Georgia Fulton county election: what is the ballot format and how can they be hand counted?

1. What the Fulton County ballot looks like: composite and precinct-specific sample ballots

Fulton publishes sample ballots online, including a composite sample ballot that “represents all possible districts” for an election and directs voters to the state My Voter Page for their exact precinct ballot, while local websites and Ballotpedia also make race and measure listings available for each election cycle ^{[1] [2] [5] [6]}. Local election pages and the county’s Registration & Elections site post full sample ballots and notices to tabulate and canvass summaries for specific elections, so the ballot format in practice is a paper listing of contests organized by office and local districts with absentee and early-vote reporting handled separately by the county ^{[7] [8]}.

2. What “hand counting” the rule would actually require

The State Election Board rule under discussion required that three poll workers each count the paper ballots — the physical ballots themselves — by hand after polls close, a process described in reporting as counting ballots rather than electronically totalling votes ^[3]. Reporting from The Guardian explained the rule would also require immediate investigation of discrepancies and give local board members expanded access to records and “reasonable inquiry” powers before certification, effectively adding on-the-spot oversight to any hand-counted totals ^[4].

3. Practical mechanics, timeline and where ballots are processed now

Absentee ballots are processed and verified by Fulton’s Registration and Elections department in advance of Election Day; the county also posts notices about early tabulation of absentee ballots and canvass/reconciliation reports at its Election Hub and Operations Center, indicating absentee processing is done in a controlled central location separate from precinct tabulators ^{[9] [8]}. If hand counts were implemented at precincts after polls close, counties and local officials warned it could delay reporting of results and produce mid-evening swings in the reported leader as additional precincts finish hand counts — a concern flagged by county elections directors and observers ^[9].

4. Legal and political context shaping whether hand counts happen

The hand-count rule was part of broader SEB actions that followed scrutiny of Fulton’s 2020 procedures and was promoted by appointees and board members aligned with partisan scrutiny; the Guardian flagged that Republicans proposed monitor lists and new oversight powers while opponents sued to block rules that would change certification discretion, and a Fulton judge halted enforcement of the hand-count rule as litigation proceeded ^{[4] [3]}. This means whether hand counting is applied depends on ongoing litigation and state board actions rather than solely on county-level operational choices ^{[3] [4]}.

5. Integrity safeguards, past problems, and competing viewpoints

Supporters of manual counts argue they provide transparency and permit immediate investigation of discrepancies, while critics warn of slower results and potential politicization of on-site queries; previous investigations found Fulton had problems with tabulator tape procedures in 2020 — unsigned tapes and other recordkeeping violations that were later scrutinized by the State Election Board — and those findings are part of why stricter on-site rules have been proposed ^{[4] [10] [11]}. Fulton’s own canvass and recount procedures are governed by state law and county notices (including recount orders and reconciliation reports posted by the county), but reporting shows the debate over hand counts remains both legal and political even as counties continue standard absentee processing and electronic tabulation practices ^{[8] [7]}.