The state that handed former President Donald Trump one of his narrowest losses four years ago is immersed in election controversies even before the first ballots of this year's presidential race are cast.

One measure, to be voted on Friday, would require hand counting of ballots. Critics say that it would create widespread confusion in a state pivotal to the presidential race.

The Georgia State Election Board is set to vote Friday on several election rules that have raised red flags among several voting rights organizations, Democrats and county election officials in advance of the November general election.

If approved, the hand count rule would make Georgia the only state in the U.S. to implement such a requirement as part of the normal process of tabulating results, according to Gowri Ramachandran, the director of elections and security at New York University's Brennan Center for Justice,