Georgia progressives warn the state election board's new rule requiring counties to conduct a "reasonable inquiry" before certifying results could wreak havoc in the November election and beyond.

Why it matters: Georgia, with its 159 counties, has 159 county election boards, all of which are legally required to certify election results.

• Opponents of the measure say Georgia law is clear that county election boards "shall" certify results, meaning they can't exercise discretion.

Threat level: A single county board's inquiry — the specifics of which the new rule does not define — could delay or halt the certification of results, state Rep. Saira Draper (D-Atlanta) told Axios.

The other side: Supporters of the measure, including Republican board member Janice Johnston, argue that Georgia law rules require county election board members to vouch for the accuracy of the results.

• "If elections are conducted fairly and legally and accurately, most of the time, they are certified. So it's not the end of the world," Johnston said at Tuesday's meeting, according to the AJC. "We're not asking the board to do a full election audit or a forensic audit. We're just asking for a reasonable inquiry."

The intrigue: Georgia House Minority Whip Sam Park (D-Lawrenceville) expressed concerns after former President Trump praised Johnston and two other Republican board members by name at his Atlanta rally last Saturday, WSB reports.

What they're saying: Draper argues that the new rule is beyond the board's authority and could sow chaos and distrust in the election system across the political spectrum.

What's next: The rule is set to take effect 20 days after its Tuesday passage, according to the AJC, but could face a legal challenge.

• On Wednesday, the board also voted to ask Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr to reopen an investigation into Fulton County's handling of the 2020 election, the AJC reports.

Read more details

Here's a quick rundown of what's happening this weekend around Atlanta.

🤣 Drag queen performer Alyssa Edwards holds court for the Glitz and Giggles tour at Buckhead Theatre. (Friday)

🎂 Krog Street Market celebrates its 10th anniversary with a party featuring music and children's activities. (Saturday)

🎤 An Evening of Hip Hop featuring Too Short, 8 Ball & MJG, Scarface and Trick Daddy will take you down memory lane at the Mable House Barnes Amphitheater. (Saturday)

🍷 Atlanta Summer Wine Fest brings more than 50 wines, music and beer at Guardian Works. (Saturday)

🎵 Wolf Creek Amphitheater hosts Atlanta Funk Fest, with performances from artists like Goodie Mob, Big Boi, Erykah Badu and more. (Saturday-Sunday)

🖼️ The High Museum of Art offers free admission on the second Sunday of the month (Sunday)

🎨 Atlanta Dairies hosts a "vintage and handmade pop-up" featuring 50 local and regional artists. (Sunday)

Share with a friend

Cobb County's chief judge issued a judicial emergency in the Superior Court due to issues stemming from a software change in the clerk's office.

Why it matters: Chief Judge Gregory Poole, in consultation with the 10 other judges, said problems in the Superior Court Clerk's Office have the potential to interfere with peoples' due process and other constitutional rights, according to a press release from the court.

How it works: The emergency grants relief from deadlines relating to motions for new trials, serving parties, answering civil cases and filing appeals, plus other court proceedings.

Zoom in: According to the emergency notice, the office of Cobb Clerk of Superior Court Connie Taylor has been plagued with an exhaustive list of issues following a case management system software conversion that began on June 24.

• Police officers have not been able to find bench warrants or protective orders that were filed, leaving them unable to enforce those orders.
• The office has also charged indigent defendants fees to copy filed documents, lost original documents like indictments, mistakenly marked criminal case files as closed and told defendants no court dates had been scheduled for their cases when, in fact, they had.

Between the lines: The order also notes the office has a "high number of vacancies" that has contributed to the issues. According to numbers provided by the county's human resources department, the office has 61 full-time and three part-time employees, but 43 vacancies.

Share this story

812

That's how much square footage apartment space you can rent for $1,500 a month in metro Atlanta, according to a new study by RentCafe.

Fun fact: That's double the size the same rent will get you in Sunnyvale, Ca., one of Silicon Valley's unaffordable cities.

• A former U.S. Army lieutenant convicted in the 1968 My Lai massacre lived a quiet life for decades in Georgia before he died earlier this year. (AJC)
• Patients at the Atlanta VA Medical Center said they sold methadone to a drug rehab counselor in 2022, and the DeKalb district attorney is requesting the agency's investigative case file on the allegations. (Fox 5 Atlanta)
• Delta passengers have filed a lawsuit against Delta Air Lines seeking refunds following last month's catastrophic CrowdStrike outage. (Axios)
• A man has been arrested for the murder of his wife, 25 years after her remains were found in trash bags in Atlanta. (WSB-TV)