Record turnout for Georgia early voting as judge blocks hand-count rule

Early voting for the Nov. 5 presidential election has begun in Georgia, and the state is already seeing a record-breaking turnout. By late Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 15, more than 252,000 voters had cast their ballots at early voting sites, nearly doubling the 136,000 who voted on the first day of early voting during the 2020 election, according to a senior Georgia election official.

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This surge in early voting reflects the high stakes of this year’s election, with Georgia once again a key battleground state. The intense interest has been amplified by recent controversies over changes to election laws, which have sparked legal battles just weeks before Election Day.

Also on Tuesday, a state judge blocked a newly introduced rule that would have required Georgia Election Day ballots to be counted by hand after the close of voting. This decision came only a day after the same judge ruled that county election officials must still certify election results by the deadlines outlined in state law.

The now-blocked rule, proposed by the Republican-controlled State Election Board, would have required three poll workers at each precinct to conduct a hand count of physical ballots, verifying that their tallies matched. The rule, which was set to go into effect just weeks before the election, sparked significant opposition from election officials across the state. They argued that hand-counting ballots is time-consuming, prone to error, and could delay the reporting of results, especially in larger counties.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, had criticized the hand-counting mandate, calling it “misguided” and warning that it would add unnecessary complexity to an already challenging election season. Election workers also expressed concern over the logistics of training poll workers in time for the rule to be implemented.

Fulton County Superior Judge Robert McBurney, in his ruling, agreed to pause the rule, stating that the public would not be harmed by delaying its implementation. He noted the charged political atmosphere surrounding this election, referencing the unresolved tensions following the 2020 presidential election and the Capitol insurrection on January 6. In his 8-page ruling, McBurney wrote, “Anything that adds uncertainty and disorder to the electoral process disserves the public.”

Despite the record turnout on the first day of early voting, the legal battles are far from over. Additional lawsuits challenging the state’s election laws are still pending, including one focused on absentee ballot procedures and the reduction of ballot drop boxes, which were widely used during the 2020 election.

Georgia has emerged as a crucial state in the upcoming election, with both major parties mobilizing voters for what is expected to be a close and contentious race.