Georgia gives local officials new powers to investigate election results

Georgia gave local officials significant new powers over the certification of elections results on Tuesday, a move that could delay or derail future post-election certification processes.

In a 3-2 vote, the Republican-controlled State Election Board voted to define the certification of election results as “attest, after reasonable inquiry, that the tabulation and canvassing of the election are complete and accurate and that the election results are a true and accurate accounting of all votes cast in that election.”

The rule does not define "reasonable inquiry," which means that different counties will likely interpret the rule differently. It's expected to allow county election boards to request information and potentially delay or block certification of results if they see fit. And the resulting delays could block the timely reporting of election results to state and federal authorities.

Local certification of election results was once a routine, ministerial process. But after the 2020 vote, then-President DonaldTrump and his allies sought to block the process, arguing that officials have discretion to delay or block certification and hoping to use state and county officials to overturn the election results.

Since then, a handful of counties around the country have attempted or toyed with the idea of not certifying elections, though those efforts have all failed — typically after state courts intervened.

At a recent rally, Trump cheered on the three members of the Georgia elections board who voted to approve the rule change.

“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the Georgia State Election [Board] is in a very positive way,” the former president told a cheering Georgia crowd on Saturday. “They’re on fire, they’re doing a