ATLANTA – Georgia’s Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, on Thursday expressed opposition to proposed changes to election procedures currently under consideration by the State Election Board, particularly rejecting a suggestion to count ballots by hand at polling places on election night. 

The State Election Board advanced a proposal in July that would require three separate poll workers to count ballots at voting precincts on election night to ensure that they match the number of ballots recorded by voting machines. This proposal is now open for public comment, and the board is set to vote on Monday regarding its adoption. 

Raffensperger, the state’s top elections official, criticized the effort as “misguided,” arguing that it would delay the reporting of election results and introduce risks to the chain of custody for ballots. 

“Activists seeking to impose last-minute changes in election procedures outside of the legislative process undermine voter confidence and burden election workers,” Raffensperger said in a news release. 

In recent months, the State Election Board has received numerous rule proposals, many originating from activists aligned with former President Donald Trump. Trump has continued to assert, without evidence, that widespread voter fraud led to his loss in Georgia’s 2020 presidential election. Raffensperger has been a consistent defender of the integrity of that election, a stance that has drawn the ire of Trump and his supporters. Three of the five members of the State Election Board are Republican partisans whom Trump praised by name during a campaign rally last month in Atlanta. 

SEE ALSO: Georgia officials bolster voting system security for 2024 presidential election

Sharlene Alexander, a member of the Fayette County Board of Elections and Voter Registration, submitted the proposal for three poll workers to hand count ballots, with the workers sorting them into stacks of 50 ballots until all have been counted and the three workers have arrived at the same total. If the total does not match the numbers recorded on the voter check-in system, the electronic voting machines, and the scanner recap forms, the poll manager is to determine the reason for the discrepancy and, if possible, correct it. 

Alexander argued in her proposal that hand counting ballots was a “long-standing tradition” in Fayette County and other areas, a practice that ceased after Blake Evans, the director of elections for the secretary of state’s office, sent an email to county election officials in October 2022 advising against it. 

“I know that many counties have received an email requesting that poll workers hand count ballots at polling places on election night. Deciding to have poll workers hand count ballots at each polling location on election night is not something your poll workers should do,” Evans wrote in the email, which Alexander attached to her proposal. 

Evans cited sections of Georgia law and State Election Board rules regarding the handling of ballots at polling places on election night. He emphasized that “to ensure maximum security for the voted ballots, poll workers should not prolong the process of removing ballots from ballot boxes and sealing them in transport containers.” 

In the news release issued Thursday, Raffensperger referred to the State Election Board members as “unelected bureaucrats who have never run an election” and stated that they “seem to reject the advice” of individuals with election experience. 

The State Election Board comprises five members: one appointed by the state House, one chosen by the state Senate, one each from the Republican and Democratic parties, and a nonpartisan chair selected by the General Assembly or by the governor if the General Assembly is not in session when there is a vacancy. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report

August 15, 2024

Recent reports from the University System of Georgia (USG) highlight that Georgia Southern University continues to make a significant economic impact both on its surrounding region and on the graduates it produces.

The USG recorded a $21.89 billion total economic impact from July 1, 2022 until June 30, 2023, while Georgia Southern’s annual economic impact has soared beyond $1.145 billion for FY 2023, a 3.4% increase over the previous year and a new recorded impact total.

Conducted on behalf of USG by Jeffrey M. Humphreys, Ph.D., director of the Selig Center for Economic Growth in the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, the study also showed USG over the same period generated 163,332 full- and part-time jobs across Georgia.

In terms of economic impact, there are 3,265 jobs on Georgia Southern’s campuses in Statesboro, Savannah and Hinesville. Because of institution-related spending, 6,550 jobs exist off-campus, meaning that a total of 9,815 jobs exist due to institution-related spending in fiscal year 2022. The report also noted that Georgia Southern students spent $417,549,495 in the region in fiscal year 2023.

“Georgia Southern’s record economic impact throughout the region is a direct reflection of the remarkable work being done by our dedicated faculty and staff on all three campuses,” stated Georgia Southern President Kyle Marrero. “As we move into the fall semester with increased enrollment, we remain committed to meeting the needs of Southeast Georgia by developing talent and supporting the University’s robust public impact research initiative. ”  

In a companion study, Humphreys found that USG bachelor’s graduates from the Class of 2023 will earn $1.4 million more during their lifetimes than they would have without their college degree.

Based on work-life earnings estimates for Georgia, the analysis showed that the 72,037 USG graduates from the Class of 2023 can expect combined total lifetime earnings of $220 billion, which is $70 billion more than they could expect to earn had they not gone on to college or graduate school.

The study shows graduates with at least a bachelor’s degree will earn $1.4 million more throughout their lives. In fact, high school graduates who obtain a bachelor’s degree will boost their work-life earnings in Georgia by 82%, exceeding the 80% increase estimated for the nation.

The average increase in lifetime earnings fluctuates year-to-year for each graduating class depending on how many bachelor’s degrees are awarded compared to the other degree categories. If factoring in less-than-four-year degrees for the Class of 2023, the average amount of extra earnings is $911,459.

“Postsecondary education pays off for USG graduates,” the report said.

The full reports are available online: USG Lifetime Earnings 2022 and USG Economic Impact 2023

Skip to main content