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2018 Georgia Code 21-2-454 | Car Wreck Lawyer

Link to State of Georgia Official Statute 2018 Georgia Code Annotated (sourced from legal.resource.org)
O.C.G.A. 21-2-454 Case Law from Google Scholar Amendments to OCGA 21-2-454

TITLE 21 ELECTIONS

Section 2. Elections and Primaries Generally, 21-2-1 through 21-2-604.

ARTICLE 11 PREPARATION FOR AND CONDUCT OF PRIMARIES AND ELECTIONS

21-2-454. Duties of poll officers after the close of the polls.

  1. As soon as the polls are closed and the last elector has voted, the poll officers shall immediately lock and seal the operating lever or mechanism of the machine so that the voting and counting mechanism will be prevented from operation, and they shall then sign a certificate stating:
    1. That the machine has been locked against voting and sealed;
    2. The number, as shown on the public counter;
    3. The number on the seal which they have placed upon the machine;
    4. The number registered on the protective counter or device; and
    5. The number or other designation of the voting machine,

      which certificate shall be returned by the chief manager to the superintendent with the other certificates, as provided in this part.

  2. The poll officers shall then compare the number, as shown by the public counter of the machine, with the number of names appearing on the numbered list of voters, the electors list, and voter's certificates, which shall then be placed in separate packages, containers, or envelopes and sealed.

(Code 1933, § 34-1325, enacted by Ga. L. 1964, Ex. Sess., p. 26, § 1; Code 1933, § 34-1331, as redesignated by Ga. L. 1969, p. 308, § 27; Ga. L. 1998, p. 295, § 1.)

Cross references.

- Interfering with poll officers, § 21-2-569.

JUDICIAL DECISIONS

Editor's notes.

- In light of the similarity of the provisions, decisions under former Code 1933, § 34-1336, are included in the annotations for this Code section.

Purpose of the provision for opening and counting ballots at the polls is to guard against any change in the ballots or in the number of ballots to be counted in determining the result, thus protecting the sanctity of the election process, which is a very important provision of the code requirements. Broome v. Martin, 111 Ga. App. 51, 140 S.E.2d 500 (1965)(decided under former Code 1933, § 34-1336).

Cited in Rary v. Guess, 129 Ga. App. 102, 198 S.E.2d 879 (1973).

OPINIONS OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

Editor's notes.

- In light of the similarity of the provisions, opinions under former Code 1933, § 34-1336, are included in the annotations for this Code section.

Hand-counting of votes on vote recorder ballots.

- Poll officers may not hand-count votes on vote recorder ballots prior to their tabulation by machine at appropriate tabulation center. 1981 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 81-76 (decided under former Code 1933, § 34-1336).

Vote tabulation by poll officials.

- Inference to be drawn from former Code 1933, §§ 34-1337 and 34-1336 (former O.C.G.A. §§ 21-2-472 and21-2-473) is that, although vote tabulation by poll officials is allowable in some circumstances, such authority was consciously exempted where regular vote recorder ballots are concerned. 1981 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 81-76 (decided under former Code 1933, § 34-1336).

RESEARCH REFERENCES

Am. Jur. 2d.

- 26 Am. Jur. 2d, Elections, §§ 356, 359, 361, 371.

Cases Citing O.C.G.A. § 21-2-454

Total Results: 2  |  Sort by: Relevance  |  Newest First

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Repub. Nat'l Comm. v. Eternal Vigilance Action, Inc. (two Cases), 321 Ga. 771 (Ga. 2025).

Cited 5 times | Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | Jun 10, 2025

...us not authorized by — the statute and is invalid at step one. (ii) The Hand Count Rule (Rule 183-1-12-.12 (a) (5)). The Election Code outlines the specific steps poll officers must take after the polls close. See OCGA §§ 21-2-436, 21-2-454, 21-2- 485.26 If ballot tabulating occurs at a central count location, “[a]s soon as the polls are closed and the last elector has voted[,]” poll officers are required to “[s]eal the ballot box and deliver the ballot box to the tabulating center[.]” OCGA § 21-2-485 (1) (A)....

Repub. Nat'l Comm. v. Eternal Vigilance Action, Inc. (two Cases) (Ga. 2025).

Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | Jun 10, 2025

...83 authorized by — the statute and is invalid at step one. (ii) The Hand Count Rule (Rule 183-1-12-.12 (a) (5)) The Election Code outlines the specific steps poll officers must take after the polls close. See OCGA §§ 21-2-436, 21-2-454, 21-2- 485....