Georgia GOP seeks to tighten voting rules after string of losses

Georgia Republicans are pushing for a series of new voting rules that would clamp down on or roll back many policies that contributed to Democratic participation in the recent election.

Measures introduced in the GOP-controlled state legislature include efforts to ban automatic voter registration and the use of drop boxes to return absentee ballots. Another proposal seeks to remove a state law that allows voters to vote by mail without an excuse for doing so.

The new push for voting restrictions comes after Democrats scored a winning streak in Georgia in late 2020 and early 2021.

In November, President BidenJoe Biden Former Republican officials in talks to form anti-Trump center-right party: Biden report voices concerns to Xi during first call with Chinese leader as President Castro: Trump incites crowd again “ against his own vice-president ” MORE became the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state in nearly three decades. That victory was followed in January by Democratic victories in two rounds of the Senate that effectively ended Republican control of the upper chamber.

Some calls for stricter voting requirements have already garnered support from top Republicans in the state, who say they are needed to tackle voter fraud and electoral malfeasance – despite the fact that Georgian officials, including Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, have repeatedly refuted the allegations. systemic irregularities in the election.

In an interview with the “Ruthless” podcast released Tuesday, Gov. Brian kempGeorgia Officials Open Investigation into Trump’s Efforts to Reverse Election Results The Hill’s Morning Report – Brought to you by TikTok – Trump’s Senate trial to dominate this week ‘Purple America’ will set political direction in 2022 MORE (R) said state lawmakers should look for ways to make “voting easy” but “hard to cheat,” suggesting a photo ID requirement for postal votes.

“I think there are things we need to do, given the number of people who voted for the absentees, the demand and the volume is a lot more than what we’ve ever seen in the past,” Kemp said. . “I think that gives us a rationale to come into this session, which we are doing now, and consider other ways to make it easier to vote in Georgia, but also to cheat.”

Taken at face value, Republicans believe the proposed rules are necessary to prevent voter fraud and restore eroded confidence in the democratic process after President TrumpDonald Trump Hillary Clinton: Trump’s acquittal ‘will be due to jury including former Republican officials of his co-conspirators in talks to form an anti-Trump center-right party: report Gaetz is fighting back Kinzinger PAC targeting ‘Trumpism’ MORE spent months questioning the 2020 election results and seeking to reverse his electoral loss.

A report released on Tuesday by Georgia’s GOP set out a list of recommendations to reform state electoral processes in the wake of 2020. Among the recommendations: end the ballot without excuse for absentees, ban third-party groups and state and local authorities to send absentee ballot application forms to voters and stop automatic voter registration.

“The 2020 elections revealed dramatic weaknesses in the Georgian electoral conduct system and, as a result, public confidence in the integrity of this system was shattered,” the report said. “Public confidence cannot be restored by pretending that these weaknesses do not exist. A problem must first be recognized before it can be resolved. “

Still, the efforts have a clear political undertone. One of the proposals recommended by the Georgia GOP Electoral Confidence Working Group calls for the State Elections Division to be placed under the purview of the State Election Council, effectively stripping the Secretary’s Office. state of its election monitoring functions.

Raffensperger clashed with Trump and his allies after defending state management of his elections and rebuffing claims by the former president that the presidential ballot was stolen from him. Trump has continued to make claims despite courts repeatedly dismissing his team’s legal challenges to the election results.

Several of the electoral reform proposals emanating from both lawmakers and the state’s GOP appear intended to respond to complaints from Trump and his campaign, which frequently spread unsubstantiated claims that widespread mail-voting leads to electoral fraud. generalized.

The Senses are also threatening. Jon OssoffJon Ossoff Journalist Zaid Jilani: Voting Rights Extension Made Georgia Competitive Again Congress Considering Tightening Eligibility for Stimulus Checks Susan Sarandon Criticizes Democrats for ‘Baiting and Turning’, 000 Relief Checks MORE‘s (D-Ga.) and Raphael warnockRaphael WarnockCentric Democrats Pose a Major Problem for Progressives Journalist Zaid Jilani: Voting Rights Extensions Have Made Georgia Competitive Again The Hill’s Morning Report – Brought to you by TikTok – Trump’s Senate trial to dominate this week MORE(D-Ga.) ‘S double wins in the runoff last month, when Democratic voters across the state set a new record for participation in an irregular election.

Ossoff, who beat the incumbent senator in the first term. David PerdueDavid PerdueGOP group “ Stop Stacey ” targets Abrams ahead of scheduled 2022 race, Democrats overtake GOP in approval ratings in Georgia: poll State-level Republicans torn by division after loss by Trump PLUS (R-Ga.), Will retain its seat for the next six years.

But Warnock, who beat Sen. Kelly loefflerKelly Loeffler Journalist Zaid Jilani: Voting rights expansion made Georgia competitive again GOP group ‘Stop Stacey’ targets Abrams ahead of planned 2022 release of Seventeenth Amendment and Donald Trump censorship MORE (R-Ga.) To serve the rest of the former senator. Johnny isaksonJohnny Isakson Loeffler concedes Warnock Hawley still opposes Pennsylvania after Capitol rape Hillary Clinton McConnell trolls: ‘Senate Minority Leader’ MOREThe term of (R-Ga.), Will appear on the ballot again in 2022, giving Republicans the opportunity to quickly reclaim one of Georgia’s Senate seats.

Democrats have benefited greatly from widespread postal voting in Georgia. In the 2020 general election and the Jan.5 runoff, absentee votes in more democratic parts of the state overtook that in more red areas, giving Democrats an early turnout advantage as Republicans place their votes. hopes for a high turnout on election day.

The public supports stricter voting rules. A poll released late last month by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the University of Georgia found that 55% of registered voters in the state believe it is more important to add additional safeguards to prevent fraud than to facilitate the voting process for eligible voters.

This poll also showed that 74% of voters support the requirement for a proposed photo ID for absentee voting.

But that same survey showed that the majority of Georgian voters opposed efforts to eliminate absentee ballot boxes and suppress absentee voting without excuse.

Regarding the measure preventing third-party groups and state officials from mailing postal ballot request forms, slightly more Georgians said they were against the measure – 49.1% to 47.5 %, according to the survey.

Democrats have vowed to fight proposed voting restrictions in Georgia, accusing Republicans of waging an orchestrated voter suppression campaign in a bid to ward off future election losses in a state that has become one of the battlegrounds the most dynamic and diverse in the field. card – and one with a long history of voter suppression.

“The overtly anti-democratic Georgia Republicans’ agenda only strengthens their legacy of clinging to voter suppression as political expediency, instead of participating in a fair election,” Rep. Nikema Williams said ( D-Ga.), Who chairs the Democratic Party of Georgia.

“The right to vote is sacred, and efforts to make it more difficult to vote are an affront to our democracy,” she added.

In a recent fundraising email, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), the legislative campaign arm of Democrats, warned that proposed changes to Georgia’s election laws “would rig the playing field” in favor of the GOP. .

“Republicans have decided they can’t win a fair election, so they’re doing their best to make future elections unfair,” the email read. “All of these changes – if they become law – will make it so much more difficult to vote, which is exactly what Republicans want.

And Fair Fight, a voting rights organization founded by former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams (D), has vowed to oppose bills introduced by Republicans in the Senate last week, claiming that ‘they were “designed to limit access and help Republicans stop losing Georgia elections.” “