Raffensperger blasts proposed rule requiring hand count of ballots at Georgia polling places

Georgia’s secretary of state has come out against election rule changes pending before the State Election Board, specifically rejecting a proposal to count ballots by hand at polling places on election night. At a meeting in July, the board advanced a proposal that would require three separate poll workers to count ballots at voting precincts on election night. That proposal has been posted for public comment and the board is set to vote Monday whether to adopt it. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Thursday called that effort “misguided,” saying it would delay the reporting of election results and introduce risks to chain of custody procedures.