The Democratic National Committee, Democratic Party of Georgia, and several individuals have filed a lawsuit against the Georgia State Election Board over new election rules that conflict with state law mandating certification of election results. The lawsuit challenges two rules passed by the election board – the reasonable inquiry rule and the examination rule – arguing that they conflict with Georgia’s certification statutes and were not passed following required procedures. Democrats are calling for a court to pause the rules and declare that election results must be certified by the statutory deadline of Nov. 12.
Republican Gov. Brian Kemp is being urged to remove three GOP board members who approved the rules which allow for “reasonable inquiry” by county board members before certification, with critics warning of potential chaos as the term is not clearly defined. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has criticized the new rules as causing “serious problems” in an otherwise secure and accurate election.
The lawsuit also challenges the examination rule, which would allow county board members to demand access to all election-related documentation before certification without specifying what documents must be provided. Democrats are pushing back against what they see as attempts by MAGA Republicans to challenge future election results. The lawsuit seeks to ensure that certification of election results is mandatory and not up to the discretion of local officials. Georgia, a battleground state, is expected to play a crucial role in upcoming elections.
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