‘Nothing short of absurd’: Judge blocks state rule requiring counties to hand-count ballots
In yet another example of the judicial system siding against election integrity, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney has halted a pivotal new rule from the Georgia State Election Board that mandates the hand-counting of ballots at the precinct level.
In September, The Gateway Pundit reported that the Georgia State Election Board, with a 3-2 vote, required counties to hand-count the physical paper ballots at the precinct level to verify that the total number of ballots matched the tabulator’s count—not the vote totals themselves, but simply the number of ballots cast.
This rule was a much-needed safeguard after the disaster that was the 2020 General Election in Georgia.
During that election, several counties were off by hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of votes, errors only discovered after a Nov. 16 hand recount.
Imagine—thousands of Georgians almost lost their vote to an “unknown” error, and now, when the State Election Board tries to prevent this from happening again.
Additionally, several counties in Georgia discovered additional ballots that were not reflected in the original tabulation during their November 16th hand recount. Douglas County found 293 ballots. Fayette County found 2,755 ballots.
Floyd County found 2,600 ballots and Walton County found 284 ballots. Some of the counties attributed it to a “found” memory card. Journalist Heather Mullins was on the ground in Floyd County and pressed election officials on what the cause was. They acknowledged it was likely not a missing memory card.
However, just as this common-sense measure was set to take effect on October 22, a judge blocked the rule.
Judge Robert McBurney, in his ruling, claimed that the hand-counting rule would create “administrative chaos” and “add uncertainty and disorder to the electoral process.”
“No training has been administered (let alone developed), no protocols for handling write-in ballots… have been issued, and no allowances have been made in any county’s election budget for additional personnel and other expenses required to implement the Hand Count Rule,” McBurney wrote in his order Tuesday as reviewed by The Gateway Pundit.
“The administrative chaos that will – not may – ensue is entirely inconsistent with the obligations of our boards of elections (and the SEB) to ensure that our elections are fair, legal, and orderly,” he added.
This is nothing short of absurd. How is ensuring the number of ballots cast matches the total tallied by the machines going to create “chaos”?
In fact, it’s the exact opposite: it ensures transparency and accountability, preventing discrepancies like the ones seen in 2020.
Judge McBurney’s ruling highlighted concerns about the rule’s timing, stating that the “11th-and-one-half hour” implementation left poll workers unprepared and local election boards inadequately funded to handle the hand count.
However, supporters of the Hand Count Rule argue that these are flimsy excuses that ultimately favor parties interested in limiting scrutiny and transparency in a pivotal election season.
McBurney wrote in his ruling:
“Finally, the public interest is not disserved by pressing pause here. This election season is fraught; memories of January 6 have not faded away, regardless of one’s view of that date’s fame or infamy. Anything that adds uncertainty and disorder to the electoral process disserves the public.
On paper, the Hand Count Rule — if properly promulgated — appears consistent with the SEB’s mission of ensuring fair, legal, and orderly elections. It is, at base, simply a check of ballot counts, a human eyeball confirmation that the machine counts match reality. But that is not what confronts Georgians today, given the timing of the Rule’s passage.
A rule that introduces a new and substantive role on the eve of election for more than 7,500 poll workers who will not have received any formal, cohesive, or consistent training and that allows for our paper ballots — the only tangible proof of who voted for whom — to be handled multiple times by multiple people following an exhausting Election Day all before they are securely transported to the official tabulation center does not contribute to lessening the tension or boosting the confidence of the public for this election.
Perhaps for a subsequent election, after the Secretary of State’s Office and the 150+ local election boards have time to prepare, budget, and train — but not for this one.”
McBurney called the rule “too much, too late.”
RINO Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, rather than defending this important check, complained that this new rule could “delay reporting of results” and “foster misinformation,” according to far-left CNN.
But let’s be clear—what fosters misinformation is inaccuracy and discrepancy in the ballot counts, the very issues this rule sought to address! Raffensperger’s priorities are completely backwards; speed doesn’t matter if the results are wrong!
Janelle King, a Republican board member, got it right when she expressed her disappointment in the ruling.
“The victory lies in the public knowing that the State Election Board is paying close attention to our election process,” King said. Exactly—this rule was about showing voters that their ballots are counted, that their voices are heard. Instead, Georgia is stuck with a judicial system that prioritizes bureaucracy over basic electoral integrity.
TGP’s Brian Lupo shared his insights on this ridiculous ruling:
Are you kidding me?!? Judge McBurney has ruled precincts cannot handcount ballots. Not handcount votes, but simply the NUMBER of ballots to ensure it matches the number of voters who checked in. So you know: Fulton County, the most populated county in GA, averaged less than 500 in person voters in 2020 at each precinct.
This process would add about 15-20 minutes to the process. The necessary training? Being able to count. This is the same judge who presided over the Fani Willis RICO grand jury and who has been assigned to Garland Favorito’s 2020 challenge after the GA Supreme Court ruled VoteGA did have standing (almost 700 days ago…no schedule to resume by the way).
The Mockingbird Media platformed flagrant misinformation from Rachel Maddow and Raphael Warnock, both who absolutely misrepresented this bill claiming it could add “months” to the count (Maddow on MSNBC).
The level of animosity towards election integrity in Georgia is astounding.
Are you kidding me?!?
Judge McBurney has ruled precincts cannot handcount ballots.
Not handcount votes, but simply the NUMBER of ballots to ensure it matches the number of voters who checked in.
So you know: Fulton County, the most populated county in GA, averaged less… pic.twitter.com/5T592Ch4Qu
— CannCon (@CannConActual) October 16, 2024
Judge Robert McBurney is the same judge who ruled on Tuesday, that county election officials must certify vote counts in the upcoming election even if they suspect fraud or errors.
The judge said any disputes over fraud should be settled in court.
Of course, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has made it clear that any lawyer who challenges vote fraud and abuse will be indicted and disbarred.
“If election superintendents were, as Plaintiff urges, free to play investigator, prosecutor, jury, and judge and so — because of a unilateral determination of error or fraud — refuse to certify election results, Georgia voters would be silenced. Our Constitution and our Election Code do not allow for that to happen,” Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney said in his order.
Read more:
You can read the full ruling on the hand recounts below:
This article originally appeared on The Gateway Pundit.com.
SUPPORT TRUTHFUL JOURNALISM. MAKE A DONATION TO THE NONPROFIT WND NEWS CENTER. THANK YOU!