Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger voiced his opposition last Thursday to a set of proposed election rule amendments that the State Election Board is currently evaluating. Central to these proposed changes is an initiative that would necessitate the hand counting of ballots at polling sites on election night by three different poll workers, in an attempt to validate the counts recorded by voting machines. FOX 5 Atlanta reported that this proposal is open for public feedback before the board votes on its potential adoption tomorrow.
Labeling the initiative as "misguided," Raffensperger argues it could not only slow the reporting of election results but also, could bring about risks involving ballots' chain of custody. "Activists seeking to impose last-minute changes in election procedures outside of the legislative process undermine voter confidence and burden election workers," Raffensperger stated in a news release, as noted by WSB-TV. In recent times, the State Election Board has taken in several rule proposals from activists, a number of whom are supporters of former President Donald Trump who has, without substantiated evidence, asserted that voter fraud was rampant in Georgia's 2020 presidential election.
Behind the proposal is Sharlene Alexander, a member of the Fayette County Board of Elections and Voter Registration, who has called for poll workers to tally ballots in groups of 50 until they reach a consistent total or detect and address any discrepancies with the voter check-in numbers, the voting machines, and the scanner recap forms. However, Blake Evans, the director of elections for the secretary of state’s office, recommended against such hand counts in an October 2022 email, citing sections of Georgia law and State Election Board regulations that prioritize the security of ballots being immediately sealed for transit post-election.
Raffensperger further criticized the State Election Board, describing its members as "unelected bureaucrats who have never run an election," who seem to dismiss the insights of seasoned election professionals, as reported by WSB-TV. The board is a five-member body with individuals appointed by the state House and Senate, the Republican and Democratic parties, and a nonpartisan chair chosen by the General Assembly or by the governor if the legislature is not in session to handle a vacancy. Queries directed to spokespeople for Gov. Brian Kemp, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, and state House Speaker Jon Burns, did not immediately render responses.
