Election directors from across Georgia are urging the State Election Board to stop changing rules so close to the upcoming presidential contest.
The warning from the Georgia Association of Voter Registration and Election Officials on Tuesday comes after the board’s Republican majority approved new steps in the process before election results can be certified. The board is also considering a requirement to hand-count ballots to ensure totals match the number recorded by voting machines.
“We are already in the midst of extensive training preparation for our poll workers and preparing for one of the biggest and most scrutinized elections in years,” said Travis Doss, elections director in Richmond County and GAVREO’s president. “Any last-minute changes to the rules risk undermining the public’s trust.”
The election officials’ organization said in a statement that new rules will create confusion and strain among poll workers who are trying to create an efficient voting process.
“This could ultimately lead to errors or delays in voting, which is the last thing anyone wants,” Doss said.
The Republican National Committee praised the board for passing the rules, saying they will increase election security and accuracy.
“Protecting the vote and ensuring ballots are cast and counted properly benefits all legal voters,” RNC Chairman Michael Whatley said. “This is not a partisan issue — it is common sense to uphold systems that give every legal vote its due. These steps by the State Election Board are critical to securing the election in Georgia and correcting its long history of chaos.”
Republican Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger blasted the proposals debated Monday as a last-minute “effort to impose new rule making” that could cause chaos.
Under the rule approved Monday, county election boards must hold a new meeting to verify vote counts on the Friday after election day, before the deadline for the return of overseas and military ballots.
The rule also allows board members to examine all election-related documents and certify elections only after discrepancies are investigated. If errors are discovered, election boards must determine a method to compute votes.
At least 19 county election board members have objected to certifying elections since then-President Donald Trump claimed he lost in 2020 because the election was rigged, according to a statewide survey by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. State election investigations have repeatedly debunked the Republican’s allegations of widespread fraud but verified vote-counting errors.
But the Republican-led General Assembly has passed new election laws every year since then, calling them “election integrity” measures.
The current pending rule for hand-counting ballots would require three poll workers to confirm that the number of ballots cast is correct. Based on opposition from election directors, the State Election Board amended the proposal to allow verification of ballot counts the day after election day rather than mandating it on election night.
The ballot-counting rule is scheduled for consideration and a vote by the State Election Board next month.
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