The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In closing stretch of legislative session, a dozen election bills remain in play
As the General Assembly enters the final furlongs of this legislative session, a dozen election-related bills remain on course for the finish line March 31.
The biggest include measures that would end no-excuse absentee voting, limit weekend voting and set new ID requirements for absentee voters.
The last of those items — which would require a driver’s license number, state ID number or copy of other identifying documents — appears to be the one that has found the most agreement in the House and Senate.
The ID requirements were even cited as a reason a pair of Republican senators gave for hitting the exits when Senate Bill 241 — the bill that would end no-excuse absentee voting — came up for a vote on Crossover Day.
In an email, state Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick of Marietta said she supported much of SB 241 while opposing the elimination of no-excuse absentee voting, “especially since we have strengthened voter ID” for obtaining the mail-in ballot.
“For that reason, I was not comfortable voting for it, but I wanted the bill to move forward in the process and get to a compromise bill” with the House, Kirkpatrick said.
Sounding much like Kirkpatrick was state Sen. Brian Strickland of McDonough, who said he tried to get the provision that would halt no-excuse absentee voting stricken from SB 241.
“I support the remaining portions of the bill and am happy the measure is moving forward so we can come together and pass a bill that increases security and transparency in our election process while continuing to protect the right to vote,” he said.
Two other GOP senators who were excused from the vote on SB 241, John Albers of Roswell and Chuck Hufstetler of Rome, could not be reached for comment.
Republicans — after experiencing their first presidential loss in Georgia since 1992 in November and then being swept in the state’s U.S. Senate runoffs in January — have pushed numerous restrictions on voting during the session. Following the lead of former President Donald Trump, they have raised doubts about the security of the voting process while not questioning their own wins in November.
A pair of consultants, in a bipartisan effort, suggest that Republicans should be wary about how the consequences of their proposals could affect them at the ballot box.
Fair Fight, the voting rights group that Democrat Stacey Abrams formed in 2018 following her loss in the race for governor, is hardly a popular source of information for Republicans. But the group put out a memo, written by a pair of political strategists, Democrat Dylan Sumner and Republican Mark Zubaly, that examined state laws related to no-excuse absentee voting and compared the election success of each party in those states.
“Despite a flood of misinformation and partisan rhetoric,” Sumner and Zubaly wrote, “the numbers prove that no-excuse vote by mail (VBM) benefits both parties, and both should push laws that make vote-bymail more accessible.”
Here’s a quick summary of the election bills still in play at the General Assembly:
■ House Bill 531, sponsored by Republican Rep. Barry Fleming, would require absentee ID, restrict drop boxes and limit early voting hours.
■ Senate Bill 241, sponsored by Republican Senate Majority Leader Mike Dugan, would require absentee ID and eliminate no-excuse absentee voting.
■ Senate Bill 40, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Jen Jordan, would require counties to begin processing absentee ballots eight days before election day.
■ Senate Bill 62, sponsored by Republican Sen. Lindsey Tippins, would label each ballot with the name of its precinct.
■ Senate Bill 67, sponsored by Republican Sen. Larry Walker, would require ID to apply for an absentee ballot.
■ Senate Bill 72, sponsored by Republican Sen. Jeff Mullis, seeks monthly updates on voters who have died.
■ Senate Bill 74, also sponsored by Mullis, would allow poll watchers into ballot tabulation areas.
■ Senate Bill 89, sponsored by Republican Senate President Pro Tem Butch Miller, would permit the State Election Board to take over low-performing county election offices.
■ Senate Bill 184, sponsored by Republican Sen. Bill Cowsert, would require records of who voted to be updated within 30 days after an election.
■ Senate Bill 188, also sponsored by Cowsert, would prevent the public release of election results until the total number of ballots cast is posted on the secretary of state’s website.
■ Senate Bill 202, sponsored by Republican Sen. Max Burns, would prohibit organizations from sending absentee ballot applications to voters who have already requested a ballot.
■ Senate Bill 253, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Nikki Merritt, would require a 4-foot-by4-foot sign posted at polling places that have been moved.