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    • Lawsuits over Georgia’s election system could influence 2024 results
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    Lawsuits over Georgia’s election system could influence 2024 results

    Pabio Posted on

    As the countdown to Election Day approaches, election officials, from the Secretary of State to county election supervisors, have worked tirelessly to ensure everything goes smoothly for Georgia residents during early voting and on election day itself.

    More: Early voter turnout in Georgia has broken records. Check the participation rate in your county

    But as voters turn out in record numbers, these officials also face another set of problems: navigating the state’s legal system. Georgia is expected to be one of the most competitive races in the 2024 elections, and the battle over the election process itself has been a central part of the Peach State’s election story.

    More: What to know about this year’s ballot measures on tax courts and property exemptions

    Georgia has seen a deluge of lawsuits in recent weeks over voter registration, election deadlines, candidate qualifications and last-minute rule changes made by the State Board of Elections. Follow our tracker to see where each lawsuit stands, and keep reading to learn about some of the most critical cases this election cycle.

    State Election Board Lawsuits

    In the latest battle over Georgia’s election laws and procedures, the Georgia Supreme Court declined to expedite a Republican appeal to reinstate seven last-minute rules adopted by the Georgia State Board of Elections before the general election from November 5.

    If enacted, these rules would have made it easier for local election officials to delay certification of election results, required hand counting of all ballots on Election Day, expanded mandatory poll monitoring areas and would mandate video surveillance of ballot boxes, among other changes. Voter rights groups and election officials opposed the rules, arguing that last-minute changes could sow confusion and doubt in the election process, and that implementing those changes would violate Georgia’s election laws. .

    The Georgia Supreme Court is expected to take up the case after the 2024 election.

    Past coverage:

    Voter registration lawsuits

    In the wake of Hurricane Helene, which left at least 33 dead and $417 million in damage, three civil rights groups filed a lawsuit against Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to extend the October 7 voter registration deadline. Northern District Court Judge Eleanor L. Ross ultimately dismissed the suit, ruling that the plaintiffs lacked standing and that “the harm to the interests of the state outweighs the interests of the plaintiff.” » in this case.

    Past coverage:

    Lawsuits against third-party candidates

    Votes cast for third-party presidential candidates Cornel West, an independent, and Claudia De la Cruz, a socialist, will not be counted in Georgia after the state Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling according to which both candidates had filed inappropriate nomination petitions, and therefore did so. are not qualified to appear on the ballot. However, because the Supreme Court’s final decision came after the deadline set by election offices to begin mailing absentee ballots, West and De la Cruz could appear on some Georgia residents’ ballots.

    Past coverage:

    Maya Homan is a 2024 Election Fellow at USA TODAY focusing on Georgia politics. She goes by @MayaHoman on X, formerly Twitter.

    Pabio
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