New rule may allow Georgia election boards to halt certifying results

The Georgia State Election Board approved a rule on Tuesday that may allow local election boards to refuse to certify election results. The measure takes effect ahead of the November election.

The rule is just one sentence long, but opponents worry it could have sweeping consequences this fall in a critical swing state if local election board members, driven by unsupported claims of election fraud, wield it to delay certifying the results or to reject them altogether.

State Election Board rules now say certification means “to attest, after reasonable inquiry, that the tabulation and canvassing of the election are complete and accurate and that the results are a true and accurate accounting of all votes cast in that election.”