A Georgia judge has ruled against a Republican-led lawsuit aimed at preventing counties from operating election offices over weekends, allowing voters to hand in mail ballots in person. The lawsuit specifically targeted Fulton County, a Democratic stronghold that covers much of Atlanta and accounts for 11% of the state’s electorate. Notably, other large, Democrat-leaning counties had also announced plans to open their election offices over the weekend to facilitate absentee ballot returns.
Fulton County had planned for four election offices to be operational from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on November 2 and 3, providing voters the opportunity to hand-deliver their absentee ballots. The Fulton County Republican Party responded by filing a lawsuit, arguing that allowing weekend ballot drops violated state law, which mandates the closure of all drop boxes once early voting concludes on Friday.
During an emergency hearing, attorney Alex Kaufman, representing the plaintiffs, contended that while mail returns were permissible, hand-delivering absentee ballots should not be allowed post-early voting and prior to Election Day. Despite these arguments, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kevin Farmer rejected the claim, asserting that facilitating the hand-return of absentee ballots does not contravene state regulations.
Following the court’s decision, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger expressed on X (formerly Twitter) that under state law, election officials may accept absentee ballots at government facilities provided the county agrees. He emphasized that the state is collaborating with local counties and political parties to ensure compliance with Georgia law and maintain transparent processes.
This ruling ensures that Fulton County voters can still deliver their absentee ballots in person until 7 p.m. on Election Day, offering enhanced accessibility for voter participation. To read the full report, visit the original article on JURIST.