The Georgia State Election Board (SEB) approved a rule on Friday that aims to ensure the number of physical ballots counted matches the machine count at the precinct level.
The board approved Rule 183-1-12-.12 (a) (5), which states the poll manager and two witnesses shall, after removing the “paper ballots from each ballot box, record the date and time that the ballot box was emptied and present to three sworn precinct poll officers to independently count the total number of ballots removed from the scanner, sorting into stacks of 50 ballots continuing until all of the ballots have been counted separately by each of the three poll officers.”
But if the three poll officers find that “the numbers recorded on the precinct poll pads, ballot marking devices [BMDs] and scanner recap forms do not reconcile with the hand count ballot totals, the poll manager shall immediately determine the reason for the inconsistency; correct the inconsistency, if possible; and fully document the inconsistency or problem along with any corrective measures taken.”
A handful of Georgia counties already use hand counting at the precinct level, as SEB member Janelle King noted in Friday’s meeting. She argued that, by approving Rule 183-1-12-.12 (a) (5), the board would simply be creating uniform guidance across the state.
“I just want to point out that according to our Georgia code, the role of the [SEB], part of our role, is to ‘promulgate rules and regulations to define uniform and nondiscriminatory standards,’” King said, reading from what
