Georgia Election Officials Ask State Board To Stop Changing Rules Close To the Election

With less than 11 weeks until the presidential election, Georgia county officials are asking the State Election Board to stop passing drastic rule changes affecting election administration.

The Georgia Association of Voter Registration and Election Officials (GAVREO), which is composed of over 500 county election workers and officials across the state, released a statement on Wednesday asking the board to pause future rule changes until after the election.

“We are already in the midst of extensive training preparation for our poll workers and preparing for one of the biggest and most scrutinized elections in years,” GAVREO President W. Travis Doss said in a statement. 

The association expressed that rule changes at this point would not only create confusion and uncertainty for poll workers and election officials but also for voters.

“Any last-minute changes to the rules risk undermining the public’s trust in the electoral process and place undue pressure on the individuals responsible for managing the polls and administering the election,” Doss said. “This could ultimately lead to errors or delays in voting, which is the last thing anyone wants.”

GAVREO also said there are already enough concerns and fears that voters have right now about elections, and changing rules now could sow doubts about whether there will be a “fair and orderly process” in November.

This statement comes after the Georgia State Election Board passed rules this month changing the election certification process. Both rule changes could delay the certification of election results, which could foster the spread of misinformation and distrust in the process.

Additionally, the board said their next meeting is on Sept. 20, where they plan to consider and vote on multiple rule proposals — including one that would require three different election workers to hand count ballots at a polling location, even after they’ve already been counted by a ballot scanner. This rule proposal has even been opposed by Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

“We urge the State Election Board to seriously consider the impact of further rule changes and to prioritize the integrity and smooth operation of the upcoming election,” Doss said.

Read GAVREO’s statement here.