Georgia State GOP Lawmakers Introduce Voting Restriction Legislation

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If passed, the proposed eight measures – which follow an election where Democrats have made historic gains in the state – could significantly reshape the Georgian electorate and have a significant impact on the 2022 midterm elections. Republicans, echoing a baseless argument frequently made by former President Donald Trump, say measures are needed to prevent voter fraud, even though there is no evidence that this played a role in it. 2020 election result.

One of the bills would require an excuse to vote by absentee, overturning a 2019 law allowing absentee voting without excuse. Under the bill, voters should be 75 years of age or older, absent from their constituency, observing a religious holiday, have a physical disability, be required to provide constant care to a person with a physical disability, or be required to work. “for the protection of the health, life or safety of the public during the entire ballot” to qualify to vote absent.

The bills would also ban ballot boxes and require voters to provide identification when requesting a postal vote. Another of the bills would limit the number of people who can distribute postal ballot requests to election officials and campaigns in Georgia, preventing outside groups and nonprofits from sending requests to voters.

Other measures introduced by Republican state lawmakers would expand access for election observers, bar new residents of Georgia from voting in rounds, and require monthly updates from election officials of deceased voters.

Senate Speaker Pro Tempore Butch Miller, who co-sponsored the bills, said they “vary in their approach to reaffirm confidence in an electoral system that has lost credibility with a majority of Georgians” .

“I want every legal vote to be counted and I want better access for all voters. Blaming our reform efforts of repression is an outright political tactic. Even those of us who have never claimed that the election was stolen recognize that the electorate has lost faith in the legitimacy of the system. We have to work to restore that, ”he said in a statement to CNN.

The package was severely reprimanded by Democratic state lawmakers after it was presented.

“How pathetic is it to react to electoral losses by changing the electoral rules rather than changing course on policy and tone? Democratic state representative Josh McLaurin tweeted.
His message was echoed by the Democratic senator. Nikki Merritt, who tweeted, “GA Republicans are so weak the only way to win is to block your access to the vote.”
Teri Anulewicz, a representative of the Democratic state, likewise tweeted: “Good legislation fixes a mistake. It fixes a problem. Eliminating voters will not change why the GA rejected the GOP in November and January.”
The Georgia Senate Democrats Twitter account also said that the proposed measures are what happens when “Democrats win in GA.”
Analysis: False allegations of fraud fueled the Capitol Riot. Now they are fueling the GOP's efforts to restrict voting.

“These bills introduced today by the GA Senate GOP are a long list of #your-supression tactics designed to roll back voter turnout, aimed specifically at reversing the impact of black voters and other voters in color “, indicates the message.

Democrats won both seats in the Georgia US Senate in the January run-off election, and in November President Joe Biden became the first Democrat to win the presidential election in Peach state in nearly three decades.

Despite the lack of widespread security concerns with nationwide voting, GOP lawmakers in battlefield states across the country have pushed for additional voting restrictions.

In Pennsylvania, Republicans are seeking to repeal an absentee vote without excuse law passed in 2019 by the GOP-led legislature.

And in Arizona, a GOP-sponsored bill would repeal the state’s permanent early voting list, which allows a voter to automatically receive one ballot in the mail for every election.

CNN’s Kelly Mena contributed to this report.



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