The Georgia State Election Board has approved a new rule requiring counties to hand-count ballots. 

On Friday, the board voted 3-2 to implement the rule despite criticism from opponents of the measure who say it will delay the results of the election in November. The three board members who voted for the rule are allies of President Trump. One Democratic member and a member of the board appointed by Governor Kemp voted against it.

Trump supporters celebrated the move on X on Friday. However, the office of Georgia Attorney General Carr, who is a Republican, criticized the rule and said it was illegal as local election officials are not allowed to hand-count ballots before votes are officially counted.

In a statement, Mr. Carr’s office said, “These proposed rules are not tethered to any statute — and are, therefore, likely the precise type of impermissible legislation that agencies cannot do.”

The new rule dictates that ballots must be hand-counted on the night of the election or the following day. Critics argue that this is not feasible except in small counties. Additionally, they have raised concerns about a lack of training to comply with the new requirements.

Meanwhile, the Georgia Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, suggested the rules are being made too close to the election. He told CNN, “We’re 50 days out before we have our election. In fact, we’re really just three weeks before we start early voting, and it’s just too late in the cycle.”

Despite the concerns, Trump allies have pushed for such requirements as they point to allegations of 

Trump lost Georgia to President Biden in 2020 by roughly 11,780 votes, the first time since 1992 a Democratic presidential candidate won the state.

And since then, the former president has claimed the results in the state were “rigged.” However, Republican officials in the state have repeatedly debunked his claims. 

The chief operating officer for the Georgia secretary of state’s office, Gabriel Sterling, noted during an interview with ABC News in 2023 that Trump “requested there were two independent audits and verifications by outside groups.” He added, “And both — each paid $600,000 — and both of them said there was no fraud.”

“We counted the ballots three times. He lost this state, and he continues to say he didn’t lose it and it’s just creating a lot of tension and a lot of chaos. It’s completely unnecessary,” he added.

A state review of Fulton County’s audit of the 2020 election did find inconsistencies with the vote count. However, experts said the errors did not alter Mr. Biden’s win in the state, nor was the evidence they were the result of criminal behavior.