Georgia Governor, State Legislature Passes State Election Overhaul

On Thursday, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law a state election overhaul shortly after a Republican-majority state legislature approved it. The overhaul includes new restrictions on absentee voting, expanded access to in-person early voting, and gives the legislature greater control over how elections are run after a months-long debate over election laws in the battleground state. The 96-page bill alters Georgia's absentee voting rules by adding new identification requirements, requiring voters to submit ID information with both an absentee ballot request and the ballot itself. It also limits the use of absentee ballot drop boxes, allows unlimited challenges to a voter’s qualifications, shortens the runoff election period from nine to four weeks, and shortens the amount of time voters have to request an absentee ballot. The bill also gives the Republican-controlled state legislature the power to appoint a majority of members on the five-person state election board. This comes after the state saw record turnout in the November election and January US Senate runoffs, and received a record 1.3 million absentee ballots. The story received coverage from across the political spectrum. Coverage from left-rated outlets tended to frame the overhaul as "passing voting restrictions," and highlighted Democratic lawmakers who opposed the bill, saying the bill would make it harder to vote, especially for marginalized groups. Some right-rated outlets highlighted Republicans, including Kemp, who defended the bill, claiming it expands voter access in Georgia. Kemp also claimed it protects the election process from "rhetoric from those that are fund-raising off of this issue and polarizing it."