Joe.My.God. LGBT News
The Georgia Recorder reports:
The Georgia State Election Board pushed through proposed right-wing Republican election rules Tuesday that have sparked fierce debates over giving county officials greater authority to refuse to certify voter tallies.
Tuesday’s election board meeting comes on the heels of Saturday’s campaign rally in Atlanta where former President Donald Trump praised conservative Georgia election board members Rick Jeffares, Janice Johnston, and Janelle King for their staunch support of new election policies in Georgia.
The new rule allows local election board members to request insight from election supervisors and staff as well as access other election-related materials to base their decision to sign off on the vote count local officials provide, or refuse to certify the results.
The New York Times reports:
Across the country, conservative organizations and allies of Mr. Trump have sought to create new laws or win court rulings granting local officials more authority over the certification process. In Arizona, conservatives are targeting the state’s election manual with several lawsuits. In Nevada, an official in the state’s second-largest county refused to certify a recent election, setting up a legal test at the State Supreme Court.
And in Georgia, even before the state election board’s meeting on Tuesday, allies of Mr. Trump were seeking a similar resolution in the courts. In May, the America First Policy Institute filed a lawsuit on behalf of a member of the Fulton County, Ga., election board, arguing that she had the discretion to refuse certification and conduct an investigation because, as part of her oath, she had sworn to “prevent fraud, deceit and abuse.”
Democrats are expected to sue.
Ga state election board just voted 3-2 to make it easier for a county election board member to delay or refuse to certify November’s election.
The 3 who voted in favor are the same ones Trump called out *by name* and described as his “pit bulls bulls fighting for victory”#gapol https://t.co/0WbYGsdmOG
— Rep. Saira Draper (@SairaForGeorgia) August 6, 2024
A new Georgia election rule approved Tuesday requires an undefined “reasonable inquiry” before certifying results, potentially giving partisan county election board members more discretion to reject the outcome. #gapol https://t.co/btUWloNLka
— Mark Niesse (@markniesse) August 6, 2024