Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia voting limits bill may preserve Sunday and no-excuse absentee
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia voting limits bill may preserve Sunday and no-excuse absentee
Leading Georgia lawmakers said Thursday that they plan to maintain Sunday voting and no-excuse absentee voting but pursue strict controls on other areas of voter access and ballot counting.
Voting rights advocates continued to oppose the legislation during a three-hour hearing, saying it would still create obstacles by limiting drop boxes, setting earlier absentee ballot request deadlines and requiring more ID to vote absentee. …
Election rules in Georgia would be tightened in many other ways, according to the bill.
Most provisional ballots cast outside a voter’s home precinct would be disqualified, voting groups wouldn’t be allowed to send absentee ballot request forms to voters who have already applied for a ballot, and the State Election Board could take over underperforming county election offices. …
Aunna Dennis, executive director of Common Cause Georgia, said out-of-precinct voters would be disenfranchised if their provisional ballots are discarded. Under current law, federal and state races for voters who show up in the wrong county precinct are counted, but they can’t vote for local contests they’re not eligible to participate in.
“This bill cuts at every part of the voting process in Georgia and is making it very difficult for the most vulnerable populations in Georgia to be able to cast a ballot,” Dennis said.