Georgia’s New Election Rule Sparks Concerns of Vote Certification Delay

Georgia's Republican-led state election board has passed a new rule allowing local officials to delay certification of November's presidential election results. Voting rights advocates fear this could lead to intentional delays, potentially affecting a battleground state's outcome. This move follows a series of contentious rule changes regarding vote certification processes.

Georgia's Republican-controlled state election board has enacted a new rule that voting rights advocates claim could enable local election officials to delay the certification of November's presidential election results, a move that may inject uncertainty into the battleground state's vote count.

The five-member board, with a conservative majority championed by Donald Trump, voted 3-2 to allow county election board members to investigate discrepancies between cast ballots and registered voters before certification. Critics argue these discrepancies are often minor and not indicative of fraud, suggesting the rule could be used to intentionally delay result approval.

Trump, who has repeatedly and falsely asserted that the 2020 election was rigged, faces Vice President Kamala Harris in a closely contested race. This rule, along with another recently enacted, could grant election deniers significant power to disrupt the certification process, raising concerns about potential interference.

(With inputs from agencies.)