Georgia election board members under fire for last-minute rule changes

ATLANTA - Georgia's State Election Board  has voted 3 to 2 to approve a controversial last-minute rule change that allows local election officials to investigate counts before certifying their county's results, which could lead to a delay of final results.

That decision, made on the first day of absentee voting in the state, has drawn criticism from top state officials on both sides of the political aisle.

"This is dangerous to all Georgians, no matter who you want elected," said Brittany Burns, an activist opposed to the rule changes, during a news conference under the Gold Dome as the board met virtually. 

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has expressed concern that these changes could lead to chaos on election night, a sentiment echoed by many Democrats.

An election worker replaces a voting sticker at a polling location during the runoff election in Atlanta, on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022. (Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Earlier this year, three pro-Trump Republicans, who have cast doubt on the 2020 election results, were appointed to the board. Former President Trump referred to the trio as his "pitbulls fighting for honesty."

"We are already witnessing at least three board members on the Georgia State Election Board behind these rule changes showing partisan favor and putting their own goals before all Georgians," Burns added.

A meeting of the State Elections Board.

Two of those Trump-approved members spoke in favor of the rule changes in the meeting.

"These are all very important things that we want our boards to review and expect them to review before they certify an election," said Janice Johnston, a State Election Board member who has expressed skepticism about the 2020 results.

Janelle King, another board member aligned with the former president, said, "It is an important step to find some form of uniformity and knowledge that we do hear some of the other concerns."

But top state Republicans disagree.

On Monday morning, Republican Attorney General Chris Carr issued a formal opinion stating that the board couldn’t direct him to reopen an investigation into unfounded claims of voter fraud in 2020, citing state law as the reason.

MORE: State Election Board asks AG Carr to investigate Fulton County government

Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has strongly criticized these last-minute rule changes, warning that they could undermine confidence in the election system.

"We're already conducting the election for all intents and purposes. It is too late to be making changes like this. If these were good ideas, they should’ve been proposed six months ago," said Sarah Ghazal, a member of the State Election Board opposed to the changes.

Just before 5 p.m. on Monday, Democratic State Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes filed a formal complaint against the three board members, seeking their removal for ethics violations. 

"The facts clearly show that acts that the Respondents have knowingly taken (and illegally concealed) are violations of their ethical obligations under the Code of Ethics and of the Open Meetings Act, and have placed the Board and the State of Georgia in legal and financial jeopardy," State Sen. Islam Parkes wrote in the complaint.