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Despite these concerns, Trump supporters are hailing the decision as a victory for election transparency. Former Trump spokesperson Liz Harrington took to social media to praise the decision, writing, “GREAT NEWS! GA State Election Board passes 3-2 resolution 181-1-12-.12… HAND COUNT at precinct level to ensure the totals match with the machines. This is a HUGE win and was opposed by the Fake News, the Left, and Raffensperger.”
However, this new rule is likely to face legal challenges. Attorney General Chris Carr’s office has already issued a memo to the election board, arguing that the rule lacks a solid legal foundation. The memo pointed out that under current state law, ballots must be delivered to county election superintendents for official counting, not handled at the precinct level. Carr’s memo stated, “The new rule lacks a legal foundation, stating it is ‘not tethered to any statute’ and represents ‘likely the precise kind of impermissible legislation that agencies cannot do.’”
These legal concerns have added a new layer of complexity to the already heated debate over election security and the fairness of the vote-counting process in Georgia. Trump and his allies have long argued that the 2020 election in Georgia was marred by irregularities, particularly in heavily Democratic areas like Fulton County. The close margin by which Georgia flipped to Joe Biden has left many Trump supporters questioning whether the election was conducted fairly, with specific concerns centered around absentee ballots and signature verification.
Georgia became a battleground for election disputes after the 2020 election, with Trump’s legal team arguing that widespread irregularities had influenced the outcome. One of the key flashpoints during that time was a video from Atlanta’s State Farm Arena, which appeared to show election workers processing ballots after poll watchers had left. Many Trump supporters believed this was evidence of improper activity happening behind closed doors, and while Georgia election officials, led by Secretary of State Raffensperger, maintained that everything was lawful, the incident has continued to fuel doubts about the integrity of the process.
Even after a hand recount and a machine recount confirmed Biden’s victory by roughly 12,000 votes, questions about the transparency and fairness of the 2020 election in Georgia have persisted. These concerns have only grown with the passage of the new hand-counting rule, which could give Trump a new reason to focus his attention on Georgia in 2024.
The decision by the Georgia State Election Board is just the latest chapter in the ongoing saga of election reform in swing states, where even small changes to the voting process can have a massive impact. For Trump and his supporters, the hand-counting rule represents a step toward greater accountability and transparency in elections, potentially restoring confidence in the process.
But for Democrats and establishment Republicans, the move is seen as a step backward, one that could throw the election into uncertainty and lead to longer delays in determining the winner. As Attorney General Carr’s memo warns, this change could lead to significant legal battles in the months leading up to the 2024 election.
The battle over election integrity in Georgia is far from over, and as 2024 approaches, the state will continue to be one of the most closely watched battlegrounds in the nation. With Trump once again a potential candidate, the stakes couldn’t be higher, and every vote—and every rule governing those votes—will matter more than ever.
