Thread by @AnnaBower

On Friday, Georgia's State Election Board passed a rule that would require poll workers to count ballots by hand.

Could the rule change upend the November election by delaying the reporting of results by weeks or months?

Almost certainly not. 🧵👇

lawfaremedia.org/article/will-g…

As I explain for @lawfare, the confusion seems to stem from a misunderstanding of the distinction between counting *ballots* and counting *votes.*

The rule does not require a hand count of *votes,* which would indeed cause significant delays. 2/

lawfaremedia.org/article/will-g…

Instead, the rule requires a hand count of ballots, meaning the *sheets of paper* that are stored in the scanner at the end of Election Day.

Votes, by contrast, will still be tallied by machine. 3/

lawfaremedia.org/article/will-g…

The rule could cause some reporting delays, but it won't be weeks or months.

In larger precincts, the rule could delay the reporting of election results by a few hours. At worst, a few hours could stretch into a day or two. 4/

But it's also possible that there will be no delays at all. Some states, e.g. Illinois, hand count ballots without major delays. And it seems that nothing in the rule would prevent a precinct from reporting its machine-counted vote tallies before it finishes the hand count. 5/

Of course, even a delay of a few hours can have disruptive effects. The delays are most likely to impact reporting of results in larger precincts in Atlanta, which tend to favor Harris. This could produce the "red mirage" effect that fueled election conspiracies in 2020. 6/

It's also possible that local officials could use minor discrepancies between the machine tallies and the hand count as pretext to delay certification. That would be unlawful and it wouldn't succeed in overturning the election. But it can sow distrust. 7/
lawfaremedia.org/article/will-g…

But there is a good chance that the hand count rule actually won’t be in effect at all when the election happens. The board approved the rule against the advice of the Georgia attorney general's office. Pre-election litigation is expected. 8/

In short, the hand count rule—if it goes into effect, which it probably won't—almost certainly wouldn't delay election results in Georgia by weeks or months.

Read more about the rule and other happenings at the Georgia State Election Board here: lawfaremedia.org/article/will-g…