Georgia Election Board Approves New Certification Rule
The Georgia State Election Board approved a new rule on Monday, by a 3-2 margin, authorizing any member of a county board of election 'to examine all election related documentation created' during the election process prior to certifying the results....
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Facts
- The Georgia State Election Board approved a new rule on Monday, by a 3-2 margin, authorizing any member of a county board of election 'to examine all election related documentation created' during the election process prior to certifying the results.[1][2]
- The change also requires local election officials to meet no later than 3 pm on the Friday after Election Day to compare the total number of ballots cast and the total number of voters in each precinct before certifying results and allows the board to 'determine a method to compute votes justly' if the figures can't be reconciled.[1][2]
- Earlier this month, the state board adopted a rule requiring county election officials to make a 'reasonable inquiry' into any irregularities prior to signing statements that results are accurate — though not defining the term.[3][4]
- All three members who voted in favor of the newest rule were praised by former Pres. and Republican nominee Donald Trump as 'pit bulls fighting for honesty, transparency, and victory' at a rally in Atlanta on Saturday.[5][6]
- This comes as Trump has claimed for years that the 2020 election was stolen, including urging Republican Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to 'find' enough votes to overturn the state's results in a phone call in January 2021.[4][5]
- Raffensperger, who was ousted from any control of the election board and has been accused of party disloyalty after refusing demands from Trump, said the last-minute new rule could undermine confidence in the election system.[6][5][7]
Sources: [1]Guardian, [2]Georgia Recorder, [3]Associated Press, [4]Reuters.com, [5]Wsj, [6]FOX 5 Atlanta and [7]AJC.
Narratives
- Republican narrative, as provided by Townhall. These rules are common-sense solutions to the problem of citizens losing faith in the integrity of the election system. The only people who would object to a rule ensuring enforcement of the one-person, one-vote policy are those aiming to do something nefarious to the elections. Now Georgians can cast their votes with confidence they'll be properly counted.
- Democratic narrative, as provided by MSNBC. These rules adopted by the board seem neutral, but — in light of the partisan makeup of the board and its members' ties to Trump — are obviously an effort to make it easier to delay or prevent certification of the results. Trump failed to steal Georgia in 2020, and his allies are trying to pave the way for fraud — disguised as transparency — in 2024.
