A judge in Georgia has issued a ruling that prevents a hand count of ballots for the upcoming presidential election, which is set to take place on November 5. Judge Robert McBurney determined that poll workers would lack the necessary training to manage millions of ballots and cautioned that implementing such a last-minute change would lead to “administrative chaos.”
The hand count directive was approved by a pro-Trump majority on the Georgia election board last month. Following the ruling, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris expressed her approval, emphasizing the importance of maintaining confidence in the electoral process.
Early voting commenced in Georgia on Tuesday, with record numbers of voters participating in this crucial swing state. More than 328,000 individuals voted in person or by mail on the first day, surpassing the previous record of 136,000 set in 2020.
In the last presidential election, approximately five million votes were cast in Georgia, with Democrat Joe Biden securing a narrow victory by just under 12,000 votes. Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly contested the legitimacy of that election, and he currently faces eight charges related to alleged attempts to alter the election outcome.
Judge McBurney’s ruling noted that the proposed hand count rule would require three poll workers in each of Georgia’s over 6,500 precincts to open sealed ballot boxes that had already been scanned by machines. Critics of the rule argued that it could enable election board members to postpone or obstruct the certification of the election results.
In his decision, McBurney remarked that the “11th-and-one-half-hour implementation of the hand count rule” would erode public trust in the electoral outcome. He stated, “This election season is fraught; memories of January 6 have not faded away, regardless of one’s view of that date’s fame or infamy. Anything that adds uncertainty and disorder to the electoral process disserves the public.”
On the same day as the ruling, Trump held a rally in Atlanta, urging supporters to deliver a victory “too big to rig,” in reference to his unfounded claims that the 2020 election was stolen.
Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris intensified outreach efforts to Black voters, following indications that Trump was gaining support within that demographic. In an interview with radio host Charlamagne (real name Lenard McKelvey), she encouraged Black voters to remain engaged in politics, stating, “The things that we want, and are prepared to fight for, won’t happen if we’re not active and if we don’t participate.” Her campaign welcomed the judge’s decision as a measure against sowing doubt in the voting process.
In a related ruling on Monday, Judge McBurney mandated that election board members must certify vote results, following a Republican appointee’s refusal to certify the results of Georgia’s presidential primary earlier this year. This certification case is among several election-related matters currently progressing through Georgia’s courts, as the state remains a key battleground in the upcoming election between Trump and Harris.
