Photo from Atlanta Journal Constitution
In the 2020 election, Georgia took center stage playing a significant role it had never held before. In the close battle for the presidency and two vital Senate run-offs, Georgia elections have been at the forefront of national news. This spotlight has exposed several problems such as fear of fraud, long lines, and chaotic ballot counting.
In response to these issues, the Georgia State Legislature has passed Senate Bill 202 (SB202). This bill has received attention due to it being the first of its kind to address voting in a post-COVID-19 world. Many prominent members of society have weighed in, from the president to the commissioner of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Opponents of the bill, including President Joe Biden, have said the bill limits minorities’ ability to vote via voter ID and prevents electors waiting in line from receiving food and water. Critics have also claimed that the law makes it harder to vote absentee thanks to less time to register and fewer absentee drop boxes.
However, not everything said about the bill is factual. To better understand this landmark bill, we need to dive into the 95-page bill and explore how it addresses voter ID, absentee ballots, early and general voting, and vote tallying.
(Note: When quoting the Senate Bill, the numbers following the quote refer to the line(s) of the Senate Bill referenced.)
How will the Changes to Voting ID requirements affect Covenant College Students and the general population of Georgia?
Photo from WJCL
Many have complained about the new requirement of providing ID in order to vote absentee, arguing it makes it harder to vote. This new requirement would not affect any Covenant students who vote outside of Georgia or those who vote in-person in Georgia. However, it will apply to those to want to mail in their Georgia ballots. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, 97% of voters have an ID on hand. For those who do not, other options include a Social Security Number, a U.S. Passport, a current utility bill and a bank statement paycheck, among others.
Is Georgia decreasing the number of Absentee Ballot Drop Boxes?
Before Senate Bill 202, Georgia did not have a law requiring Ballot Drop Boxes. During the 2020, Ballot Drop Boxes were introduced for the first time via an order of the State Election Board. As this was a COVID-19 related order, it would expire before the 2022 election. From now on, Ballot Drop Boxes will be a permanent staple of Georgia elections and will only be open during early voting. Each county is required to have at least one box, but may have more, “totaling the lesser of either one drop box for every 100,000 active registered voters in the county or the number of advance voting locations in the county” (1176-1178).
This may decrease the number of ballot boxes from what was used in the 2020 election. Republican state senator Brian Strickland told the Associated Press, “If the provision we have is not workable—this is the first time we have tried this—I'm sure you will see us go back and amend that to allow additional drop boxes if more are needed.”
What’s the deal with banning food and water for those waiting in line?
When the bill first passed, many claimed that the bill barred people waiting in line from receiving food or water from any source. However, the law actually states “No person … shall give, offer to give, or participate in the giving of any money or gifts, including, but not limited to, food and drink, to an elector” (1873-1875).
The law explicitly excludes poll workers, stating that “this Code section shall not be construed to prohibit a poll officer from making available self-service water from an unattended receptacle to an elector waiting in line to vote” (1884, 1887-1889). This policy is an extension of the ban from campaigning within a polling area, which already bars campaign posters or flyers.
How are Absentee and Early voting times changed under the new law?
A great deal of changes have been made to the process of voting prior to election day. One of the biggest is standardization of business hours to be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (however, the registrar or absentee ballot clerk may choose to extend this to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.). Another big change is more additional voting days. SB202 adds an extra Saturday to early voting, and if necessary, the option for one or two early voting Sundays. The final large change is the change of when one can apply for an early voting ballot. This has been reduced from 180 days to 78 days and now must be received 11 days prior to the actual election, whereas previously there was no deadline.
Does the bill do anything to improve long wait times?
One of the biggest gripes about voting in general is the extremely long wait times to vote, which could extend past five hours in Georgia during the 2020 election, according to NPR. This is an issue that SB202 is trying to address and attempts to do so in two different ways. The first is division of precincts with over 2000 electors. If the line on election day is longer than an hour, with times checked at least three times during the day, the precinct must either be divided up until precincts have only 2000 voters and/or add more voting equipment and staff. A second solution presented is allowing the State Election Board to step in and appoint a temporary superintendent to replace the current one if they have failed in their duty to improve issues within their authority.
Is there any improvement to how votes are tallied?
Another issue that developed during the 2020 election was the amount of time it took before election results became clear in comparison to the quick turnaround in 2016. This was due in part to the large amount of absentee voting. SB202 has set out to rectify this by allowing absentee ballots to be scanned (not counted) during early voting. With this, absentee votes will be able to tallied alongside in-person votes, leading to a fast result.
What’s the main takeaway?
Senate Bill 202 was written to address some of the major issues in elections that have arisen from the past decade. The bill attempts to alleviate fears of stolen elections, while also addressing issues that have plagued the system for years, such as inordinately long wait times. Whether this bill solves these issues, or creates new ones, will not be clear until 2022 at the earliest, or possibly not until the presidential elections of 2024.