Georgia judge blocks rule requiring manual counting of ballots

In September, the Electoral Council of this key state, led by a pro-Trump majority, validated this controversial rule, which could have considerably delayed the communication of the results.

It is one of the key states where the result of the American presidential election could be decided in November. A Georgia judge blocked a measure requiring manual counting of ballots on Tuesday, October 15. In his decision, Judge Robert McBurney of Fulton County Superior Court ruled that this new rule would disrupt the electoral process just weeks before the November 5 vote and that it was therefore “too late” to accept it.

In September, the Georgia State Board of Elections, led by a pro-Trump majority, issued a controversial rule requiring ballots to be counted by hand, a measure that could have significantly delayed the reporting of results. Gold, “anything that adds uncertainty and disorder to the electoral process harms the public”estimated Judge Robert McBurney, who therefore decided to suspend this measure.

According to Georgian officials from both political camps, manual counting is unnecessary because machines already count ballots, but it is also a potential tool to sow doubt by slowing down the process and creating space for misinformation if discrepancies arise. appear. After the last presidential election, in 2020, Donald Trump was indicted for attempting to illicitly reverse the results of the election in the state of Georgia in order to achieve the annulment of his defeat.

Three weeks before the presidential election, Georgia opened polling stations on Tuesday in order to be able to vote physically, without waiting for November 5. On the first day of advance voting in this state, the offices recorded record attendance, with more than 328,000 votes already recorded.