Georgia Election Board approves ballot hand count despite AG warning
By Ray Bogan (Political Correspondent)
The Georgia State Election Board has approved a new rule which will require poll workers to hand count ballots, despite a warning from the Georgia Attorney General’s Office that such a rule likely exceeds the board’s authority. The 3-2 vote Friday, Sept. 20, was part of a series of votes on about a dozen rules that pertained to absentee ballots, ballot chain of custody and partisan poll watchers.
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Georgia State Election Board approves rule requiring hand count of ballots
Click to see story on Associated Press NewsGeorgia State Election Board to vote on controversial rule opposed by many local officials
Click to see story on USA TodayGeorgia election board requires ballots be hand-counted despite warning from key GOP state officials
Click to see story on CNNPro-Trump Georgia election board votes to require hand counts of ballots
Click to see story on The Washington PostGeorgia State Election Board votes in favor of hand counting all ballots, spurring fears about November chaos
Click to see story on CBS NewsGeorgia election board votes to require ballots be hand-counted in November
Click to see story on NBC NewsGeorgia State Election Board approves rule requiring hand count of ballots
Click to see story on Barrie TodayIn Pivotal Georgia, Big Wrinkle Emerges in the Vote Count
Click to see story on NewserGeorgia election board orders hand count of votes in US presidential contest
Click to see story on ReutersGeorgia Election Board rules ballots must be hand counted
Click to see story on The HillGeorgia State Election Board approves rule to require number of ballots to be counted by hand after polls close
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Georgia State Election Board approves rule requiring hand count of ballots
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Click to see story on Elora Fergus TodayGeorgia Election Board Orders Hand-Counting of Ballots
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Click to see story on Salzburger NachrichtenGeorgia State Election Board approves rule requiring hand count of ballots
Click to see story on Bradford TodayGeorgia election board weighs hand count of votes in US presidential contest – Regional Media News
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Click to see story on Lawyers, Guns & MoneyGeorgia State Election Board approves rule requiring hand count of ballots
Click to see story on haltonhillstoday.caThe change comes 46 days before the general election and a little more than three weeks before early voting begins.
Critics said the new rule will unnecessarily delay election tabulation, and warned of possible mistakes by exhausted poll workers.
“On election day, I start at 5:30 in the morning and maybe finish by 9:30 pm, by which time my brain and I are pretty much mush,” Chatham County Poll Manager Barbara Gooby said. “To hand count the ballots we would need the following resources: time to rest between election day and hand counting, pay for all additional hours worked, magnifiers because the print on the ballots is teensy, someone to guard each precinct and ballot box when we’re not there.”
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Gooby said they would also need security for when workers are there and training on the specifics of the hand counting process.
Others said they thought the rules could help build confidence in election results.
“I’ll stay till the, as long as it takes to count those ballots and make our elections more better,” Richard Schroeder, a Georgia poll worker, told the board.
The chairman of the Election Board warned his fellow members against approving the rule.
“I want to make on the record that we’ll be going against the advice of our legal counsel by voting in the affirmative,” Chairman John Fervier told his colleagues.
“You are welcoming lawsuits. Lawsuits that will be dismissed,” Board member Janelle King responded. “I just read in our code what we can and can’t do, undisputed. I just want to be on record that I really am getting a little tired of encouraging lawsuits.”
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The board was warned by the Republican State Attorney General’s Office that its proposed rules go beyond their authority and “will likely be subject to an easy legal challenge.”
The attorney general’s office wrote of the hand counting proposal, “These proposed rules are not tethered to any statute — and are, therefore, likely the precise type of impermissible legislation that agencies cannot do.”
As the meeting continued, the board decided to wait to vote on at least one other rule until after the election.
Ray Bogan
The Georgia State Election Board approved a new rule which will require poll workers to hand count ballots, despite a warning from the State Attorney General that such a rule likely exceeds their authority. The 3-2 vote Friday was part of a series of votes on about a dozen rules that pertained to absentee ballots, ballot chain of custody, and partisan poll watchers.
The change comes 46 days before the general election and a little more than three weeks before early voting begins.
Critics said the new rule will unnecessarily delay election tabulation, and warned of possible mistakes by exhausted poll workers.
Barbara Gooby, Poll Manager, Chatham County: “On election day, I start at 530 in the morning and maybe finish by 9:30pm, by which time my brain and I are pretty much mush. To hand count the ballots. We would need the following resources, time to rest between Election Day and hand counting, pay for all additional hours worked magnifiers because the print on the ballots is Teensy. Someone to guard each precinct and ballot box when we’re not there..”
She went on to list more necessary resources.
But another poll worker said he thought the rules could help build confidence in election results.
Richard Schroeder, Georgia poll worker: “i’ll stay till the, as long as it takes to count those ballots and make our elections more better.”
The Chairman of the Election Board warned his fellow members against approving the rule.
John Fervier, Board Chairman: “I want to make on the record that we’ll be going against the advice of our legal counsel by voting in the affirmative.”
Janelle King, Board Member: “You are welcoming lawsuits. Lawsuits that will be dismissed. Lawsuits that we know will be dismissed. I just read in our code what we can and can’t do, undisputed. I just want to be on record that I really am getting a little tired of encouraging lawsuits.”
The board was warned by the Republican State Attorney General’s office that their proposed rules go beyond their authority and, “will likely be subject to an easy legal challenge.” The AGs office wrote of the hand counting proposal: “These proposed rules are not tethered to any statute—and are, therefore, likely the precise type of impermissible legislation that agencies cannot do.” =
As the meeting continued, the board decided to wait to vote on at least one other rule until after the election.
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Media Landscape
See who else is reporting on this story and which side of the political spectrum they lean. To read other sources, click on the plus signs below. Learn more about this dataBias Distribution
Left
Georgia State Election Board approves rule requiring hand count of ballots
Click to see story on Associated Press NewsGeorgia State Election Board to vote on controversial rule opposed by many local officials
Click to see story on USA TodayGeorgia election board requires ballots be hand-counted despite warning from key GOP state officials
Click to see story on CNNPro-Trump Georgia election board votes to require hand counts of ballots
Click to see story on The Washington PostGeorgia State Election Board votes in favor of hand counting all ballots, spurring fears about November chaos
Click to see story on CBS NewsGeorgia election board votes to require ballots be hand-counted in November
Click to see story on NBC NewsGeorgia State Election Board approves rule requiring hand count of ballots
Click to see story on Barrie TodayIn Pivotal Georgia, Big Wrinkle Emerges in the Vote Count
Click to see story on NewserGeorgia election board orders hand count of votes in US presidential contest
Click to see story on ReutersGeorgia Election Board rules ballots must be hand counted
Click to see story on The HillGeorgia State Election Board approves rule to require number of ballots to be counted by hand after polls close
Click to see story on Washington Top NewsGeorgia State Election Board approves rule requiring hand count of ballots
Click to see story on WKMGGeorgia Election Board to Require Hand Counted Ballots
Click to see story on Political WireGeorgia State Election Board approves rule requiring hand count of ballots
Click to see story on KOB 4State elections board votes to require hand-counting of ballots at polling places
Click to see story on WSB_TV Atlanta 2Georgia State Election Board approves rule requiring hand count of ballots
Click to see story on NewsdayGeorgia State Election Board approves rule requiring hand count of ballots
Click to see story on KEYTGeorgia State Election Board approves rule requiring hand count of ballots – KION546
Click to see story on KIONRight
Untracked Bias
Georgia State Election Board approves rule requiring hand count of ballots
Click to see story on Collingwood TodayGeorgia State Election Board approves rule requiring hand count of ballots
Click to see story on Thorold TodayGeorgia State Election Board approves rule requiring hand count of ballots
Click to see story on Elora Fergus TodayGeorgia Election Board Orders Hand-Counting of Ballots
Click to see story on PressNewsAgencyGeorgia State Election Board approves rule requiring hand count of ballots
Click to see story on CambridgeToday.caGeorgia Implements Controversial Hand-Count Rule for Paper Ballots
Click to see story on The World Without Fake News!Georgia State Election Board approves rule requiring hand count of ballots
Click to see story on WDEFGeorgia State Election Board approves rule requiring hand count of ballots – 41NBC News
Click to see story on 41NBC News | WMGT-DTUS state of Georgia orders controversial hand count
Click to see story on Salzburger NachrichtenGeorgia State Election Board approves rule requiring hand count of ballots
Click to see story on Bradford TodayGeorgia election board weighs hand count of votes in US presidential contest – Regional Media News
Click to see story on regionalmedianews.comGeorgia State Election Board approves rule requiring hand count of ballots
Click to see story on fitzhugh.caGeorgia Election Board Adopts Hand Count Rule Despite Warnings It Is Illegal – US Politics Live
Click to see story on Good Word NewsElection chaos – Lawyers, Guns & Money
Click to see story on Lawyers, Guns & MoneyGeorgia State Election Board approves rule requiring hand count of ballots
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