Washington, D.C. — Today, the Georgia Supreme Court rejected an attempt to force an emergency appeal of a court ruling that struck down several State Election Board rules, including a rule that would have required the hand counting of ballots in the upcoming November election. The hand count rule would have invited error and caused delays, making it much harder for the state to meet the certification deadline and jeopardizing the right to vote.
In response, Damon Hewitt, President and Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, issued the below statement. The Lawyers’ Committee, ACLU, ACLU of Georgia, and law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP represented the Georgia State Conference of the NAACP and Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda who sued the Board in this case.
“Once again, the rights of the people prevailed in court. The Georgia Supreme Court correctly rejected an attempt by the Georgia Republican Party to upend Georgia’s election rules just days before the election. The ill-conceived hand count rule would have caused unnecessary delays, potentially disenfranchised voters, and undermined the public’s confidence in democracy.
“With record turnout during the first week of early voting in Georgia, this ruling is a crucial step to guarantee that votes being cast will be counted promptly and accurately without interference or confusion. The State Board of Election’s proposed measures would have introduced chaos, invited errors and tilled the ground for those who want to undermine the integrity of our elections.
“The Lawyers’ Committee stands with Georgia’s voters, helping to challenge the hand-count rule and in other litigation successfully helping to secure an injunction that allows voters to receive food and water while standing in excessively long lines to vote, so long as they are outside of 150 feet of a polling place. Through our Election Protection Hotline, 866-OUR-VOTE, we stand ready to help inform voters of their rights and provide support to them every step of the way during the voting process.”
