Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Year : 2, Issue: 7
Early in-person voting kicked off in Georgia on Tuesday — a day after a Georgia judge ruled that county election officials may not delay or decline to certify election results over allegations of fraud or error in the battleground state.
Judge Robert McBurney ruled on Monday night that certification of election results by county officials in the state is “mandatory” — a new ruling that is likely to be heralded by election experts amidst rising fears that rouge election officials could seek to delay or decline to certify results after Election Day amid allegations of fraud or error.
Georgia counties will provide early in-person voting for at least 16 days, with some counties offering an extra voting day on Sunday. Nov. 1. The commencement of Georgia’s three-week period for early voting comes as the Georgia state election board recently passed sweeping new changes to the state’s election system, including how votes are tabulated.
Georgia voters will already face changes this election cycle due to the state’s Election Integrity Act, SB 202, passed in 2021, which adds more verification for voters requesting absentee ballots, limits the amount of ballot drop box locations, and, in one of the most controversial rule changes, the law now makes it a misdemeanor to give away food or water within 150 feet of a polling place or within 25 feet of a voter in line.
According to polling forecasts from 538, a victory in Georgia for either campaign would be pivotal to ensuring an electoral victory, which would give Trump around a 3-in-4 shot at winning the presidency and Harris about a 9-in-10 chance of becoming the next president.ABC News’ Olivia Rubin contributed to this report.
