A Georgia judge rules in favor of allowing mail ballots to be submitted despite GOP lawsuit.

On Saturday, a judge in Georgia rejected a Republican lawsuit that aimed to prevent voters from submitting hand-returned mail-in ballots in the state.

Officials in Fulton County, a Democratic stronghold, opened normally closed country offices on Saturday and Sunday to allow voters to hand in their ballots.

Over the weekend, five other Democratic-leaning counties in the state will have their county offices open.

The lawsuit filed in Georgia on Friday night claimed that ballot drop boxes must be closed according to a state law that states they cannot be open after the conclusion of early voting, which ended on Friday.

Voters can submit mail ballots until the polls close on Tuesday night, as per law.

In a Saturday emergency hearing, GOP lawyer Alex Kaufman contended that while mailing absentee ballots is acceptable, they shouldn't be personally delivered after early voting has ended. However, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kevin Farmer dismissed all of Kaufman's claims.

According to Farmer, it is not a violation of the two code sections for a voter to hand-return their absentee ballots.

On Saturday afternoon, a Fulton County spokesperson stated that only a small number of ballots had been handed in at the four county offices.

In 2020, President Biden won Georgia, a traditionally Republican state, by fewer than 12,000 votes, prompting former President Trump to make unfounded allegations of fraud in Fulton County.

Both Trump and Vice President Harris are actively campaigning in the state, which has now become a battleground.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.