Official certification announcements from Georgia's Secretary of State office

Judge McBurney Rules Georgia Election Certification Mandatory Under Any Circumstances

Oct 15, 2024, 01:50 PM

A Georgia judge ruled on Tuesday that county election officials cannot refuse to certify election results, declaring that certification is mandatory under state law. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney stated that election superintendents have a mandatory and ministerial duty to certify outcomes and cannot abstain under any circumstances. He emphasized that "no election superintendent or member of a board of elections and registration may refuse to certify or abstain from certifying election results under any circumstance." This decision comes ahead of the 2024 presidential election, ensuring that officials cannot delay or decline certification based on suspicions of miscounts or fraud. The ruling addresses concerns that some officials might attempt to sow chaos by delaying vote counts and is seen as a defeat for election deniers in Georgia.