A Fulton County Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday that vote certification is mandatory, and election officials cannot delay or deny the process.
Judge Robert McBurney’s ruling comes in response to a request from a Republican Fulton County election board member. ABC News reported that Julie Adams wanted the judge to rule that her duties were discretionary and that she was entitled to full access to election materials.
“Georgia voters won today against a shameless attempt from a prominent election denier who tried to turn the long-standing, routine duty of certification into a discretionary decision for election officials when they don’t like the election results,” All Voting is Local Georgia State Director Kristin Nabers said in a statement. “Today’s ruling confirmed that certifying elections in Georgia is a mandatory democratic duty of election officials, who don’t get to override the will of the people by holding certification hostage.
“The judge’s decision gives Georgia voters much-deserved validation and confirms that there are systems in place to protect the voices of all Georgians,” Nabers added. “Election officials do not decide the results. Voters do.”
Early voting opened in Georgia on Tuesday.
