The Georgia Supreme Court struck down a series of last-minute rules issued by the State Election Board during the 2024 election cycle that would have significantly disrupted election procedures across the state. The Democracy Defense Project – Georgia, a bipartisan coalition of former elected officials committed to free and fair elections, praised the ruling as a major victory for voter confidence, election integrity, and the rule of law.

“These unlawful changes would have created chaos on Election Day and undermined public trust in Georgia’s election system,” said Democracy Defense Project – Georgia Board Members, including former Governor Nathan Deal (R), former Governor Roy Barnes (D), former U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss (R), and former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin (D). “The Court rightly affirmed that any fundamental changes to how we vote, count ballots, and certify results must be made by the legislature — not by unelected officials acting beyond their authority.”

The invalidated rules would have forced counties to hand-count ballots on election night, allowed local election board members to delay certification based on subjective “reasonable inquiries,” granted premature access to sensitive election documents, and imposed new ID and signature requirements on those returning absentee ballots for others.