{"id":257,"date":"2022-04-05T13:00:52","date_gmt":"2022-04-05T17:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/georgia\/press-releases\/new-election-police-bill-passes-on-sine-die\/"},"modified":"2022-04-05T13:00:52","modified_gmt":"2022-04-05T17:00:52","slug":"%e0%aa%a8%e0%aa%b5%e0%ab%81%e0%aa%82-%e0%aa%9a%e0%ab%82%e0%aa%82%e0%aa%9f%e0%aa%a3%e0%ab%80-%e0%aa%aa%e0%ab%8b%e0%aa%b2%e0%ab%80%e0%aa%b8-%e0%aa%ac%e0%aa%bf%e0%aa%b2-%e0%aa%b8%e0%aa%be%e0%aa%88","status":"publish","type":"press","link":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/georgia\/gu\/press\/new-election-police-bill-passes-on-sine-die\/","title":{"rendered":"\u0aa8\u0ab5\u0ac1\u0a82 '\u0a87\u0ab2\u0ac7\u0a95\u0acd\u0ab6\u0aa8 \u0aaa\u0acb\u0ab2\u0ac0\u0ab8' \u0aac\u0abf\u0ab2 \u0ab8\u0abe\u0a87\u0aa8 \u0aa1\u0abe\u0a87 \u0aaa\u0ab0 \u0aaa\u0ab8\u0abe\u0ab0 \u0aa5\u0aaf\u0ac1\u0a82"},"template":"","class_list":["post-257","press","type-press","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","press_type-press-release"],"acf":{"details":{"summary":"During yesterday\u2019s chaos, it was very clear that some special or partisan interest wanted Georgia to have its own \u2018Election Police\u2019 force, just like Florida. So, now we have one \u2013 to the tune of almost $580,000 a year. That\u2019s money that could and should be spent, instead, on things that would improve Georgians\u2019 lives, like school lunches, housing assistance, and economic development programs that create good jobs.","featured_image":5062,"press_type":145,"authors":["{\"site_id\":\"1\",\"post_type\":\"person\",\"post_id\":7815}"],"related_issues":[106,109,400,402],"related_work":false,"location":13},"sidebar":{"helper_enable_sidebar":false,"helper_media_contact":{"heading":"Media Contact","manually_enter_person":false,"person":null,"name":"","role":"","phone":"","email":""},"helper_links_downloads":{"heading":"Links & Downloads","links":null}},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_wysiwyg":{"content":"

Budget, also approved yesterday, provides $580k\/year funding for new \u2018investigative service\u2019<\/i><\/b>\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\r\nIn the waning hours of the legislative session, the House amended <\/span>SB 441<\/span><\/a> to add \u2018Election Police\u2019 provisions that had been stripped out of <\/span>HB 1464<\/span><\/a> by the Senate Ethics Committee last week.<\/span>\r\n\r\nSB 441 was the fourth legislative vehicle for language specifically authorizing the new investigative service.<\/b> HB 1392<\/span><\/a> did not advance beyond committee. The House added the language to \u2018elections omnibus\u2019 <\/span>HB 1464<\/span><\/a>, but it was stripped out by the Senate Ethics Committee.<\/span>\r\n\r\nYesterday, as the clock ticked down on the legislative session, the House added \u2018Election Police\u2019 provisions to <\/span>both<\/span><\/i> SB 89<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>SB 441<\/span><\/a> \u2013 and SB 441 passed in the Senate.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe language added to legislation yesterday gave the new investigative service jurisdiction that is broader than originally proposed: the bill authorizes the investigation of any violation of the Elections Code \u201cwhich if established are sufficient to change or place in doubt the results of an election.\u201d Among other violations, the Elections Code prohibits <\/span>voter intimidation<\/span><\/a> and making <\/span>false sworn statements<\/span><\/a> about elections.<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe House and Senate also yesterday approved a version of the 2023 state budget appropriating $579,936 for the new investigative service. (Line 2815 of <\/span>the budget<\/span><\/a>)<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe Florida Legislature recently created a <\/span>$3.7 million-a-year<\/span><\/a> \u2018Election Police\u2019 force.<\/span>\r\n\r\n \r\n

Statement of Common Cause Georgia Executive Director Aunna Denni<\/i><\/b>s<\/span><\/h3>\r\nThis is not how a \u2018government of the people\u2019 should be doing business. And these are not \u2018the people\u2019s priorities\u2019 that are being served.<\/span>\r\n\r\nDuring yesterday\u2019s chaos, it was very clear that some special or partisan interest wanted Georgia to have its own \u2018Election Police\u2019 force, just like Florida. So, now we have one \u2013 to the tune of almost $580,000 a year. That\u2019s money that could <\/span>and should<\/span><\/i> be spent, instead, on things that would improve Georgians\u2019 lives, like <\/span>school lunches<\/span><\/a>, housing assistance, and economic development programs that create good jobs.<\/span>\r\n\r\nAs the Sine Die confetti settles, we urge the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to quickly adopt regulations making it clear that its investigators may not obstruct elections officials in their duties, particularly before elections are certified. The Bureau must make it clear to voters that the hypothetical situations suggested on the House floor last night will not happen.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nAnd if the Bureau is now entrusted with investigating anything that could create doubt about our elections \u2013 we suggest they start, first, by investigating those who have been profiting by creating such doubt.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nSidney Powell<\/span><\/a>, for example, reportedly <\/span>raised almost $15 million \u2018from election conspiracy theories<\/span><\/a>\u2019 \u2013 including <\/span>discredited theories<\/span><\/a> here in Georgia.<\/span>\r\n\r\nDinesh D\u2019Souza and True the Vote have apparently teamed up to <\/span>produce a movie<\/span><\/a> with allegations about the 2020 election \u2013 and D\u2019Souza is expected to release a book about the claims that will retail for <\/span>$26.99 a copy<\/span><\/a>. The GBI has already said there\u2019s <\/span>not enough evidence<\/span><\/a> to investigate their claims. But perhaps the GBI could investigate whether True the Vote has been giving false sworn statements about Georgia\u2019s elections while appearing before legislative committees <\/span>in other states<\/span><\/a>, or whether they\u2019ve just been able to <\/span>avoid testifying under oath<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe GBI could also investigate those who have been creating doubt about our elections to justify legislation making it harder for Georgia voters to cast our ballots \u2013 and then raising money off <\/span>that<\/span><\/i>. For example, as one <\/span>reporter<\/span><\/a> phrased it, \u201cHeritage [Action] has been at the forefront of weaponizing Trump\u2019s Big Lie of widespread voter fraud in order to build support for policies that restrict access to the ballot\u201d \u2013 and then <\/span>bragged to donors<\/span><\/a> that they \u2018had crafted\u2019 last year\u2019s SB 202.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nSo<\/span><\/i> many different groups and partisan extremists have been working to undermine confidence in Georgia\u2019s elections. If the GBI is now going to send almost $580,000 of taxpayer money to investigate anything that could create \u2018doubt\u2019 about our elections \u2013 we suggest that they start there.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span>"}}]},"yoast_head":"\nNew \u2018Election Police\u2019 Bill Passes on Sine Die - Common Cause Georgia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/georgia\/gu\/press-releases\/\u0aa8\u0ab5\u0ac1\u0a82-\u0a9a\u0ac2\u0a82\u0a9f\u0aa3\u0ac0-\u0aaa\u0acb\u0ab2\u0ac0\u0ab8-\u0aac\u0abf\u0ab2-\u0ab8\u0abe\u0a88\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New \u2018Election Police\u2019 Bill Passes on Sine Die\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/georgia\/gu\/\u0aa6\u0aac\u0abe\u0ab5\u0acb\/\u0aa8\u0ab5\u0ac1\u0a82-\u0a9a\u0ac2\u0a82\u0a9f\u0aa3\u0ac0-\u0aaa\u0acb\u0ab2\u0ac0\u0ab8-\u0aac\u0abf\u0ab2-\u0ab8\u0abe\u0a88\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Common Cause Georgia\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/georgia\/press-releases\/new-election-police-bill-passes-on-sine-die\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/georgia\/press-releases\/new-election-police-bill-passes-on-sine-die\/\",\"name\":\"New \u2018Election Police\u2019 Bill Passes on Sine Die - 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