Judge Robert McBurney Blocks Georgia's Hand-Counting Ballot Rule, Calls It 'Too Much, Too Late'

Oct 16, 2024, 07:05 AM

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney has temporarily blocked a new rule passed by Georgia's Republican-led State Election Board that would have required poll workers to hand-count all Election Day ballots when polls close on November 5. The judge called the hand-counting requirement "too much, too late" to implement before the 2024 election, stating that it would create "administrative chaos" and introduce uncertainty into the election process just weeks before Election Day. The hand-count rule was passed on September 20 by a pro-Trump majority on the election board, who said it was intended to make the November 5 election more secure and transparent. Opponents, including Cobb County's election board which filed a lawsuit, argued that the rule would almost certainly lead to errors and delays in reporting results. The ruling restores the status quo and is considered a significant victory by groups like the NAACP, and a defeat for Donald Trump whose allies pushed for the change after his loss in Georgia in 2020.