{"id":2355878,"date":"2024-10-16T18:18:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-16T22:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/georgia-judge-sides-with-dems-and-blocks-new-election-security-measure-citing-jan-6\/"},"modified":"2024-10-16T18:20:10","modified_gmt":"2024-10-16T22:20:10","slug":"georgia-judge-sides-with-dems-and-blocks-new-election-security-measure-citing-jan-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/georgia-judge-sides-with-dems-and-blocks-new-election-security-measure-citing-jan-6\/","title":{"rendered":"Georgia Judge Sides with Dems and Blocks New Election Security Measure, Citing Jan. 6"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgeorgia-judge-sides-with-dems-and-blocks-new-election-security-measure-citing-jan-6%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2355878&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A Fulton County judge\u200c has temporarily\u2062 blocked the implementation of a new election integrity \u200drule in Georgia, which was \u2064set to take effect on October\u2063 22. The \u2064decision, made by Judge Robert McBurney, was influenced by concerns regarding preparation and logistical support for the\u200d rule. The rule,\u200b which requires poll workers to hand count ballots in groups of 50, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/michael-mccaul-urges-more-transparency-in-suspension-of-iran-envoy-robert-malley\/\" title=\"McCaul calls for increased transparency in Iran envoy Malley&#039;s suspension.\">faced criticism due<\/a> to insufficient training and guidelines, with the Cobb County Board of Elections arguing that over 400 workers would need training right before the \u200delection.<\/p>\n<p>McBurney emphasized that introducing this \u2062rule close \u200cto the election could create chaos and undermine \u2062the \u2062efficiency and uniformity of \u200bthe electoral process. He noted that while the rule may be\u200d beneficial for ensuring accurate election\u200b outcomes, the timing of its introduction \u200bwas problematic, stating it was &#8220;too much, too \u200blate.&#8221; The ruling reflects the \u2063ongoing sensitivity surrounding electoral integrity\u2064 in light of past events, such as the January 6 Capitol incident. The \u2064Georgia State Election Board acknowledged the judge&#8217;s decision, agreeing that\u2063 while the rule had merit, its \u2063implementation was ill-timed.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> <script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An election integrity rule approved by Georgia&rsquo;s state Election Board would be kicked down the road under a decision issued by a Fulton County judge.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fulton County Superior Judge Robert McBurney agreed with arguments from the Cobb County Board of Elections, supported by the Democratic National Committee, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.democracydocket.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/hand-count-injunction.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ruled<\/a> that the change should not take effect as scheduled on Oct. 22. Early voting in Georgia began Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although much of McBurney&rsquo;s ruling focused on a lack of preparation and logistical support for the rule, he also reached back in time to cite the 2021 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/us-olympic-gold-medalist-swimmer-sentenced-non-violent-role-capitol-incursion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Capitol incursion<\/a> in his ruling.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Writing that &ldquo;the public interest is not disserved by pressing pause here,&rdquo; McBurney added, &ldquo;This election season is fraught; memories of January 6 have not faded away, regardless of one&rsquo;s view of that date&rsquo;s fame or infamy,&rdquo; McBurney wrote in an eight-page ruling. &ldquo;Anything that adds uncertainty and disorder to the electoral process disserves the public.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/regulation\/court-battles\/4935690-georgia-judge-blocks-ballot-hand-count-rule\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Hill<\/a>, the rule requires three poll workers at each location to independently count the number of votes cast in groups of 50 until the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/uncounted-votes-memory-card-flips-georgia-election-candidate-nobody-knows\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">counts all matched<\/a>. &nbsp;A poll manager could delay the count until after election night if a scanner had more than 750 ballots.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In court, a lawyer representing the Cobb County Board of Elections said 444 poll workers in that county alone would need training.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;Should the Hand Count Rule take effect as scheduled, it would do so on the very fortnight of the election. As of today, there are no guidelines or training tools for the implementation of the Hand Count Rule. Nor will there be any forthcoming,&rdquo; McBurney wrote in his ruling.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;Our Boards of Election and Superintendents are statutorily obligated to ensure that elections are &lsquo;honestly, efficiently, and uniformly conducted&rsquo; &hellip; &nbsp;Failure to comply with statutory obligations such as these can result in investigation by the SEB, suspension, and even criminal prosecution. (While the latter is far-fetched, it is not an impossibility in this charged political climate),&rdquo; McBurney wrote<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The judge wrote that &ldquo;the 11th-and-one-half hour implementation of the Hand Count Rule will make this coming election inefficient and non-uniform by the introduction of an entirely new process &mdash; the precinct-level hand count &mdash; that involves thousands of poll workers handling, sorting, and counting actual ballots in a manner unknown and untested in the era of ballot scanning devices,&rdquo; he wrote.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;No training has been administered (let alone developed), no protocols for handling write-in ballots (which are handled separately from regular ballots &hellip;) have been issued, and no allowances have been made in any county&rsquo;s election budget for additional personnel and other expenses required to implement the Hand Count Rule,&rdquo; he wrote.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;The administrative chaos that will &mdash; not may &mdash; 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,&rdquo; he wrote.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">McBurney did not say the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/court-votes-remove-voting-machines-election-turns-paper-ballots-hand-counting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rule<\/a> was wrong, only its timing.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;Clearly the SEB believes that the Hand Count Rule is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/georgia-judge-halts-mandatory-hand-counting-of-ballots-on-election-night-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Georgia judge halts mandatory hand-counting of ballots on election night - Washington Examiner\">smart election policy &#038;mdash<\/a>; and it may be right. But the timing of its passage make implementation now quite wrong,&rdquo; he wrote.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;On paper, the Hand Count Rule &mdash; if properly promulgated &mdash; appears consistent with the SEB&rsquo;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,&rdquo; he wrote.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;But that is not what confronts Georgians today, given the timing of the Rule&rsquo;s passage,&rdquo; McBurney wrote, calling the rule &ldquo;too much, too late.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Janelle King, a Republican member of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/georgia-state-senator-reported-results-must-be-viewed-as-untrustworthy\/\" title=\"Georgia State Senator: \u201cReported Results Must Be Viewed As Untrustworthy\u201d\">state elections board<\/a>, had said when the rule was adopted that accuracy must have priority, even over the speed of delivering totals, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/us\/georgia-judge-blocks-rule-requiring-clerks-hand-count-number-ballots-nyt-reports-2024-10-16\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Reuters<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;What I don&rsquo;t want to do is set a precedent that we are OK with speed over accuracy,&rdquo; King said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Georgia State Election Board Executive Director Mike Coan appeared to pour cold water on any appeal. &nbsp;&ldquo;We respect the judge&rsquo;s decision and agree with him that it was a good rule but have a sincere disagreement that it was too close to the election,&rdquo; Coan said after the ruling.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> <label>* Name<\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> <\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> <label>* <\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> <\/div>\n<p> <label>* Message<\/label> <br \/> <textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea>  <\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> <input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\">  <\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script>  <\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Fulton County judge has postponed the implementation of an election integrity rule approved by Georgia&#8217;s state Election Board. Judge Robert McBurney sided with the Cobb County Board of Elections, backed by the Democratic National Committee, stating that the rule should not take effect as planned on October 22. Early voting in Georgia commenced on Tuesday. McBurney&#8217;s ruling highlighted concerns about inadequate preparation and logistical support for the new rule, referencing the January 6 Capitol incident to emphasize potential public unrest during this election season. The contested rule mandates three poll workers at each location to independently count votes in groups of 50 until they match, with provisions for delays if a scanner has over 750 ballots. In court, it was noted that training would be required for hundreds of poll workers in Cobb County alone. McBurney pointed out that implementing such a significant change so close to an election could lead to inefficiencies and chaos, ultimately undermining fair electoral processes. He acknowledged that while the rule might be beneficial in theory, its timing was inappropriate given current circumstances<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2355879,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Georgia-polls.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[34382,4977,36978,43169],"class_list":["post-2355878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-election-security","tag-georgia","tag-january-6","tag-judicial-ruling"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Georgia-polls.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2355878","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2355878"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2355878\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2355879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2355878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2355878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2355878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}