approved a new rule that will significantly alter the process of counting votes in one of the most closely watched swing states in the 2024 presidential election. By a narrow 3-2 vote, the board decided that all paper ballots must be counted by hand on election night.

The rule, supported by three board members and praised by former President Donald Trump, faces opposition from both the Democrat Party and some high-ranking Republicans in the state, including the Secretary of State and the Attorney General. They argue that the decision will unnecessarily delay the reporting of results.

The Associated Press reported that the rule mandates the counting of paper ballots not votes by three different poll workers at each polling location until their counts align. Additionally, if a scanner contains more than 750 ballots at the close of voting, poll managers have the discretion to start the count on the next day.

Secretary of State Raffensperger expressed his reservations about the latest adjustments to the voting procedures during a Thursday interview with NBC News. "We consider these major changes to the election process," he said. "I guess we have several concerns. Number one is the actual counting of the number of ballots that you have at the precinct. That's going to take time. Everything that we've done for the last six years has to speed up the process to give the voters the results quicker, and all of a sudden now they're adding an element that it's actually going to take longer."

In a memo to election board members, the office of State Attorney General Chris Carr clarified that state law does not permit the hand counting of ballots at precincts before they are delivered to county election superintendents for official tallying. According to the memo, the new rule lacks a legal foundation, stating it is "not tethered to any statute" and represents "likely the precise kind of impermissible legislation that agencies cannot do."

Former Trump spokesperson Liz Harrington wrote on X, "GREAT NEWS! GA State Election Board passes 3-2 resolution 181-1-12-.12 ... HAND COUNT at precinct level to ensure the totals match with the machines. This is a HUGE win and was opposed by the Fake News, the Left, and Raffensperger."

The last election in Georgia became a major focus for President Trump and his supporters, who raised serious concerns about the integrity of the vote-counting process in the state. The state, a traditionally red state, flipped narrowly to Joe Biden, and many questioned whether the election was handled fairly, especially in heavily Democratic areas like Fulton County. Key allegations from Trump's legal team centered around absentee ballots, arguing that signature verification wasn't adequately enforced, leading to concerns about the validity of some votes. There were also claims that ballots were counted after the deadline, a violation of state election laws. Trump and his allies pushed for audits and recounts to address these irregularities, demanding transparency in the process.

A video from Atlanta's State Farm Arena became a flashpoint when it appeared to show election workers continuing to process ballots after poll watchers had been dismissed. Many Trump supporters saw this as evidence of improper activity happening behind closed doors. While Georgia election officials, led by Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, insisted that everything was above board, these explanations did little to satisfy those who believed the election was tainted. Despite a hand recount and a machine recount, which ultimately reaffirmed Biden's victory by a margin of about 12,000 votes, questions about the integrity of Georgia's election continue to resonate with many Trump supporters.

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