Record Early Voting Turnout in Georgia
The state of Georgia has made headlines by reporting an unprecedented turnout on the first day of early voting for the upcoming US presidential election held on Tuesday. As a critical battleground in the fierce contest between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, Georgia is a focus for both campaigns. Election officials indicated that over 300,000 voters cast their ballots on this day, more than double the 136,000 who participated in the inaugural day of early voting during the 2020 election between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
Gabriel Sterling, the chief operating officer for the Office of the Georgia Secretary of State, lauded the “spectacular” turnout on social media platform X. Both Harris and Trump are vying for Georgia’s electoral votes, with Trump holding a rally in Atlanta on Tuesday and Harris planning an event in the capital this coming Saturday.
In a significant political shift, President Joe Biden’s victory in Georgia in 2020 marked the first time a Democrat had won the state since 1992, a change largely attributed to increased participation among Black voters. Notably, Black residents constitute about one-third of Georgia’s population.
Judicial Ruling on Ballot Counting
Amid the electoral enthusiasm, questions surrounding the integrity of Georgia’s election processes remain. A judge delivered a pivotal ruling on Tuesday, blocking a newly implemented rule that mandated counting Election Day ballots by hand after polls closed. This decision followed closely on the heels of a ruling that required county election officials to adhere to legally established deadlines for certifying election results.
Last month, the State Election Board enacted a controversial rule that necessitated three poll workers to count the paper ballots by hand after the conclusion of voting. This rule was challenged by the Cobb County election board, which argued that it exceeded the authority of the state board, was not adopted in accordance with legal procedures, and imposed unreasonable demands.
In a ruling issued late Tuesday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney stated that the hand count rule was “too much, too late,” and therefore blocked its enforcement while deliberating the merits of the case. Previously, on Monday, Judge McBurney had ruled that “no election superintendent (or board member) may refuse to certify or abstain from certifying election results under any circumstance.” He emphasized that while officials have the right to inspect election conduct and review related documents, any delays in obtaining such information could not justify a refusal to certify election results.
According to Georgia law, county election superintendents, typically composed of multiple board members, are mandated to certify election results by 5 PM on the Monday following an election, or the Tuesday if the preceding day is a holiday, as is the case this year.
These recent rulings are seen as significant victories for Democrats, liberal voting rights advocates, and legal experts who have expressed concerns that allies of Donald Trump might attempt to refuse certifying results if he loses to Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming presidential election. They contend that the new rules enacted by the Trump-endorsed majority on the State Election Board could potentially be manipulated to delay certification and erode public confidence in the electoral outcome.
