Georgia judges counter GOP-led state election board on certification and hand counts

People attend a State Election Board meeting at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, Georgia, in December 2023. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)

This story was updated on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 8:04 p.m.

Local election board members in Georgia can’t refuse to certify results, and a controversial new rule on the hand-counting of Election Day ballots is barred, according to a series of rulings from two state judges.

The decisions amounted to a pointed rebuke of the Republican majority on the Georgia State Election Board, which had been praised by former President Donald Trump.