Georgia judge blocks rule requiring hand-count of ballots

A Georgia judge on Tuesday temporarily halted a new rule requiring poll workers to hand count ballots in November’s U.S. elections, in a defeat for Donald Trump, whose Republican allies pushed the change after he lost the battleground state in 2020.

The hand-count rule was passed on Sept. 20 by a pro-Trump conservative majority of Georgia’s election board, who said they were attempting to make the Nov. 5 election more secure and transparent.

Democrats had said the change would sow chaos and delay results.

Georgia, where early voting began in record numbers on Tuesday, is one of seven battleground states likely to determine the presidential contest between the former president and his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris. In 2020, Trump made false claims of widespread voting fraud in the Southern state.

Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney said in his decision on Tuesday that it was appropriate to pause the vote counting rule because it introduced fresh uncertainty into the process just weeks before Election Day.

“Anything that adds uncertainty and disorder to the electoral process disserves the public,” according to the decision.

“The administrative chaos that will – not may – ensue is entirely inconsistent with the obligations of our boards of elections (and the State Election Board) to ensure that our elections are fair, legal, and orderly,” the judge wrote.

Georgia State Election Board Executive Director Mike Coan said in a statement that the board’s majority is disappointed with the ruling but respects the decision.

“We respect the judge’s decision and agree with him that it was a good rule but have a sincere disagreement that it was too close to the election,” Coan said.

A representative of the Republican National Committee did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

The judge did not say the rule was illegal but that it was appropriate to pause it pending further review. An appeals court could potentially reverse the decision.

Democrats hailed McBurney’s ruling as a win for voters.

“Our democracy is stronger thanks to this decision to block it,” party officials said in a statement provided by the Harris campaign.