The Georgia State Election Board on Tuesday passed a new rule that could favor former President Donald Trump.
In a 3-2 decision, the board voted to expand county election boards’ powers to investigate vote tallies before certifying them. At a rally in Atlanta on Saturday, Trump praised the three conservative board members who went on to vote for the move—Dr. Janice Johnston, Rick Jeffares and Janelle King—and called them “pit bulls fighting for honesty, transparency, and victory.”
Meanwhile, the votes against the policy came from the body’s sole Democrat, Sara Tindall Ghazal, and John Fervier, the governor’s appointee.
Under the new rule passed Tuesday, local boards can initiate a “reasonable inquiry” when discrepancies emerge. They will also have the power to withhold certification until that inquiry is completed. It does not define the term “reasonable inquiry”, nor does it establish strict limitations on the breadth of an inquiry.
On Wednesday, the board voted 3-2 to ask state Attorney General Chris Carr to investigate the Fulton County administration, seeking to reopen an inquiry closed in May, per the Associated Press.
Newsweek has contacted Georgia’s State Election Board for comment via online form
