Georgia Judge Rejects GOP Attempt to Stop Weekend Drop-Off of Absentee Ballots
Plaintiffs expressed concerns that the absence of poll watchers during the intake of absentee ballots by local election officials compromised the integrity of the election.
A lawsuit brought by Republicans in Georgia seeking to prevent counties from operating election offices over the weekend to accept hand-delivered absentee ballots has been dismissed by a judge.
The plaintiffs claimed that the lack of poll watchers overseeing the intake of absentee (or mail-in) ballots by local election officials compromised the election’s integrity.
At a court hearing on Nov. 2, Fulton County Judge Kevin Farmer rejected the emergency petition filed by the Republican plaintiffs on the night of Nov. 1. He determined that state law permits voters to hand-deliver absentee ballots directly to registrars and that there were no drop boxes available at the election offices that Fulton County chose to keep open over the weekend.
The Republican plaintiffs argued that all ballot drop boxes should be secured after the end of early voting and also suggested that county election offices should not accept hand-delivered absentee ballots after the early voting period concludes.
The petition requested the judge to approve various orders to prevent the acceptance of hand-delivered absentee ballots in violation of state laws during the specified period within Fulton County, Georgia.
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The judge disagreed and pointed out the relevant section stating that personal delivery to the registrar, not to a drop box, is lawful under Georgia law.
Kaufman argued that keeping the offices open to receive in-person absentee ballots violated another section of the Georgia Code concerning the locations where ballots can be submitted, to which the judge replied that this provision only pertains to drop boxes.
Later in the hearing, Kaufman noted that the last-minute extension of the election office hours prevented Republican poll watchers from applying to observe the handling of hand-delivered ballots.
Nadine Williams, director of the Fulton County Department of Registration and Elections, disclosed that the election offices accepting hand-delivered ballots over the counter are not polling locations and have never permitted poll watchers to observe their operations.
Kaufman also questioned Williams about the presence of voluntary monitors in Fulton County and whether they were sufficient safeguards, prompting the judge to intervene and request Williams not to provide legal conclusions.
Ultimately, the judge rejected the petition from the Republican plaintiffs, stating that there was no violation of Georgia law in allowing the hand-return of absentee ballots over the counter at the election offices. He also noted that there were no open drop boxes at those locations, further justifying his decision.
A request for comment from the Georgia GOP regarding the ruling was not immediately returned.
Fulton County spokesperson Jessica Corbitt-Dominguez mentioned that by mid-afternoon Saturday, fewer than 30 ballots had been received across the four locations.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
