Georgia judge blocks ballot counting rule and says county officials must certify election results

ATLANTA (AP) — A judge has blocked a new rule that requires Georgia Election Day ballots to be counted by hand after the close of voting. The ruling came a day after the same judge ruled that county election officials must certify election results by the deadline set in law. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney late Tuesday (Oct. 15, 2024) blocked enforcement of the hand count rule while he considers the merits of the case. The rulings are victories for Democrats, liberal voting rights groups and some legal experts who have raised concerns that Donald Trump's allies could refuse to certify the results if the former president loses to Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in next month's presidential election.