FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 16, 2024
ATLANTA — A state court today permanently blocked the Georgia State Election Board’s new rule requiring the hand counting of ballots in the upcoming November election.
Earlier this month, a coalition of civil rights organizations intervened in a lawsuit challenging the rule. The intervenors, the Georgia State Conference of the NAACP and Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda, argued that the rule would invite error and cause delays, making it much harder for the state to meet the certification deadline and jeopardizing the right to vote.
The groups are represented by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Georgia, and law firm Morgan Lewis.
The groups were in court today making their case, in which the judge agreed and permanently blocked the rule, along with several other disruptive and unlawful changes to election rules that were recently adopted by the Georgia State Election Board.
The following is a joint comment from counsel in response to the ruling:
“This is a huge victory for Georgia voters. This was an eleventh-hour, needless rule that would have undermined the will of the voters. We are grateful the court stepped in to stop the Georgia State Election Board from its unlawful attempt to inject chaos and confusion into Georgia elections. With two opinions in two days making it clear that the board’s actions are wrong and dangerous, we are excited for Georgians to now turn their focus to casting a ballot in this election. These rulings support our democracy and voters.”
Today’s ruling is online here.
Voters with questions about their voter registration or any aspect of voting should contact the nonpartisan Election Protection hotlines:
866-OUR-VOTE (English)
888-VE-Y-VOTA (Spanish)
844-YALLA-US (Arabic)
888-API-VOTE (Bengali, Cantonese, Hindi, Korean, Mandarin, Punjabi, Tagalog, Urdu, Vietnamese)
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Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to mobilize the nation’s leading lawyers as agents for change in the Civil Rights Movement. Today, the Lawyers’ Committee uses legal advocacy to achieve racial justice, fighting inside and outside the courts to ensure that Black people and other people of color have the voice, opportunity, and power to make the promises of our democracy real. The Lawyers’ Committee implements its mission and objectives by marshaling the pro bono resources of the bar for litigation, public policy, advocacy and other forms of service by lawyers to the cause of civil rights. The Lawyers’ Committee co-leads the national nonpartisan Election Protection Hotline (866) OUR-VOTE.
