Georgia Board Grants Local Officials New Power Over Certifying Elections | Nick Corasaniti/The New York Times
The Republican-controlled Georgia State Election Board approved on Tuesday a measure that could empower local officials to refuse or delay certification of a county’s election results, creating the potential for another disputed and contentious post-election period in November. The new rule states that before certifying results, local officials may conduct “reasonable inquiry” that “the results are a true and accurate accounting of all votes cast in that election.” Though seemingly innocuous, the language implies that local election officials are awarded a level of discretion in the certification process, a suggestion that runs counter to decades of settled Georgia law delineating how results are officially certified. State law dictates that officials “shall” certify an election, making the process effectively ministerial; disputes over alleged fraud or major errors are typically left to recounts and courts. Read ArticleGeorgia: Presidential election audit based on ballot images on hold amid company’s protest | Mark Niesse/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The idea was to triple-check this year’s presidential election results by uploading images of every ballot cast in Georgia, scanning them with text-recognition software and creating an independent vote count. Lawmakers budgeted $5 million for the concept that would verify the results generated by the state’s Dominion Voting Systems equipment, an extra step beyond an existing hand-count audit of a statistical sample of ballots. But the recount-by-software plan is now stalled because of a protest by a company that wasn’t chosen to receive the state’s contract. It’s unclear whether the dispute will be resolved in time for November’s election. Read Article
Georgia election proposal would add new rule before certification | Mark Niesse/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Local election board members across Georgia would be entitled to review vast troves of documents before they certify this fall’s presidential election under a rule proposal that critics fear would allow partisans to reject the results. The Republican-controlled State Election Board voted 3-1 on Tuesday to advance the proposal, which was sought by Cobb County Republican Party Chairwoman Salleigh Grubbs. The initiative follows, even when there weren’t any problems and the outcome of the election wasn’t in doubt. Certification is a required step under state law before election results can be finalized by counties the Monday after election day. If the majority of an election board refused to certify the presidential race, the results could be delayed and disputed in court. Read ArticleGeorgia: Racist slurs and death threats: The dangerous life of an elections official | Matt Vasilogambros/Stateline
When Milton Kidd leaves work at the end of the day, he slips out the back door of the domed Douglas County Courthouse, avoiding the public entrance where people might berate him or demand his home address. He never takes the same route home two days in a row, and he makes random turns to avoid being followed. Kidd, a Black man, has a very dangerous job: He is the elections and voter registration director for Douglas County. “Milton Kidd is a nasty n***** living on tax money like the scum he is,” one voter wrote in an email Kidd shared with Stateline. “Living on tax money, like a piece of low IQ n***** shit.” Another resident from Kidd’s county of 149,000 west of Atlanta left him a voicemail. “I don’t know if you’re aware, Milton, but the American people have set a precedent for what they do to f***ing tyrants and oppressors who occupy government office,” the caller said. “Yep, back in the 1700s, they were called the British and the f***ing American people got so fed up with the f***ing British being dicks, kind of like you, and then they just f***ing killed all the f***ing British.” Read ArticleGeorgia becomes first state to require election law training for police | George Chidi/The Guardian
Georgia is the first state to mandate training in election law in order for police to become state certified, a reflection of lessons learned in the aftermath of the state’s 2020 race. The new requirement for police trainees to take a one-hour course on election laws is meant to keep officers from trying to guess at how to enforce the law on election day, said Chris Harvey, deputy executive director for the Georgia peace officer standards and training council. “Cops just really need to know what are some of the basic ground rules around elections and voting, because they’re very specific,” he said. “In my opinion, the worst thing that can happen is if you have a partisan person or partisan force trying to manipulate the police, and have the police not have any idea what they’re supposed to be doing.” Read Article
Georgia lawsuit asks if official’s duty to certify election results is ‘discretionary’ | Melissa Cruz/USA Today
A think tank created by former Trump administration officials is suing on behalf of a Republican elections official in Fulton County so she can refuse to certify election results. Lawyers from the pro-Trump “America First Policy Institute” filed the lawsuit on May 22 for Julie Adams, a member of the Fulton County elections board since February. The lawsuit asks a court to “clarify” that Adams’ duties to certify the election “are, in fact, discretionary” and not required by law. Adams’ lawsuit argues a portion of Georgia law leaves room for interpretation. The law says that after verifying the accuracy of election results, county officials "shall" certify those results. The day before filing the lawsuit against the county’s board and elections director, Adams refused to certify the May 21 primary election results, according to Fox 5 Atlanta. She abstained, saying she won’t certify any results until she gains access to detailed voting data. Her lawsuit also seeks access to these voting records, which include information on poll tapes, drop-box ballots, and “cast vote” records. Read ArticleGeorgia: Republican member of metro Atlanta elections board won’t certify primary results | Rosie Manins/The Atlanta Journal Constitution
A Republican member of the Fulton County elections board refuses to certify primary election results unless given access to detailed voting data, a move that Democrats worry could jeopardize certification of November’s general election results. Julie Adams, who joined the Fulton County Board of Registration & Elections in February, sued the board and the county’s elections director after the May 21 primary, claiming she’s prevented from performing her board duties. Adams wants access to “essential election materials and processes” and a ruling that her duties – including certification of election results – are discretionary, not mandatory. Read Article