The governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, recently signed legislation, known as SB 189, that makes additional changes to the state’s election laws. The bill defines probable causes for removing voters from the rolls when their eligibility is challenged, listing actions such as death, evidence of voting in another jurisdiction, a tax exemption indicating a primary residence elsewhere, or a nonresidential address. The bill also allows challenges to be accepted and voters removed from the rolls up to 45 days before an election, prompting threats of lawsuits from liberal groups due to federal law restrictions.
Opponents of the bill argue that the changes could result in baseless attacks on voters, overwhelming election administrators and disenfranchising legitimate voters. For example, the bill allows for the consideration of the National Change of Address list as a reason for removing voters, which some argue is not a reliable source of information. The bill also requires homeless individuals to use the county voter registration office as their address, potentially making it harder for them to cast ballots if their registered polling place is far away.
Critics, including voting rights groups like Fair Fight Action and the ACLU of Georgia, have condemned the signing of SB 189, calling it a voter suppression bill that emboldens right-wing activists in their efforts to disenfranchise Black and Brown voters. The legislation is seen as a step back for voters’ rights and voting access, prompting threats of legal action against the governor. The bill also grants access to Georgia’s ballot to political parties that have qualified for the presidential ballot in at least 20 states or territories, potentially impacting future elections.
Additional changes in the bill involve removing Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger from his ex-officio spot on the State Election Board, a move viewed by many as a response to his defense of the election results showing Biden’s victory in 2020. Raffensperger, along with others, had lobbied for Kemp to veto the bill. The legislation also prohibits the use of QR codes to count ballots created on the state’s ballot marking devices starting in 2026, opting instead for human-readable marks like filled-in bubbles. The bill also requires counties to report absentee ballot results promptly after polls close and allows for the use of paper ballots in elections with fewer than 5,000 registered voters starting in 2025.
In a separate decision, Kemp vetoed a different election bill that would have banned political contributions by foreign nationals and imposed additional registration requirements on agents of foreign principals. The governor cited existing federal laws that already prohibit such donations and noted flaws in the registration requirements proposed by the bill’s sponsor. The recent changes to Georgia’s election laws have sparked debate and controversy among political parties, activists, and voting rights advocates, highlighting the ongoing challenges surrounding electoral integrity and access to the voting process.
