Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia Legislature passes bill empowering GBI to investigate elections
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia Legislature passes bill empowering GBI to investigate elections
The Georgia General Assembly approved a bill Monday giving the GBI stronger police powers over elections, authorizing the statewide agency to launch investigations into allegations of fraud.
The legislation is the latest Republican-led change to election rules in Georgia after the close 2020 presidential election. The bill passed along party lines in both the state House and state Senate.
Voting rights groups opposed the proposal, saying greater police intervention in elections could intimidate voters and suppress turnout.
The legislation authorizes the GBI to investigate any potential infractions that could have put the results of an election in doubt. The GBI’s law enforcement authority would overlap with election investigators in the secretary of state’s office, which would also continue to look into election infractions. …
This year’s elections bill focuses on election oversight after the General Assembly passed a sweeping measure last year that put more regulations on absentee voting. The law limited ballot drop boxes, added absentee voter ID requirements and allowed state takeovers of county election offices.
Voting rights groups most strongly objected to greater involvement of law enforcement in election investigations, skipping the step in the process where the secretary of state’s office investigates allegations of irregularities. Next year’s proposed state budget includes nearly $580,000 for four GBI positions to investigate election complaints.
“This year’s rushed process looks likely to cost Georgia taxpayers $580,000 a year, which will be spent chasing conspiracy theories if anything and everything that creates ‘doubt’ about our elections is suddenly up for investigation,” said Aunna Dennis, executive director for Common Cause Georgia, a government accountability organization.