With Crossover Day now behind us, we’re celebrating important legislative wins and looking at the fight ahead.
Legislative Wins
Two of the measures we were closely watching were SR 838 and SB 568.
SR 838, the “SAVE” amendment, was a proposed constitutional amendment stating that only U.S. citizens may vote in Georgia and requiring voters to present photo identification before casting a ballot, both of which are already required under Georgia law. Because constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority to pass, and the resolution failed to reach that threshold, the measure ultimately did not move forward.
SB 568 was a sweeping election bill that would have rewritten large portions of Georgia’s election code. Among other things, the bill could have imposed steep fines on counties that do not remove challenged voters, restricted early voting flexibility, made changes to what technology and methods are used to cast and count votes in Georgia, and shifted authority away from our elected Secretary of State to the appointed State Election Board — which has become increasingly politicized. The measure ultimately failed, with members of both parties voting against it.
These outcomes put us one step further in the fight for our democracy. They were the result of coordinated advocacy from Common Cause Georgia members and a broad coalition of partners across the state who organized, spoke out, and helped educate legislators about the impacts these proposals would have on our state and the people in it.
The Fight Ahead
While these two bad bills didn’t pass, the fight is not yet over.
From efforts to undermine the democratic process by sneaking in language from bills that failed on Crossover Day and working them into other legislation, to the looming threat of a takeover of Fulton County elections, and more; the reality remains that there are bad actors who are actively seeking to threaten our rights, undermine our elections, and weaken our democracy.
As we enter into the second half of Georgia’s Legislative Session, we anticipate new obstacles and threats, and we remain committed to challenging them through legislative advocacy and organizing.
Join us in the fight to safeguard elections and strengthen our democracy. If you haven’t already, sign up to join us on Thursday, March 19 for Democracy Day, an exciting advocacy day where Common Cause Georgia members and supporters will gather at the Capitol to meet with legislators, advocate for pro-democracy reforms, and make our voices heard.
A democracy that works for all of us, requires work from all of us.
