Georgia’s Election Board Should Pass the Rule to Implement Reconciliation Prior to Certification
TownhallAug 17
Georgia Election Board Approves New Certification Rule
Above: Election personnel check ballots in Georgia in November 2020. Image copyright: Elijah Nouvelage/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
The Georgia State Election Board approved a new rule on Monday, by a 3-2 margin, authorizing any member of a county board of election "to examine all election related documentation created" during the election process prior to certifying the results.
The change also requires local election officials to meet no later than 3 pm on the Friday after Election Day to compare the total number of ballots cast and the total number of voters in each precinct before certifying results and allows the board to "determine a method to compute votes justly" if the figures can't be reconciled.
The Spin
Republican narrative
These rules are common-sense solutions to the problem of citizens losing faith in the integrity of the election system. The only people who would object to a rule ensuring enforcement of the one-person, one-vote policy are those aiming to do something nefarious to the elections. Now Georgians can cast their votes with confidence they'll be properly counted.
Democratic narrative
These rules adopted by the board seem neutral, but — in light of the partisan makeup of the board and its members' ties to Trump — are obviously an effort to make it easier to delay or prevent certification of the results. Trump failed to steal Georgia in 2020, and his allies are trying to pave the way for fraud — disguised as transparency — in 2024.