The Georgia State Election Board is considering an amendment to Rule 183–1–12-.12(a)(5) that would require new hand counting procedures after the polls close on Election Day. The amended rulemaking continues to task election workers with additional, onerous steps after the polls close, such as independently hand-counting cast ballot amounts to cross-check with numbers found in “precinct poll pads,” ballot marking devices which print ballots that voters may choose to spoil before casting, and the interim count of ballots from the ballot scanners. At a time where counties are already struggling to hire enough poll workers, it is a step in the wrong direction to adopt a rule that has led some poll workers to threaten resignation.
The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law submitted a comment describing the insufficient nature of the amendments to these procedures, potential hazards of the amendment, and the superiority of current safeguards.
