Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed legislation on Tuesday that will make changes to the state’s election laws ahead of the 2024 presidential contest. The bill, known as SB 189, includes provisions to define reasons for removing voters from the rolls when their eligibility is challenged. This comes as Republican activists, inspired by debunked election fraud theories, have challenged over 100,000 voters in the state in recent years.
The bill states several probable causes for removing voters, such as evidence of voting in another jurisdiction or a nonresidential address. However, opponents argue that the changes could lead to baseless attacks on voters and disenfranchise legitimate individuals. Additionally, the bill allows for challenges to be accepted up until 45 days before an election and requires homeless individuals to use the county voter registration office as their address.
Critics, including groups like Fair Fight Action and the ACLU of Georgia, have condemned the bill as voter suppression and a setback for voting rights. The bill also grants access to Georgia’s ballot to any political party that has qualified in 20 states or territories, potentially impacting independent candidates. The legislation also removes Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger from his ex-officio position on the State Election Board.
The bill will also restrict the use of QR codes to count ballots after July 1, 2026, requiring ballots to be read using human-readable marks. The legislation also requires counties to report absentee ballot results within an hour of polls closing and allows for the use of paper ballots in smaller elections beginning in 2025. Governor Kemp vetoed a separate election bill that would ban political contributions from foreign nationals, citing existing federal laws and unintended registration requirements.
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