Georgia state senators passed legislation this week that would put restrictions on absentee voting, months after the red state reliably turned blue in the November election after record absentee turnout.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the bill, who tried to put more restrictions on who can vote absent, was overtaken by a state Senate subcommittee in a 3-2 party line vote on Wednesday.
The measure would require a reason for each person to vote absent, such as being “absent from their premises during the primary period,” having a physical disability that prevents them from being able to go to the polls, or being at least 75 years old.
At this time, the state does not require voters to have a reason to vote absent.
The bill is part of a series driven by state GOP lawmakers that according to voting rights advocates may make it difficult for Georgia voters to vote.
On Thursday, the state Senate-led GOP ethics committee also passed a bill in a 7-4 vote that seeks to make it mandatory for voter applications for absenteeism to include your driver’s license number. , your card number for state identification or photocopies of your identification form.
The move was received with the backing by Democratic lawmakers who say the bill would make it difficult for voters who did not have a driver’s license or state ID card to vote absent, the Journal-Constitution reports.
Under current law, voters in Peach State only need to include their driver’s license number to apply for absence votes online, according to the AJC.
Georgia Democratic State Sen. Ed Harbison also expressed concern about identity theft for voters who would have to mail more personal information to vote absent if the bill is passed.
“I think you are trying to cure a problem in your mind. The truth of the matter is that I think you are opening that door to privacy, “Harbison said in a statement obtained by the dam.
State Sen. Larry Walker, one of the Republicans who sponsors the measure, told the newspaper that “the purpose of this proposal is not to hinder legal voting, but to hinder illegal voting.”
“The public can trust the integrity of our election results,” he said.
The approval of the bills comes after state lawmakers also introduced a number of other election-related bills earlier this month. Part of the bills would directly impact the way voters vote and register in the state after there was a record turnout of absentee voters during the November presidential election.
The legislation immediately provoked the reaction of voting rights advocates at the time, including that of Fair Fight, a national voting rights organization founded by former Georgia Democratic candidate for democratic governance Stacey Abrams.
Seth Bringman, a spokesman for the organization, described the series of pieces of legislation as a “set of voter suppression bills” in a statement at the time and said they were “designed to limit access and help voters.” Republicans to stop losing elections in Georgia “.