Georgia Judge Blocks Hand Counting of Ballots for November Presidential Election

Georgia Judge Blocks Hand Counting

A judge in Georgia has issued a ruling that blocks a recent order for hand-counting ballots in the upcoming presidential election, citing concerns over the potential for "administrative chaos." Judge Robert McBurney stated that poll workers were unlikely to be adequately trained to manage the millions of ballots that would be involved in a manual count.

The hand-counting rule was implemented by a pro-Trump majority on the state’s election board, but its last-minute nature raised alarms about the integrity and efficiency of the electoral process. This decision was welcomed by Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, as early voting commenced in Georgia with record participation—over 328,000 votes were cast on the first day, significantly surpassing the previous record of 136,000 in 2020.

Georgia is a critical swing state, where Joe Biden won by a narrow margin of about 12,000 votes in the last presidential election. Despite the results, former President Donald Trump continues to contest the election outcome, having faced multiple charges related to attempts to overturn the results.

The contested hand-counting rule required three poll workers in over 6,500 precincts to manually verify ballots already scanned, which critics argued could be used to stall or manipulate the certification of results. Judge McBurney emphasized the need for public confidence in the election process, referencing the turmoil surrounding the January 6 Capitol attack.

On the same day, Trump held a rally in Atlanta, urging his supporters to deliver a decisive victory, while Harris focused on mobilizing Black voters, stressing the importance of participation in the political process. In a related ruling, McBurney mandated that election board members must certify vote results, addressing concerns raised by the refusal of a Republican appointee to do so earlier this year. This ruling is part of several ongoing election-related legal challenges in Georgia, a key battleground in the upcoming election between Trump and Harris.

Georgia Judge Blocks Hand Counting of Ballots for November Presidential Election