Democrats initiate legal action to impede the implementation of fresh election certification regulations supported by the Republican party in Georgia.
The lawsuit, filed in Georgia's state court by the Democratic National Committee, the Georgia Democratic Party, and Democratic representatives from various county election boards, challenges two rules recently implemented by the Georgia State Election Board. These rules allow election officials to conduct a "reasonable inspection" before verifying election results and grant county election board members the authority to investigate vote counts.
This legal action signifies a substantial escalation of a dispute that has been simmering for weeks, sparked by the actions of three Republican members of the state Election Board, who have received praise from former President Donald Trump for their actions.
Trump lost Georgia by a margin of more than 10,000 votes in 2020, making it a focal point of his unsuccessful attempts to overturn the election with allegations of voter fraud, which proved to be unfounded.
Democrats are requesting a court ruling that makes it clear that election supervisors do not have the discretion to prolong the certification of election results or refuse to certify them altogether.
They are asking the court to declare that "absent a valid judicial order to the contrary, election supervisors must confirm the results of the November 5, 2024 election no later than 5:00 PM on November 12, 2024."
The complaint cites several past Georgia election cases to argue that "Georgia law has long considered election certification as non-discretionary."
"If election officials have concerns about potential election irregularities, they are free to express these concerns during the certification process, enabling them to be considered and resolved by judges in any subsequent election contest," the lawsuit states. "However, they may not use these election irregularities (or anything else) as a reason to delay certification or refuse it entirely, unless a valid court order is issued."
The certification process is the official confirmation of voting results, which is a crucial component of the electoral procedure, serving as a final verification with the secretary of state's office.
Usually, the five-member state Election Board is responsible for carrying out procedural tasks ahead of the election. However, newly appointed partisan appointees have recently pushed the boundaries of the board's powers.
The three newly appointed Republicans, who became members of the board this year by virtue of appointments from the state legislature and the Georgia GOP, gained prominence following Trump's mention of them at one of his recent rallies in Atlanta.
Trump's mention of them raised concerns among critics of the new board, who suspect that the Republican members of the State Election Board are, whether officially or not, appeasing the former president, who has made Georgia the target of his claims of widespread voter fraud.
"This is about safeguarding all voters," GOP board member Janelle King told CNN in a recent interview. "I am ensuring I am doing the right thing. I am grateful for the president's support, but I am not acting on anyone's behalf."
Georgia state Democrats and voting rights advocates have called on Republican Governor Brian Kemp to investigate the members of the state Election Board. Last week, Democratic state Senator Nabilah Islam Parkes filed a formal state ethics complaint alleging that election board members Janelle King, Rick Jeffares, and Dr. Janice Johnston violated state law by pushing for rule changes so close to the general election.
"The state Election Board does not exist to help Republicans win elections or enrich its members," state Senator Islam Parkes said.
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN’s Nick Valencia and Mounira Elsamra contributed to this report.
The ongoing legal challenge in Georgia's state court is a significant move in the broader politics of election integrity, as it challenges rules that could potentially influence election results.
The Democrats' request in the lawsuit underscores the importance they place on a clear and timely election certification process in politics.
