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As Democrats sue to block recent rule changes by Georgia’s State Election Board that could embolden county officials who want to refuse to certify an election, one expert believes that the Republican-led efforts are "desperate" and likely to fail — but could fuel bogus claims in other states and lead to violence.
Three Republican Trump allies gained control of the five-member regulatory board this year, according to The Associated Press. Trump has praised the trio as "pit bulls fighting for honesty, transparency and victory."
State and national Democratic parties sued this week to block the panel's rule changes, which would allow election officials to conduct a reasonable inquiry before certifying election results, as well as allow county election boards to investigate ballot counts. The changes have been criticized by watchdogs as a second attempt to repeat the so-called "Big Lie" in 2024 and overturn or delay elections.
David Becker, executive director and founder of the nonpartisan nonprofit Center for Election Innovation & Research told CNN's Laura Coates on Tuesday night that the certification process is simply a "nondiscretionary ministerial act of giving legal effect to an election."
"It is not an opportunity for political appointees to decide they don't like the election results and delay or stop the certification or conduct any kind of inquiry. There's another path for that," he said," in Georgia and in every other state."
In Georgia, certification is necessary to pursue that path, he said. If the state board is successful in its changes, it could allow for election results to be delayed or lead to the halting of certification, "presumably only if the candidate that they don't like wins."
The presidential election has some unalterable dates, such as Dec. 11, the date of ascertainment of electors and Dec. 17, the meeting of electors and, notably, Jan. 6, the joint session of Congress.
"There could be a really desperate attempt to try to delay or stop those efforts," Becker said, but said ultimately, he believes the "desperate attempt will fail even if the state board is successful."
However, he added, doing so could "give false oxygen to claims that an election was stolen, which could lead to volatility and lead to violence."
