When the ballots are counted in Georgia this year, officials will have new powers regarding verifying the tabulated results. The media fears it could delay or “derail” certification efforts since “reasonable inquiry” isn’t defined in the new ordinance. Trump has described the members of the Georgia Election Board, which is Republican-controlled, as “pit bulls for honesty” (via NBC News):
Georgia gave local officials significant new powers over the certification of elections results Tuesday, a move that could delay or derail future postelection certification processes.
In a 3-2 vote, the Republican-controlled State Election Board voted to define the certification of election results as “attest[ing], after reasonable inquiry, that the tabulation and canvassing of the election are complete and accurate and that the election results are a true and accurate accounting of all votes cast in that election.”
The rule does not define "reasonable inquiry," which means that different counties will most likely interpret the rule differently. It's expected to allow county election boards to request information and potentially delay or block certification of results if they see fit. And the resulting delays could block the timely reporting of election results to state and federal authorities.
Local certification of election results was once a routine ministerial process. But after the 2020 vote, President Donald Trump and his allies sought to block the process, arguing that officials have discretion to delay or block certification and hoping to use state and county officials to overturn the results.
With this framing, you can see the foundations of ‘election denialism’ being formed. Yet, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has decided to brush off Trump’s mean tweet about him a few days ago, vowing to use the full force of his political machine to ensure Trump takes the state this time. We must hope that nothing happens on election night. Forget about potential Democratic Party shenanigans; hackers found vulnerabilities in our system that can’t be fixed until after the election. I'm sure this will lead to liberals forming conspiracy theories and baseless accusations of fraud against the GOP, though we're not the ones who allegedly engaged in funny business last time.
Reactions to this news haven’t sent liberals into full meltdown mode yet, but if something happens, you bet the rancor will be deafening.
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