Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation that made additional changes to Georgia’s election laws ahead of the 2024 presidential contest, aimed at defining probable causes for removing voters from the rolls when their eligibility is challenged. This comes in response to Republican activists challenging over 100,000 voters in the state, claiming to root out duplicate records and voters who have moved out of state. The bill lists several probable causes for voter removal, causing controversy amongst supporters and opponents. Critics argue that the changes could enable baseless attacks on voters that overwhelm election administrators and disenfranchise legitimate voters, while supporters believe it will make the challenge process more difficult.
The bill also allows homeless people to use the county voter registration office as their address, potentially making it harder for them to cast ballots if their polling place is far away. This provision, alongside others in the bill, has prompted backlash from liberal groups, with threats of lawsuits looming due to federal law prohibiting systematic changes to voting rolls within 90 days of a federal election. The signing of the bill into law by Governor Kemp has been criticized by voting rights groups such as Fair Fight Action and the ACLU of Georgia, who labeled it as voter suppression that emboldens right-wing activists in their efforts to disenfranchise Black and brown voters.
In addition to defining probable causes for voter removal and changing address requirements for homeless voters, the bill grants access to Georgia’s ballot to any political party that has qualified for the presidential ballot in at least 20 states or territories. This could potentially bolster independent candidates such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., causing concern among Democrats fearing support may be drawn away from President Joe Biden. The bill also removes Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger from his ex-officio position on the State Election Board, a move that has been seen as retaliation by many Republicans who believe Raffensperger was an enemy for defending the 2020 election results.
Other provisions in the bill include the removal of the use of QR codes to count ballots created on state ballot marking devices, requiring counties to report absentee ballot results by polls close, and allowing counties to use paper ballots in elections with fewer than 5,000 registered voters starting in 2025. Governor Kemp vetoed a separate election bill that would ban political contributions by foreign nationals and impose additional registration requirements on agents of foreign principals, noting that federal law already prohibits such donations and some registration requirements were unintended. This move by Kemp showcases ongoing debates and changes to election laws in Georgia and their impact on future elections in the state.
