AP: Georgia appeals court upholds ruling saying election officials must certify results

The AP’s Kate Brumback reported on the unanimous decision by Georgia’s Court of Appeals upholding a previous judge’s ruling that county election officials cannot refuse to certify election results after all the ballots have been tallied.

“A Georgia appeals court has upheld a lower court ruling that said county election officials in the state must vote to certify results according to deadlines set in law.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney had ruled in October that “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. …

McBurney had written in his order that Georgia law allows county election officials to examine whether fraud has occurred and what should be done about it. They should share any concerns with the appropriate authorities for criminal prosecution or use them to file an election challenge in court, but cannot use their concerns to justify not certifying results, the judge wrote.”

Read more at the AP.