Georgia counties urge state elections board to stop changing rules ahead of November

ATLANTA (AP) — County election officials in Georgia are asking the State Election Board to stop changing the rules ahead of the November election, citing concerns about creating unnecessary confusion for poll workers and voters.

The state board has been considering a slew of rule proposals in recent months and has adopted several of them. At a meeting Monday, state board members adopted a new rule having to do with certification of election results and indicated they planned to consider more rules at a meeting on Sept. 20.

Any rules adopted at the September meeting would take effect 20 days later, after overseas and military ballots have started to go out and just as in-person early voting is about to begin.

The Georgia Association of Voter Registration and Election Officials, known as GAVREO, said in a statement Tuesday that its members are “gravely concerned” that any additional changes will disrupt poll worker preparation and training that is already underway.

“Any last-minute changes to the rules risk undermining the public’s trust in the electoral process and place undue pressure on the individuals responsible for managing the polls and administering the election,” organization president W. Travis Doss Jr. said in the statement. “This could ultimately lead to errors or delays in voting, which is the last thing anyone wants.”

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