Comment to the Georgia State Election Board: Reject new hand-counting procedures for cast ballot amounts during advance voting

The Georgia State Election Board is considering an amendment to Rule 183–1–2–14-.02 that would require new hand counting procedures for advance voting. These procedures would task election workers with hand-counting cast ballot amounts to cross-check with numbers found in “precinct poll pads,” ballot marking devices, and the interim count of ballots from the ballot scanners. Workers would then be directed to correct perceived inconsistencies between these varying records before placing voted ballots in sealable containers.

Although the petition states that these amendments are necessary to “enhance [] election integrity,” provide “more accurate results,” and create “a more uniform procedure” through all voting periods footnote1_6WKys9rjGci3IiXCUqQu2qy6B6bNKOu439AdWzyQZGk_z5Wxqw8QMYZ71Petition to Amend Rule 183–1–14-.02, presented by Fayette County Board of Elections Member Sharlene Alexander, the impact the amendments would have is the opposite. The amendments would complicate the chain of custody process and potentially introduce misinformation and fraud accusations. Additionally, implementing these changes at this juncture would require significant and rushed adjustments to training materials and resources for election staff. The current security protocols already ensure election integrity – which the Secretary of State’s office emphasized when advising against the proposed process in 2022 footnote2_tPQTn0uxslXUOLjv5BPEpPdb7tTb6FGUoO254xgjzIs_a2xrNUHD2oE72Petition to Amend Rule 183–1–14-.02, presented by Fayette County Board of Elections Member Sharlene Alexander (Exhibit A).– without creating this unnecessary burden for election officials.

The comment was submitted by the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law and United to Protect Democracy and details the myriad of potential issues raised by the amendments as well as the strengths of current safeguards.