The Republican National Committee along with the Georgia Republican Party has appealed a ruling from a Georgia judge who rejected seven new election regulations, one of which mandated that thousands of poll workers conduct hand-counts of ballots.

Judge Thomas A. Cox Jr. ruled that these seven new regulations were at odds with Georgia’s election laws and exceeded the scope of the Georgia State Election Board’s authority, which had introduced numerous new regulations in the lead-up to the election.

The board, predominantly controlled by three Republican members, has enacted many contentious measures, garnering commendation from former President Donald Trump at an August rally, where he referred to them as “pit bulls.” In certain cases, this majority dismissed comments from Republican Attorney General Chris Carr, deeming the proposed rules likely illegal.

The lawsuit was initiated by a conservative advocacy organization, Eternal Vigilance Action Inc., against the state board, and both state and national Republican parties were granted permission to participate in the lawsuit to support the regulations. In a prior court document, the Republican factions argued that the new regulations were within the board’s responsibility to ensure consistent practices by local election officials.

The Republicans’ appeal notification on Thursday did not specify their forthcoming arguments but indicated their intention to directly approach the Georgia Supreme Court.

The controversial hand-counting regulation, passed on September 20 and scheduled to take effect on October 22, faced significant criticism. Georgia’s Republican Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, expressed concerns that the rule could result in “errors, lost or stolen ballots, and fraud.”

Supporters of the regulation argue it would enhance the integrity of the vote-counting process without altering the deadline of November 12 for counties to formally certify election results.

The day prior to Judge Cox’s ruling, another judge in Georgia had already imposed a temporary injunction on the hand-counting rule to prevent it from being implemented for the forthcoming election.

The other six rejected regulations included:

• Mandating a “reasonable inquiry” by local officials prior to certifying election results
• Granting county election board members access to all documents related to the election as it occurs
• Requiring absentee ballot deliverers to provide a signature and photo ID upon delivery
• Implementing video surveillance of authorized drop boxes after polls close
• Expanding designated areas for poll watchers
• Introducing new guidelines for county registrars regarding absentee ballot reporting.