A Fulton County superior judge has thrown out a last-minute lawsuit by the Georgia GOP and the Republican National Committee that would have prevented Fulton County election workers from accepting ballots submitted to county election offices the weekend before the election.

Beginning in 2021, Georgia’s election code restricted the hours voters could return absentee ballots to polling stations, allowing the boxes to be used only during normal polling station hours. In a lawsuit filed late Nov. 1, Republicans alleged that Fulton County election officials violated state election law regarding hours, despite no ballot boxes being involved in the ballot cases. vote that were returned over the weekend.

Alex Kaufman, the attorney for the Republican Party, also argued that under Georgia law, there is “absolutely no provision” that allows voters to turn in ballots to the clerk.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kevin Farmer rejected the argument, citing attorney law aloud during an emergency hearing the morning after the lawsuit was filed.

“”Such envelope shall then be securely sealed and the Voter shall personally mail or personally deliver it to the board of registration or absentee ballot clerk,” Farmer said. “This seems to indicate that personal delivery to the registrar and not to a drop box is kosher. And more than kosher, legal.”

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On Sunday, Republicans filed a second lawsuit in federal court in Savannah, alleging that election board members in seven Democratic-leaning counties — Chatham, Clarke, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett — violated Georgia election code by extending the and work schedule in order. to accept absentee ballots from Georgia voters.

“The law is clear — the early voting period has ended,” the lawsuit states. “But that didn’t stop Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett, Athens-Clarke, Clayton and Chatham counties from announcing at 11 a.m. that they would open this weekend and Monday for voters to return their ballots.”

A hearing in the second case was held Monday afternoon. So far, no decision has been issued in this case.

Fulton County election officials said they followed the law by accepting hand-delivered ballots over the weekend and said they will continue to do so, as recommended by the Georgia election code and the courts.

“While I won’t address the pending litigation directly, the judge ruled Saturday morning at 8 a.m. that there is nothing illegal for regular voters to hand-in their absentee ballots,” said Sherri Allen , chairman of the Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections. at a press conference on Monday.

Fulton County election officials said 305 ballots were delivered by voters over the weekend and that the ballots will be impounded if a higher court overturns Farmer’s ruling in the case.

Election officials from the Georgia Secretary of State’s office also stepped in to clear up the confusion.

“To be clear, no election laws were violated in Georgia today,” Secretary of State Chief Operating Officer Gabriel Sterling said in a post on Xthe site formerly known as Twitter. “The law clearly states that (government) buildings can be used to receive absentee ballots. A judge said so this morning.”

This article originally appeared on the Savannah Morning News: Fulton County can accept ballots delivered over the weekend, judge says