A judge in Georgia, USA, struck down a rule approved last month by the state Board of Elections that required manual counting of votes in parallel to electronic counting.
The decision was handed down by Magistrate Robert McBurney, from the Fulton County Superior Court, and announced on Tuesday night (15), one day before the key state begins voting to choose the new name at the head of the White House.
According to the judge, the manual counting rule was established “very late”. For this reason, it rejected its application, on a provisional basis, while it evaluates the merits of the case.
“Any situation that adds uncertainty and disorder to the electoral process harms the public,” wrote the judge, according to a copy of the court decision accessed by the website DemocracyDocket.
The rule approved by the electoral body on September 20 required the manual counting of votes in all counties in the southern US state. According to the text of the new rule, once voting booths closed on Election Day, and in addition to machine counting, all votes must be counted manually in all counties,
Georgia is one of the key states in the American elections and is known for its close votes between candidates. In the election, Republican Donald Trump and Democrat and current vice president of the USA, Kamala Harris, are competing.
According to the AP agency, the overturned measure was a victory for Democrats, who criticized the rule alleging that, in addition to the possibility of delay, the manual count would be susceptible to errors and even fraud.
On the other hand, supporters of the change claimed that the rule would bring more transparency and security to the election results in the state.
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