Voters and Voting Rights Organizations Praise Injunctions of Multiple SEB Rules

ATLANTA — This week, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Thomas A. Cox issued an order permanently enjoining several recently-adopted Georgia State Election Board (SEB) rules, including two rules related to certification of elections and a rule mandating the hand-counting of ballots. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney also issued a ruling last night blocking the SEB’s hand-counting of ballots rule across the state prior to county certification of election results. These decisions follow another order from Judge McBurney requiring county boards of election and their members to certify election results in accordance with Georgia law. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), the Legal Defense Fund (LDF), Advancement Project and Campaign Legal Center filed amicus briefs in four lawsuits all on behalf of individual voters, the League of Women Voters of Georgia (LWVGA), Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the New Georgia Project and the Secure Families Initiative to urge the court to enjoin three of the SEB’s recently adopted rules:

• Cobb County Board of Elections and Registration v. State Election Board;
• Thurmond v. State Election Board;
• Crawford v. State Election Board;
• and Eternal Vigilance Action, Inc. v. Georgia.

“We are elated about these judicial decisions. The SEB's recently adopted rules could have jeopardized the rights of Georgia voters and unnecessarily delayed the outcomes of this crucial election,” said Poy Winichakul, senior staff attorney with the SPLC. “These rulings represent a victory for all Georgians who uphold the principles of free and fair elections within a democratic framework.”

“We applaud the judicial decisions blocking the Georgia State Election Board’s unlawful rules, which are inconsistent with Georgia law and would risk disrupting the election administration process,” said John S. Cusick, assistant counsel at the Legal Defense Fund. “If kept in place, the Hand-Count and Certification Rules could potentially strip Georgians of their fundamental right to vote, likely impacting Black voters and other historically disenfranchised voters disproportionately. But the fight is not over, and we will continue protecting Georgians’ right to vote and have their votes counted.”

“The decisions blocking the hand count and certifications rules are significant victories in the fight to protect voting rights in Georgia,” said Elsie Cooke-Holmes, international president of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. “These rules were unnecessary and harmful barriers designed to undermine confidence in our democratic process. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. remains steadfast in our efforts to challenge unlawful measures that threaten election integrity. We are committed to ensuring that our members and the communities we serve can fully participate in shaping our nation’s future.”

“Striking down the State Election Board’s hand-count and other rules is a major win for voters, election integrity, and democracy as a whole,” said Nichola Hines, president of the League of Women Voters of Georgia. “These rules were introduced with bad intentions and aimed at causing chaos in Georgia’s secure elections process. The League remains committed to standing up for Georgia voters every step of the way.”

“These judicial decisions are critical to ensuring that every Georgia voter's voice is heard in the upcoming election,” said John Powers, director of the Power & Democracy Program at Advancement Project. “These Georgia State Election Board rules were clearly intended to undermine Georgia's election certification process. The Board should be focusing instead on supporting election administrators, increasing trust in our election results, and expanding access to the ballot box.”

“Today we celebrate a victory for the voting rights of all Georgians, and particularly those serving their country far away from home,” said Sarah Stredyer, Executive Director of Secure Families Initiative. “We are energized to be fighting alongside this diverse group of partner organizations, to ensure every American - especially those who have been historically excluded from the ballot box - will have their voices heard.”

“Our elections are secure because we have tried and tested systems for counting ballots and certifying elections,” said Campaign Legal Center’s Voting Advocacy and Partnerships Director Jonathan Diaz. “Hand-counting ballots at every precinct on election night would be neither fast nor accurate, and could cause unnecessary delays in the tabulation and canvassing of results and place additional strain on election administrators during the critical post-election period. The eleventh-hour rules adopted by the State Election Board only serve to cause disruption to the electoral process and confusion for voters. We are glad one state court has agreed that the hand-count rule cannot go into effect for the upcoming election and we encourage other courts to follow suit.”

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