Press Release: Civil Rights Groups Intervene in Lawsuit Challenging Georgia’s New Hand Counting Rule

ATLANTA - A coalition of civil rights organizations intervenedin a lawsuit challenging the Georgia State Election Board's new rule requiring the hand counting of ballots in the upcoming November election. The intervenors, the Georgia State Conference of the NAACP and Georgia Coalition for the People's Agenda, argue that the rule will cause delays, making it much harder for the state to meet the certification deadline and risking uncounted votes. They also argue that, as the rule calls for repeated handling of ballots, it could lead to ballots being spoiled which risks voter disenfranchisement. The groups are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Georgia, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and the law firm, Morgan Lewis.

"The will of the voters must not be compromised by a last-minute, purposeless rule that violates state law," said Theresa Lee, senior staff attorney at the ACLU's Voting Rights Project. "By introducing hand counting just before an election, the Georgia State Election Board is setting the stage for major delays on election night and putting millions of ballots at risk. The Board should be strengthening voter confidence -- not weakening it."

"The hand count rules go beyond the authority of the State Election Board and are an attempt to rewrite the election code for partisan purposes," said Caitlin May, voting rights attorney at the ACLU of Georgia. "We will keep fighting for this Board to focus its efforts on the real work of protecting the rights of Georgia voters to cast their ballot and have it counted in accordance with state and federal laws."

The intervenors urge the court to declare that the hand counting rule violates Georgia law, block its implementation, and allow the election to proceed under the established, secure procedures that Georgia voters have come to rely on.

The motion to intervene is here: https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2024/10/001_2024-10-01-NAACP-GCPA-Mot-Intervention-and-Br-ISO-vF.pdf

The complaint is here: https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2024/10/004_2024-10-01-Hand-Counting-Complaint-vF.pdf