ATLANTA – Local election officials across Georgia urged the State Election Board Wednesday to stop changing election rules so close to the November election.
Members of the Georgia Association of Voter Registration and Election Officials are worried that significant changes to the rules such as those the Republican-controlled board has adopted in recent weeks will disrupt preparations already underway for absentee, early, and Election Day voting.
“We are already in the midst of extensive training preparation for our poll workers and preparing for one of the biggest and most scrutinized elections in years,” Travis Doss Jr., the association’s president, wrote in a prepared statement.
“Any last-minute changes to the rules risk undermining the public’s trust in the electoral process and place undue pressure on the individuals responsible for managing the polls and administering the election. This could ultimately lead to errors or delays in voting, which is the last thing anyone wants.”
The board’s three Republican members voted this week to require local election officials to submit to the secretary of state a report reconciling the total number of ballots cast in each precinct with the total number of voters who received credit for voting before election results can be certified.
That 3-2 vote followed another change the board approved by an identical margin two weeks ago giving local election officials the discretion to conduct a “reasonable inquiry” if they have doubts that election results are accurate before certifying those results.
In both cases, opponents have argued that certifying election results is a non-discretionary function that county election superintendents must perform.
Democrats have charged Republicans with pushing the rules changes to sow chaos in Georgia’s elections if former President Donald Trump fails to carry the Peach State and put the results in doubt. Republicans have countered that they’re simply taking steps to ensure the integrity of elections.
The State Election Board is expected to consider additional GOP-backed election rules changes at its next meeting Sept. 20.