Civil rights organizations have intervened in 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, want the court to declare that the hand-counting rule violates Georgia law, block its implementation and allow the election to proceed under the previously established procedures.
They 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 the rule could result in “spoiled” ballots as it calls for repeated handling.
Spoiled ballots could result in voter disenfranchisement.
The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Georgia, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and the Morgan Lewis law firm represent the groups.