Georgia judge tosses voting machine lawsuit

A Fulton County judge determined that Georgia voting machines are secure ahead of this year’s general election in a Friday ruling after some state Republicans argued they were defective, labeling the security risks “purely hypothetical.”

DeKalb County Republicans argued that Dominion voting machines were faulty and requested to review photographic records of ballots within 24 hours after the election. However, Judge Scott McAfee denied their request noting that it wouldn’t provide any proof of machine breaches.

“There is not much credibility in the claim,” said Elizabeth Young, who represents Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office, in court.

Nonetheless, GOP lawyer Harry MacDougald used witnesses’ oral testimony to paint a picture of a system that allowed fraudulent voter activity. However, none of them could point out specific vulnerabilities.

“I fear they are just attempting to lay the groundwork for challenging the election based on further exposing the serious weaknesses of the system, demonstrating that the results can be manipulated,” said Marilyn Marks, executive director of the Coalition for Good Governance, a nonprofit voting rights organization.

Georgia first purchased Dominion Voting Systems in 2019 and implemented its use in 2020. Since then, claims arose about its illegitimacy, which Dominion’s attorneys have adamantly denied in court.  

To date, state officials remain confident in the voting machines voters are expected to use in the 2024 election.