by Kaelan Deese at Washington Examiner
The Georgia State Election Board voted 3-2 on Friday to require counties to hand-count all ballots, in addition to machine tallies, in the 2024 election.
The decision, driven by the board’s Republican majority, means that ballots in Georgia will be hand-counted by election workers the night of Nov. 5 in addition to the normal machine tallies that take place. The move was celebrated by allies of former President Donald Trump, who believe that the changes will help alleviate concerns of voter fraud the former president raised four years ago in relation to President Joe Biden’s narrow victory in the Peach State.
GREAT NEWS!
GA State Election Board passes 3-2 resolution 181-1-12-.12
HAND COUNT at precinct level to ensure the totals match with the machines
This is a HUGE win and was opposed by the Fake News, the Left, and Raffensperger pic.twitter.com/12FxvV9Tf4
— Liz Harrington (@realLizUSA) September 20, 2024
“GREAT NEWS!” former Trump spokeswoman Liz Harrington said, praising the passage of the resolution. “HAND COUNT at precinct level to ensure the totals match with the machines … This is a HUGE win and was opposed by the Fake News, the Left, and Raffensperger.”
The decision also sparked some criticism from election officials and democracy advocates who fear it will cause delays, errors, and increased costs for the state. In the 2020 election, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced six days after Election Day that there would be a statewide hand recount, and the results were not certified until Nov. 20.
Opponents argue that the hand count could take weeks or months,…