Democrats Challenge Georgia's New Election Certification Rules in Court

Democrats have filed a lawsuit against Georgia state election officials, alleging that newly approved rules which permit local officials to delay certification of November's presidential election results are illegal. The lawsuit argues that the rules cause uncertainty in the post-election process and could invite chaos. The state's election board, dominated by Republicans, approved the contentious rules.

Democrats have initiated a legal battle against Georgia state election officials, challenging new regulations that could enable local officials to postpone the certification of November's presidential election results.

The local Democratic politicians, along with the Democratic National Committee, lodged the lawsuit in the Superior Court of Fulton County. They argue that the rules, sanctioned by the Republican-majority state election board, aim to allow county election authorities to delay or annul vote certification, which could create significant post-election ambiguities and potential chaos.

The Georgia Secretary of State's office has yet to comment on the lawsuit. The election board, with three out of five members endorsed by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, recently voted to empower county election boards to investigate ballot discrepancies before certification. Voter fraud in the U.S. is extremely rare, and this rule could be misused to deliberately delay results. The lawsuit states that it is the judiciary's role, not local officials', to address fraud allegations.

(With inputs from agencies.)