In first meeting since Trump win, Georgia election board defers to Legislature to implement plans

The State Election Board meets at the Capitol in Atlanta, Ga.
The Georgia State Election Board meets at the State Capitol in Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)

Georgia’s State Election Board voted Monday to request state lawmakers pass legislation next year making voter lists readily available to the public before and after elections. 

Board members have decided to forward their recommendations to the state Legislature rather than launch their own rulemaking process, which has recently resulted in several of their initiatives successfully challenged in courts. 

The controversial election board met for the first time since President-elect Donald Trump defeated Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris in Georgia and six other swing states on Nov. 5. Several of Georgia’s most outspoken critics of the way counties tally votes attended Monday’s meeting before the election board, which had become ground zero in the heated debates over election rules proposals pushed by Republicans and Trump’s allies.