Democrats sue Georgia election board over changes passed by officials under investigation and possible removal – Washington Examiner
In a recent development, the Democratic Party has filed a lawsuit against the Georgia election board over new changes to state electoral law proposed by three members who are currently under investigation. These changes, which involve stricter measures for ballot counting and election certification, have raised concerns among Democrats, particularly as they argue that the ethics inquiry into the board members should be resolved before implementing new rules. The lawsuit claims that the proposed changes could create significant uncertainty and chaos in the post-election process, especially if they contradict existing legal procedures.
The lawsuit has garnered support from Vice President Kamala Harris’s election campaign and includes input from local officials and political candidates. Rep. Nikema Williams, chairwoman of the Georgia Democratic Party, emphasized the problematic nature of the proposed rules, noting that the board members have been described as allies of former President Donald Trump. Additionally, even some Republicans, including Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, criticized the last-minute efforts to alter election procedures, stating that they could undermine voter confidence and delay election results.
Democrats sue Georgia election board over changes passed by officials under investigation and possible removal
Democrats sued the Georgia election board over changes passed by officials who are now under investigation.
Three allies of former President Donald Trump on the State Election Board proposed new changes to state electoral law, allowing more stringent treatment of ballot counting and electoral certification. The three were hit by an ethics complaint from Fulton County’s former elections board chief, pushing the Democrats to argue that the ethics inquiry should be looked into before the new measures were passed. They also argued that the board members should be removed.
“These novel requirements introduce substantial uncertainty in the postelection process and — if interpreted as their drafters have suggested — invite chaos by establishing new processes at odds with existing statutory duties,” the lawsuit said about the proposed electoral changes.
The lawsuit was filed by the Democratic National Party, Georgia Democratic Party, local officials, and political candidates, with the support of Vice President Kamala Harris’s election campaign.
Rep. Nikema Williams (D-GA), chairwoman of the Georgia Democratic Party, latched on to Trump’s praise of the three State Election Board officials as his “pit bulls” in a statement in favor of the lawsuit.
“The three members Donald Trump called his ‘pit bulls’ for ‘victory’ disagree, and they’re determined to establish a new power of not certifying an election result should their preferred candidate lose — as he did in 2020,” she said, the New York Times reported.
The move to change the electoral rules shortly before the 2024 election was even met with criticism from some Republicans, including Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
“Activists seeking to impose last-minute changes in election procedures outside of the legislative process undermine voter confidence and burden election workers,” he said in a statement obtained by the outlet. “Misguided attempts by the State Election Board will delay election results and undermine chain of custody safeguards. Georgia voters reject this 11th-hour chaos, and so should the unelected members of the State Election Board.”
Gov. Brian Kemp’s (R-GA) office looks to be taking the lawsuit seriously. Kemp told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a statement that he was seeking advice from the state attorney general as to whether he had the authority to remove the three board members.
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) August 26, 2024
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