{"id":115236,"date":"2024-10-17T16:13:44","date_gmt":"2024-10-17T09:13:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=115236"},"modified":"2024-10-17T16:13:44","modified_gmt":"2024-10-17T09:13:44","slug":"judge-strikes-down-new-georgia-election-board-rules-as-illegal-unconstitutional-and-void","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=115236","title":{"rendered":"Judge strikes down new Georgia Election Board rules as \u201cillegal, unconstitutional and void\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-start-index=\"5\">\n<p class=\"story-text \" data-index=\"6\">\u201cThe Georgia Constitution provides that only the General Assembly may provide for a law for a procedure whereby returns of all elections by the people are made to the Secretary of State,\u201d Cox wrote in his 11-page order. \u201cThe Election Code accomplishes this and the SEB has no authority to legislate otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-text \" data-index=\"7\">Cox\u2019s decision came in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/politics\/lawsuit-georgia-election-board-exceeded-authority-by-making-new-rules\/PELGU53MHZFUNJFEAWKSXQH4B4\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lawsuit filed by two Republicans<\/a>, former state Rep. Scot Turner and Chatham County election board member James Hall, along with Eternal Vigilance Action, an election advocacy organization Turner leads.<\/p>\n<section class=\"c-interstitialLink b-margin-bottom-d40-m20\"><span class=\"prefix\">Explore<\/span><a class=\"headline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/politics\/which-georgia-election-rules-have-changed-and-how-could-that-affect-november\/WGJD65H76VG23LKX6ITVPTZ2EE\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">Critics said Georgia\u2019s new election rules had potential to cause disputes over presidential race<\/a><\/section>\n<p class=\"story-text \" data-index=\"9\">An attorney for the plaintiffs said during a court hearing Wednesday that the State Election Board only has the power given to it by legislators, and it can\u2019t go further.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-text \" data-index=\"11\">\u201cThree members of the State Election Board, kind of like Napoleon, they put a crown on their head and said, \u2018We are the emperors of elections.\u2019 That is not the way our system of government works,\u201d said Chris Anulewicz, an attorney for the Republicans opposing the rules. \u201cThe State Election Board cannot play in this space, and yet they did it anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-image-component  b-margin-bottom-d40-m20  image-landscape\" data-index=\"13\">\n<div class=\"image-component-image inline \">\n<div class=\"enlargeImage-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\"><picture class=\"\" style=\"display:none\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/resizer\/v2\/3MJY2DLUIWEUW7KY3ISAOWQBHQ.jpg?auth=643831be99fdacb5787f8527547491d67ab0a102da6618ce0a22ef7dfe3d72f0&amp;width=2000&amp;smart=true\" media=\"(min-width: 1200px)\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/resizer\/v2\/3MJY2DLUIWEUW7KY3ISAOWQBHQ.jpg?auth=643831be99fdacb5787f8527547491d67ab0a102da6618ce0a22ef7dfe3d72f0&amp;width=2000&amp;smart=true\" media=\"(min-width: 768px)\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/resizer\/v2\/3MJY2DLUIWEUW7KY3ISAOWQBHQ.jpg?auth=643831be99fdacb5787f8527547491d67ab0a102da6618ce0a22ef7dfe3d72f0&amp;width=1600&amp;smart=true\" alt=\"Attorney Sachin Varghese (foreground) representing the Democrat Party, speaks as Robert Thomas (left) representing the State Election Board looks on as Fulton County Superior Court Judge Thomas Cox presides over cases against State Election Board rules. (Hyosub Shin \/ AJC)\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" width=\"1600\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<p class=\"photo-credit-text\">Credit: HYOSUB SHIN \/ AJC<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/politics\/judge-strikes-down-new-georgia-rules-on-election-certification\/S53EMUY5LVBFLNFV2RURDBMZZI\/[object Object]\" class=\"image-expand\" alt=\"icon to expand image\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"photo-credit-text\">Credit: HYOSUB SHIN \/ AJC<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"story-text \" data-index=\"14\">One of the rules would have required county election board members to conduct an undefined \u201creasonable inquiry\u201d before certifying elections one week after election day. Another rule permitted them to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/politics\/georgia-election-board-votes-to-add-more-requirements-before-vote-certification\/HWWL2ELWIJDZJF6OUWFTXIQKLQ\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">review all election documents<\/a> before certification.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-text \" data-index=\"15\">Other rules that Cox struck down would have allowed poll watcher access in vote tabulation areas, required daily reporting on county websites of the number of absentee and early voters, and mandated an election night <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/politics\/georgia-election-board-passed-a-rule-that-could-delay-the-results-of-the-presidential-race\/234EQUP27VBL5CW2VS2HYQJCS4\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hand count<\/a> of the number of ballots cast in each precinct.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-text \" data-index=\"16\">A different judge had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/politics\/judge-halts-georgia-rule-that-would-have-required-hand-count-on-election-night\/2IMHWOEUEJEI7KKUVLGLID73EY\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">already blocked the hand-count rule<\/a> Tuesday. The manual review would have counted the number of ballots, not who received the most votes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-text \" data-index=\"17\">Defenders of the State Election Board said in court that its members were within their rights to pass statewide rules that will help safeguard accurate results and ensure ballot accounting, such as the hand count.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-aligned-elements-row\" data-index=\"20\">\n<p class=\"story-text \">\u201cThe majority of this election board has identified that having this reconciliation process is important. That was a priority,\u201d said Brad Carver, an attorney for the Georgia Republican Party. \u201cThe General Assembly can\u2019t foresee every particular circumstance in a changing environment. That\u2019s why we have executive branch agencies in the first place. They\u2019re the subject matter experts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-text \">The latest court battle occurred as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/politics\/election\/early-voting-totals-in-georgia-2024-see-how-many-have-already-voted-in-person-or-by-mail\/GT5ULCXA6NF5RNMR3UERT76IM4\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">record numbers of voters<\/a> turned out during the first two days of in-person early voting in Georgia. Election officials expected turnout to approach 600,000 by the end of the day Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-text \">The new State Election Board rules were approved by the three Republicans whom Donald Trump called out by name during an Atlanta campaign rally in August, saying they\u2019re <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/politics\/trumps-pit-bulls-on-georgia-election-board-face-new-pressure\/M3DPD4IUSZAD3EG2C7W75ON6NQ\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cpit bulls fighting for honesty, transparency and victory.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"story-text \">They\u2019ve outvoted the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/politics\/state-election-board-chair-john-fervier-says-his-gop-peers-abused-power\/MXT2PYFGAZGCLLQ4B6KTPG5VBY\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">board\u2019s Republican chair<\/a>, appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp, and its lone Democratic member.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"story-text \" data-index=\"21\">Turner, one of the Republicans who sued the board, said he wanted to protect voting rights and preserve the separation of powers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-text \" data-index=\"22\">\u201cThe State Election Board is not elected by anybody. They\u2019re appointed unelected bureaucrats that have taken the role of the Legislature upon themselves. It\u2019s not acceptable in our form of government,\u201d Turner said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-text \" data-index=\"23\">The Georgia Democratic Party supported the Republican lawsuit fighting the rules, arguing to a judge that the GOP-led board had abused its power when mandating a hand count.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-text \" data-index=\"24\">\u201cThis rule will lead to chaos,\u201d said Sachin Varghese, an attorney for the Georgia Democratic Party. \u201cThree different poll workers, at the end of a 14-, 16-, 18-hour day, now have to sit down and count by hand. &#8230; This will lead to significant impairment and significant delay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-text \" data-index=\"26\">Robert Thomas, an attorney for the State Election Board, said the rule is a reasonable way to address voters\u2019 concerns about inaccurate counts. In some past elections, ballots have been found later after they were left behind in ballot boxes on election night.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-text \" data-index=\"27\">\u201cIt\u2019s just another way to say, is the machine right? Did it correctly count the number of ballots?\u201d Thomas said. \u201cThe Legislature did not say you cannot hand count ballots to ensure the numbers match. There should be an additional check.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-text \" data-index=\"28\">The cases considered Wednesday are part of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/politics\/election\/georgia-finds-itself-in-a-courtroom-blitz-as-another-big-election-approaches\/VZWIPK6XK5CRFEKKTXXASMRW44\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">flurry of preelection litigation<\/a>, much of it contesting State Election Board rules.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-text \" data-index=\"29\">Besides the Republican and Democratic lawsuits, additional legal actions are pending from election boards in DeKalb and Muscogee counties. The ruling Tuesday that put the hand count on hold came in a lawsuit filed by Cobb County\u2019s election board.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-text \" data-index=\"30\">In a separate decision, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney also ruled Tuesday that state law <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/politics\/a-judge-ruled-that-county-election-board-members-in-georgia-must-certify-elections\/635RIP3ILBC4ZH5AGMMSQXPYBQ\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">requires county election boards to certify election results<\/a> one week after election day. That case was brought by Julie Adams, a Republican election board member in Fulton County who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/news\/atlanta-news\/republican-member-of-fulton-elections-board-wont-certify-primary-results\/IDYT7CZVMZAJXHDAADS7G6JNT4\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">refused to certify<\/a> this spring\u2019s primary elections.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/politics\/judge-strikes-down-new-georgia-rules-on-election-certification\/S53EMUY5LVBFLNFV2RURDBMZZI\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cThe Georgia Constitution provides that only the General Assembly may provide for a law for a procedure whereby returns of all elections by the people are made to the Secretary &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=115236\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8629],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-115236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-u-s","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115236","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=115236"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115236\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=115236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=115236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=115236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}