Pictures of ballots would be made public within three days of Election Day in Georgia, allowing candidates and voters to check the count, according to the latest rule proposal advanced Monday by the State Election Board.
The board voted 5-0 to move forward with the proposal. If it is finalized as soon as next month, it will provide a way to more quickly identify discrepancies in vote totals after November’s election.
The proposal, submitted by a Republican Party official, is the latest effort to revise election procedures three weeks before early voting begins and 43 days ahead of Election Day.
The State Election Board, with a three-member Republican majority praised by Donald Trump at a rally last month, has attracted controversy for altering election policies during the heat of the presidential race.
The board voted last week to require a hand count of the number of ballots cast after polls close, a step that could slow down reporting of results on election night.
The state board previously passed rules adding steps before elections can be certified, which critics say could provide a justification for county election boards to refuse to sign off on election results if their preferred candidate loses.
Under the proposal discussed Monday, county election offices would be required to produce ballot images and cast vote records — an accounting of how voters voted — within 72 hours of a request. Counties could post the records on a public website to satisfy requests for these election records.
Ballot images are already public records in Georgia, but they’re not currently disclosed until after election results are certified by counties one week after Election Day.
“If these images are made available prior to certification, people can assess whether or not there is a likelihood that they will need to request to discretionary recount. Also, missed ballots can be found,” said Cobb County Republican Party Chair Salleigh Grubbs, who made the proposal. “We’re just looking for transparency. The data is available, the images are available, and we have a crisis of public trust in Georgia.”
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
State Election Board member Janice Johnston said candidates need to know more information quickly after Election Day so they can seek recounts or go to court.
“We should do our best to help candidates in their election review, and possibly a contest of an election, in any way that we can,” Johnston said.
It’s unclear whether the rule would go into effect before this year’s election is certified by counties on Nov. 12 and by Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Nov. 22.
The rule proposal will now go through a 30-day public comment period, and then the State Election Board could consider it again for a final vote. If approved, the rule could take effect at least 20 days later. The board hasn’t scheduled a meeting for late October or November.
The board rejected other rule changes Monday, including efforts to require hand counts of ballots during recounts, mandate that voter lists be made public for free, and provide lists of names of voters who turned out within five days of each election. Board members said they could reconsider the proposals in the future.
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