BREAKING: Georgia Election Board Approves New Rule Requiring Precincts to Compare Ballots with Voter IDs — Counties Must Withhold Certification Until Fraud is Addressed

The Georgia Election Board has voted 3-2 in favor of a new rule mandating that election workers compare the total number of ballots cast with the total number of unique voter ID numbers in the system.

This rule aims to ensure that every vote cast in the state is legitimate and that any discrepancies are thoroughly investigated before election results can be certified.

The new rule, reported by former RNC official and Trump’s spokeswoman Liz Harrington, is set to overhaul how precincts handle election returns.

Under the rule, if discrepancies are found in any precinct—where the number of ballots exceeds the number of unique voter IDs—the counties are required to withhold certification of the election results until the suspected fraud is fully investigated and resolved.

According to the newly approved regulation, the Georgia Election Board members are tasked with scrutinizing the voting data in each precinct. Specifically, the rule stipulates:

Tabulating Results: After each election, but no later than 3 PM on the Friday following the election, the Election Board must conduct a review of precinct returns. This includes tabulating all absentee ballots, advance voting, Election Day in-person voting, and provisional ballots. The total number of unique voter IDs will then be compared with the total ballots cast in each precinct.

Investigating Discrepancies: In instances where the number of ballots cast surpasses the number of unique voter IDs, the Board is required to determine which voting method the discrepancy originated from and conduct a thorough investigation. Votes from the affected precinct will not be counted until the investigation is completed and the results are presented to the Board, as mandated by GA Code § 21-2-493(b).

Certification of Results: Once all precinct discrepancies have been investigated and corrected, the accurate returns will be recorded and verified. Only then will the consolidated returns be certified by the superintendent, with the certification deadline set at 5:00 PM on the Monday following the election. The certified returns must then be immediately transmitted to the Secretary of State.

The rule also empowers Board members to examine all election-related documentation before certifying the results, ensuring that any potential fraud is detected and addressed before the election results become official. If fraud is discovered, the Board is obligated to compute the votes justly and report the facts to the district attorney for further action.

Via Liz Harrington:

Great news!

Georgia State Election Board votes 3-2 to approve new rule reconciling the total number of votes with the total number of voters

If discrepancies are found, they must be investigated and resolved before certifying pic.twitter.com/WOJUbqfg7j

— Liz Harrington (@realLizUSA) August 19, 2024