Judge smacks down slew of Trump-backed election board rule changes

A judge has smacked down a slew of election rule changes passed by a Donald Trump-backed board in Georgia, according to a report.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Thomas Cox found the rules violated state laws, including one that would have required county election officials to conduct a “reasonable inquiry” into election results and another that would have required officials to hand-count ballots.

The state and national Democratic Party sued to challenge the rules, which say that county election officials can “examine all election related documentation created during the conduct of elections prior to certification of results.”

“The court here declares that these rules are illegal, unconstitutional and void,” Cox wrote in the ruling.

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Cox said the “reasonable inquiry” rule “adds an additional and undefined step into the certification process,” CNN reported. The examination rule, he said, “creates a statutorily unbounded scope under which (election) superintendents can consider unauthorized materials when tabulating, canvassing, and certifying election results.”

Wednesday's ruling comes after Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney warned the rule to conduct a “reasonable inquiry” was “vague and needs clarification."

It also came as the state breaks records for early voting — with about 300,000 ballots cast Tuesday, the first day it's available.