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The Republican National Committee and Georgia Republican Party appealed a Georgia judge’s decision striking down seven new rules for the upcoming election, including one rule that would have required thousands of poll workers to hand-count ballots.
Judge Thomas A. Cox Jr. determined that the seven rules each contradicted Georgia’s election laws and exceeded the authority of the Georgia State Election Board, which has passed a flurry of new requirements in the final weeks of the election.
Many controversial rules have been passed by the board’s three-person Republican majority, who were praised by former President Donald Trump at an August rally as “pit bulls.” In some instances, that majority rejected the assessment from Republican Attorney General Chris Carr that proposed rules were probably unlawful.
The lawsuit was brought by a conservative advocacy group, Eternal Vigilance Action Inc., against the state board, and the state and national Republicans got court permission to join the case so they could also defend the rules. In a court filing ahead of Cox’s decision, the Republican groups said the new rules fell within the board’s duty to ensure local election officials engage in uniform practices.
The Thursday Republican notice of appeal didn’t outline the arguments they plan to raise, but did say they are seeking to go straight to the Supreme Court of Georgia.
The state board’s hand-count rule, which was passed Sept. 20 and slated to go into effect Oct. 22, had come under especially intense scrutiny. Georgia Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said the rule could lead to “error, lost or stolen ballots, and fraud.”
Defenders of the rule said it would strengthen the vote-counting process and wouldn’t change the Nov. 12 state deadline for counties to certify results.
A day before Cox’s decision, another Georgia judge had already placed a temporary hold on the hand-count rule to stop it from going into effect for the upcoming election.
The other six rules Cox struck down would:
- Require a “reasonable inquiry” by local officials before certifying election results
- Give county election board members access to all election-related documents generated as the election was being conducted;
- Make absentee ballot deliverers provide a signature and photo ID at delivery;
- Require video surveillance and recording of authorized drop boxes after the close of polls;
- Expand mandatory, designated poll-watching areas; and
- Add new rules for the county board of registrars in reporting absentee ballot information.
