State Election Board gives preliminary OK to certification rule

In Atlanta, the Republican-controlled State Election Board has voted to move forward with a proposed rule that would give members of local election boards discretion in deciding whether to certify election results.

The rule would give counties the authority to conduct a “minimum level of oversight” of election results before they’re certified, according to Salleigh Grubbs, who chairs the Cobb County Republican Party.

Grubbs said there is a crisis of confidence in our election process and the oversight of elections in each county is critical to restoring trust.

But opponents argued that election officials in Georgia do not have discretion to vote against certification.

The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University and the voting rights organization United to Protect Democracy argued that the language of the new rule conflicts with longstanding Georgia case law and would sow disorder in the state’s election administration processes, which already have safeguards to ensure election results are accurate and reliable.

Sara Tindall Ghazal, the lone Democrat on the board, said the proper time to address complaints of voter fraud is after an election has been certified.

Three of the four Republican board members supported the rule, with Ghazal voting in opposition and Fervier abstaining.

The board is expected to conduct a final vote on the proposed rule next month.