Georgia Election Board Approves Rule Requiring Hand Count of Ballots

The rule, which was first proposed in August, passed in a 3–2 vote.

Georgia's State Election Board members discuss proposals to a full room for election rule changes at the state capitol in Atlanta on Sept. 20, 2024. Mike Stewart/AP Photo

The Georgia Election Board has approved a new rule requiring election workers to hand count ballots in the November election and confirm that the numbers match machine counts before the vote can be certified.

The rule, which was first proposed in August, passed in a 3–2 vote on the morning of Sept. 20, making Georgia the only state in the union to adopt such a requirement as part of its standard vote-counting.