Georgia lawmakers have approved a bill with new rules for challenging voters and for qualifying for the state’s presidential ballot.
The measure was approved on March 28 by a vote of 101 to 73 in the House and 33-22 in the Senate.
Senate Bill 189, which could potentially have a strong impact on the 2024 presidential race in the battleground state, is now heading to Gov. Brian Kemp’s office for his signature or veto.
The bill would grant access to Georgia’s ballot to any political party that has qualified for the presidential ballot in at least 20 states or territories, which could boost independent candidates’ campaigns, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose campaign has left Democrats worried about a possible drop in support for incumbent President Joe Biden’s re-election bid.
Voter Fraud Concerns
Election changes in the state have gained traction after some Republicans expressed repeated concerns about possible voter fraud in the battleground state following the controversy surrounding the 2020 election, which former President Donald Trump said cost him more than a dozen electoral votes at the time.
The bill also adds a more in-depth definition on voter eligibility, leading to the possible removal of some voters from the rolls. This would constitute a “probable cause” for removal, such as if a person is dead or is registered to vote in a different jurisdiction.
It also applies to those who registered for a homestead exemption on their property taxes in a different jurisdiction, or those who are registered at a different address to which they reside.
“We define probable cause very simply,” said Senate Ethics Committee chairman Max Burns, a Sylvania Republican.
This arrangement, however, was not welcomed by Democrats, who argued that such a measure would stimulate what they referred to as baseless attacks on voters, which would effectively inundate election administrators and disenfranchise people, with some referring to the provision as being based on lies and fearmongering.
Others argued that it chips away at confidence in the U.S. election system.
“We have a responsibility to push back on lies, not turn them into legislation,” according to Democrat Ruwa Romman of Duluth.
Recent years have seen in excess of 100,000 voters challenged by Republicans over potential voter discrepancies, some of which were submitted exponentially in larger Georgia counties.
However, Republican Congressman Victor Anderson of Cornelia said a provision deeming the appearance of someone’s name on the U.S. Postal Service’s national change of address list insufficient on its own to sustain a challenge, noting that the measure includes a provision postponing challenges that occur within 45 days of an election.
“Colleagues, I contend that our bill actually makes the process of challenging more difficult,” he said.
Furthermore, according to House Governmental Affairs Committee chairman John LaHood, a Valdosta Republican, the bill, in fact, increased confidence in elections.
“What this bill does is ensure that your legal vote does matter,” he said.
In addition, the bill also entails a provision for absentee ballot results to be reported within an hour of the polls’ closure.
A separate provision, allowing smaller counties of 5,000 people or less to use paper ballots would come into effect in 2025, if the bill is signed into law.
The use of QR codes for counting votes on state ballot marking devices would also be restricted starting from July 1, 2026.
Although the measure is currently in place, critics argue that the inability to decipher such codes fosters an element of mistrust among many voters. As a more feasible alternative, the use of text or human-readable marks like filled-in bubbles created by machines is promoted instead.
Meanwhile, separate bills have been passed to the governor by state lawmakers that seek to establish increased audits of statewide elections, add additional security features on ballots, as well as mandate poll workers to hold U.S. citizenship and reduce the number of voting machines available at locations.
The Associated Press contributed to this article
