The Georgia State Election Board has officially approved a new rule stipulating that all paper ballots will be counted by hand for the upcoming November election. This directive mandates that three poll officers independently count each box of ballots. In the event of any discrepancies between the hand count and recorded totals, the inconsistencies must be meticulously documented and resolved by the poll manager.
The primary objective of this rule is to ensure the secure, transparent, and accurate counting of ballots through a systematic process involving multiple sworn poll officers. To date, fewer than 0.2% of registered voters in the United States are subject to hand counting of ballots, primarily in single-precinct municipalities. However, Georgia has now set a precedent as the only state to implement a blanket hand-counting protocol.
This method, while aiming to enhance election integrity, is not without criticism. The Campaign Legal Center has raised concerns that hand counting is excessively time-consuming and susceptible to human error. They argue that replacing voting machines with hand counts may weaken the electoral system by prolonging the ballot counting process and creating more opportunities for inaccuracies and manipulation.
The Georgia State Election Board, a five-member panel tasked with safeguarding the electoral process, maintains that the new rule will promote uniformity and legality in election practices. For more details, you can read the full article on JURIST.