A controversial rule requiring hand-counting of ballots in Georgia’s upcoming Nov. 5 election has been temporarily blocked, disrupting efforts by Republican allies of Donald Trump to change the state’s election procedures. The new rule, passed on Sept. 20 by a conservative majority on the state’s election board, aimed to boost “security” but has sparked backlash for potentially derailing election timelines.
Early voting kicked off on Tuesday with record turnout, making Georgia one of the key battlegrounds in the 2024 presidential race between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump, still haunted by his 2020 loss in the state, had promoted claims of widespread election fraud—claims debunked by multiple recounts and investigations.
The judge, Robert McBurney, halted the rule, warning it would introduce confusion just weeks before voters head to the polls. “Adding uncertainty to an already intricate process does a disservice to the public,” he wrote in his decision.
The hand-count rule would have required three workers in each of Georgia’s 6,500+ precincts to manually tally ballots already scanned by machines—an operation that would begin on election night. While Republicans argued the measure would ensure accuracy, critics said it would create delays, chaos, and new risks.
Voting rights groups cautioned that the rule could empower local election officials to delay or obstruct the certification of results, while Georgia’s attorney general’s office flagged concerns about the board overstepping its authority.
McBurney clarified that the ruling was only a pause, not a final verdict on the legality of the rule. If appealed, higher courts could still overturn the decision. Meanwhile, McBurney also issued a separate ruling reinforcing that local election officials must certify election results, dismissing arguments that counties could refuse if they doubted the outcome.
Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who clashed with Trump in 2020 over election integrity, had warned in advance of the rule’s adoption that it risked introducing “errors, lost ballots, or fraud.” But supporters of the rule, like board member Janelle King, maintained it was worth slowing down the process to ensure accuracy.
Democrats applauded the judge’s decision, framing it as a safeguard for the election. “This rule was designed to delay results and sow doubt—blocking it helps keep our democracy intact,” said party officials aligned with the Harris campaign.
As legal battles continue over this and other election rule changes in Georgia, Trump remains under criminal indictment for allegedly trying to pressure officials to overturn the 2020 election. He denies any wrongdoing and has pleaded not guilty.
With the Nov. 5 election on the horizon, all eyes remain on Georgia, where procedural wrangling threatens to influence not just local races but the outcome of the national presidential contest.
