Fleming, a Republican from Harlem, said the legislation will improve Georgia’s elections following complaints from Democrats in 2018 and Republicans in 2020. State election officials have said there was no evidence of widespread fraud in the presidential election, which they verified through multiple recounts and audits.
“We need in the Legislature to pass reasonable measures that begin to build confidence back into the election system for both the left and the right,” Fleming said. “We listened to what people were saying, and we made changes.”
State Rep. Calvin Smyre, a Democrat from Columbus, said the bill would make it harder for people to vote early and absentee. Under current law, weekend voting can be offered at any time during early voting, but HB 531 would reduce it to two weekend days.
“This is a step in the wrong direction,” Smyre said. “Early voting limitations affect a lot of working people and a lot of people of color.”
The legislation could receive a vote in the full state House of Representatives within days. If it passes, it would then advance to the state Senate for further debate.
Under the bill, absentee ballot drop boxes would only be allowed inside early voting locations or county election offices, reducing their usefulness to voters who wanted to avoid human contact during the coronavirus pandemic. Each county would be required to offer at least one drop box but no more than one per 200,000 registered voters.
In addition, voters would have to submit a driver’s license number, state ID number or photo ID when requesting an absentee ballot, along with ID when returning the ballot. A Senate bill that passed Tuesday, Senate Bill 67, only required ID when requesting an absentee ballot.
House Bill 531 contains many other proposals to change election laws. They would:
Source Article from https://www.ajc.com/politics/sunday-voting-restored-in-georgia-bill-that-tightens-election-rules/DMWUG2DVMBHZ7IDP4KZSRYZ7LY/
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