A New Rule Could Allow Georgia to Exclude Votes from Entire Precincts

A new election rule in Georgia, passed by the Republican-controlled state election board, could significantly impact the 2024 presidential election by allowing local officials in select rural counties to exclude votes from entire precincts. This rule, supported by groups aligned with former President Donald Trump, enables county boards to investigate alleged irregularities and potentially disregard votes from precincts deemed suspicious. Critics argue that this could disenfranchise voters, particularly in counties like Spalding, Troup, and Ware, which have small but crucial concentrations of Democratic votes. An analysis indicates that excluding votes from just a few precincts could alter the election outcome, especially in a close race like the 2020 election, where Trump lost Georgia by fewer than 12,000 votes. The legality of the rule is currently under judicial review, with concerns raised about the partisan composition of local election boards, which have been reshaped to favor Republican members. The rule's implementation follows a broader trend of legislative changes aimed at revising election processes in response to unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud. As the situation develops, the potential for partisan manipulation of election results remains a significant concern for many voters and political observers.

- A new Georgia election rule may allow exclusion of votes from specific precincts.

- The rule could disproportionately affect Democratic voters in rural counties.

- Legal challenges to the rule are currently underway.

- The rule is part of broader efforts to reshape local election boards in Georgia.

- Concerns about partisan bias in election administration are growing.