Today, the Georgia NAACP submitted a statement to the Georgia State Election Board opposing Proposed Rules 183-1-12-.02 (Tabulating Results) and 183-1-14-.02(8) (Advance Voting). These proposed rules, both individually and collectively, would impose unnecessary administrative burdens on local election officials, requiring additional vote counts that increase the potential for mistakes during both advance voting and Election Day vote tabulations.
Under these proposed rules, at the close of each voting day—whether during early voting or on Election Day—ballot boxes must be unsealed, and the ballots hand-counted by three independent poll officers. They must reach agreement on the total count, and any discrepancies must be promptly investigated and documented. For early voting, ballot boxes containing more than 1,500 ballots must be counted at the end of each day. On Election Day, the poll manager or assistant poll manager can decide when to begin processing ballots: either at the end of the day, or, if a scanner has more than 750 ballots, the count may begin the next day and continue into the week leading up to county certification.
These rules would significantly increase the workload for poll workers, particularly in larger counties, extending their hours without any additional resources or funding allocated. The requirement to unseal and hand-count ballots daily introduces a greater risk of error due to fatigue. Mistakes made during this unnecessary process could lead to voter disenfranchisement and accusations of misconduct. Implementing such changes so close to the November elections would also create uncertainty in the vote tabulation and certification process. The Georgia NAACP urges the Board to reconsider these measures and repeal them immediately.
"The Georgia NAACP is committed to protecting the integrity of our electoral process and ensuring that every citizen's right to vote is upheld. The recent illegal rules set up by the Georgia State Election Board undermine these fundamental principles. As such, we are exploring all legal options to challenge these actions and safeguard the democratic process. The NAACP will not stand idly by while attempts are made to disenfranchise voters and compromise the fairness of our elections. We will continue to fight for justice and ensure that every vote counts."
- Gerald Griggs, President, Georgia NAACP
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