Georgia Judge Halts Ballot Hand Count Rule for 2024 Election

The judge ruled the hand count rule was ’too much, too late' given the proximity to the election, but could be used in the future.

Voters cast ballots in Georgia's primary election at a polling location in Atlanta on May 21, 2024. Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

A Georgia state court judge on Oct. 15 temporarily halted a rule requiring election officials to hand count ballots in the 2024 elections, finding that it introduced uncertainty into the process.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ruled that pausing the new hand count rule was appropriate, given that the election is just weeks away.