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God, we thank You for this win for election integrity. We pray that You would use this new rule and others like it to ensure the 2024 election is secure!
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With the passage of a new rule, The Georgia State Election Board will now ensure that the number of voters matches the number of votes.

From The Daily Signal. TheĀ Georgia State Election BoardĀ will require that the number of ballots counted in the Nov. 5 presidential election doesnā€™t surpass the number of voters who cast ballots, in a move narrowly approved Monday.

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The election board voted 3-2 after more than three hours of heated debate on what proponents contend was a commonsenseĀ election reform.

Bridget Thorne, who was elected in 2022 to the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, said she supported the outcome but was disappointed the vote was so close.

ā€œI felt like it should have gotten a unanimous vote. It seems like such a commonsense rule,ā€ ThorneĀ told The Daily Signal. ā€œThe rule follows exactly the existing law.ā€

Thorne added: ā€œTo say this will cause delays in election certification is just hypothetical fearmongering.ā€

Left-leaning activist groupsā€”including Fair Fight Actionā€”opposed the measure, arguing that county election boards shouldnā€™t be allowed to investigate irregularities, as allowed under the rules change.

But someĀ GeorgiaĀ Republicansā€”including the top election official, Secretary of State Brad Raffenspergerā€”opposed the change based on practical concerns of delaying certification of an election.

Ken Cuccinelli, chairman of the Election Transparency Initiative, testified in favor of the new rule at the Georgia State Election Boardā€™s meeting, saying it sets uniform standards for counties to follow an existing law about reconciling the number of votes counted with the number of voters casting ballots.

ā€œSecretary Raffensperger is, I believe, sincere in his opposition. But he is prioritizing speed, and we are prioritizing accuracy,ā€ Cuccinelli, a former Virginia attorney general, told The Daily Signal.

Raffensperger last week warned against the rule change, asserting that it would slow down the certification process.

ā€œThe [Georgia] General Assembly knew that quick reporting of results and certification is paramount to voter confidence and passed SB 202, but misguided attempts by the State Election Board will delay election results and undermine chain of custody safeguards,ā€Ā Raffensperger saidĀ in a public statement. ā€œGeorgia voters reject this 11th-hour chaos, and so should the unelected members of the State Election Board.ā€

Raffensperger was referring to Georgiaā€™s election law reform, Senate Bill 202, enacted in 2021 and including a voter ID requirement for mail-in ballots, among other things.

Cuccinelli noted that most opponents of the election boardā€™s so-called reconciliation rule were the same ones who opposed SB 202.

ā€œThere are plenty of mistakes made. You donā€™t even need to get to the fraud,ā€ he said. ā€œThis will help minimize mistakes and make fraud more difficult.ā€

Hans von Spakovsky, manager of the Election Law Reform Initiative at The Heritage Foundation, also gave expert testimony ahead of the boardā€™s vote on the rule.

A former member of the Fulton County election board, von Spakovsky said he was surprised when opponents of the change said county boards have no authority to review when the numbers donā€™t add up.

ā€œThe idea that county boards are not allowed to investigate is absurd. Under the law, county election boards are fully required to run elections,ā€ he said.

Von Spakovsky called the concerns about delaying certification ā€œmisplaced,ā€ noting the deadline for certification remains 5 p.m. on the Monday after the election.

ā€œI was astounded by the opposition to this rule that just says that votes cast and counted should match the number of people who came to vote,ā€ von Spakovksy said. ā€œThe fact that anyone opposes it is unbelievable.ā€

After the boardā€™s vote Monday, Georgia-based Fair Fight Action spokesman Max Flugrath blamed former President Donald Trump.

Flugrath said the rule was pushed by MAGA, an acronym for the Trump slogan ā€œMake America Great Again.ā€ Fair Fight Action was founded by Stacey Abrams, who has lost two general election races for Georgia governor.

ā€œTrump-backed Georgia [State] Election Board passes rule change that Trump allies can use to delay certification of 2024 election results,ā€Ā Flugrath postedĀ on the social media platform X, adding, ā€œThe rule change was advanced by MAGA election deniers.ā€

The liberal watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington called Georgiaā€™s new reconciliation rule ā€œfishyā€ and vowed to challenge it. A court could overturn the boardā€™s decision. Or legislation passed by the state Legislature and signed by the governor could undo the decision.

ā€œThe Georgia State Election Board is trying to pass an illegal rule that would legitimize efforts to sabotage the election certification process,ā€ the organization posted Tuesday on X.

Reconciling the number of voters with the number of ballots already is required by state law, although itā€™s not enforced by every county.Ā Georgia Code Ā§ 2I-2-493(b)Ā states that a countyā€™s superintendent of elections ā€œshall compare the registration figure with the certificates returned by the poll officers showing the number of persons who voted in each precinct or the number of ballots cast.ā€

The state law adds that when the number of votes ā€œexceeds the total number of persons who voted in such precinct or the total number of ballots cast therein, such excess shall be deemed a discrepancy and palpable error and shall be investigated by the superintendent; and no votes shall be recorded from such precinct until an investigation shall be had.ā€

Under theĀ new rule, a countyā€™s election superintendent will transmit a reconciliation report to the Georgia Office of the Secretary of State on the total of ballots cast in each precinct and the number of voters who received credit for voting in each precinct.

ā€œAny discrepancies in the aggregate total of ballots cast in each precinct compared to the aggregate number of voters who received credit for voting in a precinct shall be fully investigated by the election superintendent or designee,ā€ the new rule says. ā€œThe explanation for any discrepancy shall be included in the reconciliation report.ā€

Early voting in Georgia will begin Oct. 15.

The Peach State has 16 votes in the national Electoral College that ultimately decides who is elected president. In the 2020 presidential race, Biden narrowly won the state over Trump, the incumbent, becoming the first Democratic presidential nomineeĀ to win there since Bill Clinton in 1992.

What do you think of this new rule? Share your prayers for election integrity below.

This article was originally published at The Daily Signal. Photo Credit: Megan Varner/Getty Images.

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Truth4Him
September 5, 2024

It is absolutely essential to require every GA county to verify their votes. Any opposing statesman commits treason against the citizens. Pray they repent and recognize their ultimate accountability is to God Almighty.

Katrina M Weader Myers
September 5, 2024

Heavenly Father God, Thank you for insuring integrity to the election process, so that crooked paths are made straight, by insuring integrity of the election process and rules to insure that the integrity of every step of the election oversight process. Amen, Amen, So be it.

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J B P
August 28, 2024

Thank you IFA for reporting this great information. As usual IFA reports to us the truth that we need to make informed decisions about our elections. To God be the Glory!
In God We Trust! We have to stand up for what’s right in the eyes of God.

Pray Pray Pray for our Great God and country!

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Truth4Him
August 27, 2024

Please pray against the crooked DNC, which is challenging this in court – and also that Gov. Kemp will not remove the election board members who proposed the rules.

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Darlene Estlow
August 26, 2024

I would like to know what the opposition to this bill is? Oh they say it will slow things down, but isn’t it good to have the number of votes equal the number of voters? Is speed more important than accuracy? Don’t these officials care about honest elections? How sad. I don’t live in Georgia, but I am glad they are going to make their elections honest instead of fast!

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