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Jimmy Williams
Georgia’s Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, voiced strong opposition last week against a proposed election rule change that would mandate the hand counting of ballots at polling places on election night.
This proposal, advanced by the State Election Board in July, would require three poll workers to count ballots by hand to ensure they match the totals recorded by voting machines. However, Raffensperger has criticized this move as “misguided,” warning that it could lead to delays in reporting election results and compromise the security of ballot handling.
Raffensperger, Georgia’s top elections official, has emphasized the potential drawbacks of this rule change. According to him, requiring hand counts at polling places could significantly delay the timely reporting of election results and introduce risks to the chain of custody procedures for ballots. He expressed his concerns in a news release, stating, “Activists seeking to impose last-minute changes in election procedures outside of the legislative process undermine voter confidence and burden election workers.”
The proposal to hand count ballots was submitted by Sharlene Alexander, a member of the Fayette County Board of Elections and Voter Registration. The plan calls for three poll workers to independently count and verify the ballots at voting precincts, a practice Alexander claims was a “long-standing tradition” in Fayette County before being halted by an email from Blake Evans, the director of elections for the secretary of state’s office, in October 2022. Evans’ email advised against hand counting to ensure ballot security and comply with Georgia law and State Election Board rules.
The State Election Board, which is set to vote on the proposal Monday, has been at the center of a broader debate on election security and integrity, especially in the wake of the 2020 presidential election. Many of the recent rule proposals have come from activists aligned with former President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly and baselessly claimed that voter fraud cost him the election in Georgia.
The board comprises five members, including appointees from the state House, state Senate, and the Republican and Democratic parties, as well as a nonpartisan chair selected by the General Assembly or governor. Notably, three of the five members are Republican partisans whom Trump has publicly praised.
As the State Election Board prepares to vote on the hand-counting proposal, Raffensperger’s opposition adds a significant layer of complexity to the decision-making process. The outcome of this vote could have far-reaching implications for how Georgia conducts its elections, particularly as the state continues to be a focal point in national discussions on voting rights and election integrity.
The controversy highlights the ongoing challenges in balancing election security with efficiency and voter confidence, especially in a state that has been under intense scrutiny since the 2020 election. As Raffensperger and other officials continue to navigate these challenges, the debate over how best to secure and conduct elections in Georgia remains a critical issue for voters and policymakers alike.
