Last-minute change in US swing state's election rules alarms some

leesburg, georgia — 

In the municipality of Leesburg successful the U.S. authorities of Georgia, somewhat much than a twelve predetermination workers beryllium astatine paper tables, each thumbing done stacks of 50 blank pieces of paper, practicing counting ballots by hand.

With the U.S. statesmanlike ballot lone weeks away, the Georgia State Election Board, led by a pro-Donald Trump majority, passed a arguable request successful September that counties manually manus number their ballots, a determination that has caused alarm successful the intimately watched plaything state.

Veronica Johnson, who is starring the grooming league arsenic the Lee County manager of elections and registration, says manus counting the ballots is improbable to airs large operational problems successful her tiny county.

But logistics are acold from predetermination officials' lone concern.

Georgia officials from some sides of the governmental aisle accidental the number is not lone superfluous — machines already number the ballots — but besides a imaginable instrumentality to sow uncertainty by slowing the process and creating abstraction for disinformation should discrepancies originate via error-prone quality counting.

"I don't consciousness it's necessary. I person nary occupation saying that. I deliberation that astatine our precincts present successful Lee County we're already balancing our numbers," Johnson told AFP.

The alteration is each the astir notable fixed Republican campaigner Trump's alleged predetermination tampering successful the authorities successful 2020, pushing for Georgia officials to "find" capable votes to overturn President Joe Biden's victory.

'Misguided'

Lee is among Georgia's 159 counties, which encompass large metropolitan areas specified arsenic Atlanta and agrarian regions similar the country surrounding Leesburg, with populations ranging from bulk achromatic to bulk Black.

Like galore of its agrarian counterparts, Lee County voted heavy successful 2020 for Trump, who received 72 percent of its votes.

Poll workers specified arsenic those astatine the grooming volition beryllium stationed crossed the county's 10 voting precincts connected November 5, erstwhile U.S. voters take betwixt Trump and his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, successful summation to candidates successful hundreds of down-ballot races.

Because of lawsuits, Johnson is unsure if manus counting volition really happen.

"Honestly, each predetermination manager I cognize truly conscionable wants to service the radical and not get bogged down by the governmental ramifications," she said, emphasizing that ballots are already counted by instrumentality 3 times.

Calling the regularisation alteration "misguided," Georgia's Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said that "activists seeking to enforce last-minute changes successful predetermination procedures" lone "undermine elector assurance and load predetermination workers," portion Georgia's Republican lawyer wide has stated the caller regularisation is apt illegal.

The Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Party of Georgia sued to artifact the regularisation past week with the Harris campaign's backing.

'Untrusting'

The authorities predetermination committee passed the regularisation by a three-to-two ballot — those successful favour being staunch Trump backers praised by the ex-president arsenic "pit bulls" warring for "victory."

Along the aforesaid three-to-two lines, the committee passed different regularisation successful August allowing region predetermination boards to behaviour a "reasonable inquiry" earlier certifying results.

Like the manus number requirement, the measurement is being challenged successful court, with critics peculiarly disquieted astir the vagueness of the connection "reasonable."

Mitchell Brown, manager of the predetermination medication programme astatine Auburn University successful Alabama, told Agence France-Presse that specified a regularisation is unnecessary fixed that predetermination officials "have meetings regularly wherever they spell done the documentation and the accusation with the certifying body."

"The bigger, much absorbing question to maine is, what happens if a assemblage chooses not to certify?"

Back successful Lee County, Donna Mathis, who has served arsenic a canvass idiosyncratic since 2018, noted that the "country is divided truthful much."

Asked astir the manus number and tenable enquiry rule, she said, "the manus number doesn't fuss me" fixed however rapidly they were capable to tabulate the votes.

But "I deliberation you tin inquire excessively much, it ties things up," she added. "People are conscionable truthful untrusting anymore that they question everything."