Georgia’s highest court has denied a request to fast-track an appeal challenging the blocking of Republican-backed changes to the state’s election rules, making it unlikely that these revisions will be in effect for the upcoming Nov. 5 presidential election.
On Tuesday, the Georgia Supreme Court unanimously rejected an emergency motion to pause a previous ruling that blocked the rules and expedite its review of the case, according to court documents. A lawyer involved in the case indicated that the matter likely won’t be resolved until next year.
The contested rules, passed by the state’s election board in a narrow 3-2 vote, were intended to give county election boards the authority to investigate discrepancies between the number of ballots cast and the number of voters in each precinct. They also allowed the examination of large volumes of election-related documents before the certification of results. These changes were spearheaded by three Trump allies on the board, who continue to back the president’s claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.
Georgia, a crucial battleground state, is one of seven key states expected to play a decisive role in determining the next president.
On Oct. 16, Judge Thomas Cox ruled against the Republican-passed rules, labeling them unlawful and void. Cox stated that the rules conflicted with state law and that the election board had overstepped its legal authority. “The rules at issue exceed or are in conflict with specific provisions of the Election Code,” Cox wrote.
Eternal Vigilance Action, a conservative group, brought the legal challenge, asserting that the board exceeded its legal limits. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger also expressed opposition, bizarrely warning that the board’s last-minute changes would erode voter confidence and overburden election workers.
