A Georgia judge blocked the controversial hand count rule that was passed by the state’s Republican-led State Election Board from going into effect, finding that the timing of the rule being passed just six weeks before Election Day is “quite wrong.”
“Because the hand count rule is too much, too late, its enforcement is hereby enjoined while the court considers the merits,” Judge Robert McBurney wrote in his order Tuesday night, according to a copy of the order that was posted by Democracy Docket.
In his eight-page ruling, McBurney listed out a host of issues with passing the rule this late — including that no training has been administered on the hand counting process — and warned that a new rule may invite the very chaos and error that the board is seeking to prevent.
“The administrative chaos that will — and may not — ensue is entirely inconsistent with the obligations of our boards of elections (and the SEB) to ensure that our elections are fair, legal, and orderly,” the order stated.
A voter casts a ballot during the Super Tuesday primary at a polling station in an American Legion Post in Hawthorne, California, March 5, 2024. Americans from 15 states and one territory vote simultaneously on “Super Tuesday,” a campaign calendar milestone expected to leave Donald Trump a hair’s breadth from securing the Republican Party’s presidential nomination. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
Notably, McBurney also highlighted in his ruling the heightened division across the country this election season:
“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,” McBurney wrote. “Anything that adds uncertainty and disorder to the electoral process disserves the public.”
Mcburney wrote his temporary injunction would remain in effect until the “final order” in the case.
