In the swing state of Georgia, a judge has ruled that election officials cannot refuse to certify election results.
In the groundbreaking ruling on Monday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney stated that “certifying election results … is mandatory.”
“No election superintendent (or member of a board of elections and registration) may refuse to certify or abstain from certifying election results under any circumstance.”
Obviously, the judge noted, county election officials have the duty to “investigate concerns about miscounts.” But otherwise, election officials have a duty to certify the results no later than 5 p.m. on the Monday following the election.
The ruling aims to put a stop to any unnecessary delay or holdup thanks to election deniers. Fulton County was the epicenter of Donald Trump’s 2020 scheme to overturn the election.
McBurney’s ruling came after Julie Adams, a Republican member of the Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections, challenged her duty to certify election results. Legal challenges like this one have played an important role in the GOP’s “ election integrity ” efforts going into November, as election deniers are filing lawsuits across the country to change election procedures.