MAGA Republicans in Georgia just set the stage for chaos

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Support our nonprofit journalism]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     September 20, 2024 The presidential race remains deadlocked, which, to me, in 2024, is both incomprehensible and unsurprising. What is shocking on this Friday afternoon, however, is news that votes in Georgia will now be hand-counted after MAGA Republicans voted today to pass a [new set of eleventh-hour rule changes]( that, as my colleague Ari Berman writes, "could plunge the vote counting process into chaos and give Republicans yet another pretext not to certify the results if Kamala Harris wins the state." In other words: rig the state for Donald Trump. [More from Ari](: The push for hand counts has become a [rallying cry of election deniers]( who falsely blame electronic voting machines for Trump’s defeat. One of the biggest backers of this conspiracy theory is MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. Ironically, under the guise of protecting election integrity, hand counts actually lead to [less accurate results]( due to human error. Numerous studies show that hand counts produce double the error rate of machine scanners. When Republicans in Nye County, Nevada, attempted to hand count ballots in 2022, they reported an [error rate of 25 percent]( on the first day before the courts shut the effort down. Setting the stage for an electoral mess is exactly what Trump wants. And 45 days out from Election Day, this stunning development is leaving me absolutely dreading what comes next. —Inae Oh Advertisement [House Donations Ad]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [MAGA Republicans Pass New Election Rules in Georgia That Could Rig the State for Trump]( “We’re so far off the deep end of sanity here.” BY ARI BERMAN MOTHER JONES MEMBERSHIP UPDATE   A HUGE OPPORTUNITY A generous board member just chipped in a $50,000 digital matching gift, and we need newsletter readers to help us make the most of it. [Any donation you make online from now until September 30]( will be matched dollar-for-dollar. You know the stakes right now. And with your support going twice as far, Mother Jones can lead the way these next 60 days in showing the corporate media how to cover the unique danger that Trump represents and not make the same mistakes they did in 2016 and 2020. Please help with a donation if you can—even just a few bucks helps. A [monthly gift]( would be incredible. [Donate Now]( [Trending] [This little-noticed Project 2025 provision could supercharge wealth inequality]( BY MICHAEL MECHANIC   [In a win for Trump, Teamsters endorse no one]( BY SERENA LIN   [Report: Disabled people are five times more likely to experience domestic violence]( BY JULIA MÉTRAUX   [Indigenous activists haven’t forgotten Walz’s promises to oppose Line 3]( BY ARTIS CURISKIS Advertisement [House Subscriptions Ad]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [Bernie Moreno owed a contractor $300K—then ignored legal rulings to pay up]( The CEO of the construction firm donated thousands of dollars to one of Moreno's GOP primary opponents. BY ABBY VESOULIS Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Donate Monthly]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755