A Georgia judge halted the planned counting of ballots on election night, ruling Tuesday that it would cause “administrative chaos” if poll workers were required to handle millions of ballots without training.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney found the controversial law was “too far, far too late” to apply to the 2024 election – which is three weeks away.
“The public interest is not served by pressing for a stay here,” he wrote in his decision. “This election season is full of chaos; the memories of Jan. 6 have not ended, no matter how one looks at the glory of that day or the dignity of that day. Anything that adds uncertainty and chaos to the election process can be said to be rejected by the public.”
HOME OFFICIALS FACE GEORGIA BOARD OF ELECTIONS OVER LAW THAT COULD GO INTO NOVEMBER.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney speaks during a hearing on the final report of a special jury looking into interference in the 2020 presidential election. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)
McBurney said in his decision that his decision was not final and that it will be clarified later, but not until after the election.
“Our Boards of Elections and Superintendents have a legal responsibility to ensure that elections are ‘fairly, effectively, and uniformly conducted,'” she said. “Failure to comply with legal obligations such as these could result in SEB investigation, suspension or criminal prosecution.”
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The law, passed by the Republican State Board of Elections, was set to go into effect on October 22, just two weeks before the election, and after early voting in the Peach State was well underway.
Supporters of Republican presidential nominee and former US President Donald Trump attend a campaign event at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center in Atlanta, Oct. 15, 2024. (REUTERS/Dustin Chambers)
The legislation, which was suspended by McBurney, was defeated in September on a 3-2 vote but was challenged in court by Georgia Democratic officials.
Election workers oversee early election voting at a polling station in Marietta, Georgia, Oct. 15, 2024. (REUTERS/Jayla Whitfield-Anderson)
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The law would have required polling station managers and polling officials to open the ballot boxes and manually count the votes to ensure that the tally matched the total votes counted by the machine.
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