Judge Hits Pause on Georgia Hand-Count Ballot Rule

In recent news, a Georgia judge stopped a new rule that would've made counties manually count ballots, criticizing state officials for rushing it close to Election Day. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney pointed out that there were no trained staff, no guidelines for write-in ballots, and no extra budget for more people and expenses needed for hand-counting. He felt this could cause chaos and not help ensure fair and orderly elections. The rule was supposed to start on October 22, requiring counties to count ballots by hand to match machine tallies, but not to count votes for candidates. Democrats welcomed the judge's decision, as they saw the rule as an attempt to delay and doubt election results. The rule has bipartisan critics because it was introduced late, close to the election.Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has raised concerns about this rule, stating it could slow down result reporting, create a space for misinformation, and cause issues with ballot handling. Judge McBurney agreed, calling the rule "too much, too late. " He emphasized that the election season is sensitive, and anything that adds uncertainty to the process doesn't help the public. Judge McBurney is also managing other notable election cases in Georgia. One case involves a rule from August that asks local officials to investigate election results before certifying them. Democrats fear this could lead to delays or refusals to certify results.