The ACC Board of Elections decides to support Cobb County in the election rules suit

A tale of two lawsuits

The State Electoral Board has been controversial since it approved a series of rules this year. Supporters of those rules, including the board’s Republican majority, say they will promote election integrity.

The decisions of the SEB have triggered several lawsuits with the aim of blocking their implementation. A Fulton County judge on Tuesday evening denied a Republican attempt to speed up an appeal of a ruling that struck down several rules, including one that would have required a “reasonable investigation” into election results before of the electoral certification. Because the appeal will not be expedited, these rules will not apply for the November election.

However, this was not the lawsuit at issue for the Athens-Clarke County Board of Elections.

In another lawsuit filed by Cobb County, a judge struck down a State Board of Elections rule that required a manual ballot count.

Anticipation of an appeal by Republicans prompted the ACC Board of Elections to debate whether to support Cobb County by signing an amicus brief.

That appeal had not been filed Tuesday evening at the time of the meeting.

The Resolution

After debating whether any action was needed, the ACC Board of Elections voted to pass a resolution allowing staff to work with the Muskogee County Board of Elections, which will draft the brief. Staff will then bring any recommendations to the board for further action.

Board President Rocky Raffle, who was appointed by the local Democratic Party, spoke after the meeting. According to him, the hand counting measure approved by the SEB is unnecessary.

“It’s a burden for our staff after a long election day. The polls open at 7 but they arrive at 5 or 6 in the morning. After a full day there is room for human error and the process is already clear and certain. There are multiple checks and balances within the counting process that already exist.”

Board member Ann Till, who was appointed by the local Republican Party, was the only member to vote no on the resolution.