Truthfully, we have a long way to go to make our elections secure, but I like what I’m seeing coming out of Georgia.
On Monday, Gov. Brian Kemp signed SB 189, a new voting reform bill that mandates the counting and reporting of all absentee ballots on Election Night. The legislation is the latest election integrity bill aimed at securing Georgia’s election procedures. According to WSBTV, the new law also “makes it illegal for members of the State Board of Elections, the Sec. of State, county or municipal superintendents or registrars, as well as any full-time, part-time or contract workers in elections-related roles to provide goods or services to the state related to voting equipment or vote tabulation, auditing or processing, as well as scanning ballots.”
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Various provisions within the law will take effect at different intervals, with the majority slated to be implemented by July 1, 2024
Additionally, SB 189 allows candidates to qualify as presidential electors so long as their political party or political body has gotten on the ballot in at least 20 states, receiving access to Georgia ballots.
Under the bill’s provisions, as related to elections, homeless individuals without a permanent address will have their mailing address for elections set as the registrar’s office of their county of residence by default.
The bill also created new ways to challenge the voting eligibility of registered voters based on several criteria.
SB 189 makes it so that having proof of owning or renting a post office box or private mailbox service in a particular voting jurisdiction will no longer count as proof of residency as it relates to voting.
Individuals who register to vote in another state, county, municipality or legislative district of any type, it will be recorded as changing residency. If the individual then returns to their original residence after voting or registering to vote elsewhere, the state will require they update their registration in order to be considered a valid resident and elector for voting purposes.
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The provisions of this bill are undoubtedly commonsense reforms that will make elections more secure, run more smoothly, and restore confidence in the state’s elections, which took a major hit after the 2020 election.
Naturally, several leftist organizations are planning to challenge the law.
“By signing SB 189 to become law, Brian Kemp delivered a gift to MAGA election deniers. He’s solidified his legacy as a vote suppressor, building on his signature anti-voter law from 2021 with a new law inspired by conspiracy theorists who continue to dispute the results of the 2020 election,” Fair Fight Action said in a statement. “With a new election on the horizon, Kemp is buttressing his pledge to MAGA, giving them new power to target Black, brown, rural, unhoused, and disabled populations and legislating harassment for already overburdened election workers. But in spite of every barrier formed against them, Georgians continue to show up to vote. And we will not stop fighting to ensure free and fair elections for all.”
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“SB 189 is a step back for voters’ rights and voting access in the state of Georgia,” claimed Andrea Young, the executive director of the ACLU of Georgia. “Most importantly, this bill will require already overburdened election workers to spend time processing unnecessary voter challenges. As always, elected state officials should work to make voting easier and not more difficult for Georgia citizens. We are committed to protecting Georgia voters and will see the governor in court.”
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As for me, I want more states to follow suit.