Current:Home > NewsWith 2024 presidential contest looming, Georgia governor signs new election changes into law-InfoLens
With 2024 presidential contest looming, Georgia governor signs new election changes into law
View Date:2024-12-23 16:09:40
ATLANTA (AP) — Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation Tuesday that makes additional changes to Georgia’s election laws ahead of the 2024 presidential contest in the battleground state, including defining probable causes for removing voters from the rolls when their eligibility is challenged.
Republican activists — fueled by debunked theories of a stolen election — have challenged more than 100,000 voters in the state in recent years. The activists say they are rooting out duplicate records and removing voters who have moved out of state.
The bill Kemp signed into law — SB 189 — lists death, evidence of voting or registering in another jurisdiction, a tax exemption indicating a primary residence elsewhere, or a nonresidential address as probable causes for removing voters from the rolls. Most controversially, it says the National Change of Address list can be considered, though not exclusively.
Opponents have said the changes would enable more baseless attacks on voters that would overwhelm election administrators and disenfranchise legitimate voters. For example, people sometimes live at a place of business, which would be considered a nonresidential address. Officials with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office say there are more reliable types of information, such as driver’s license data, to confirm a voter’s eligibility.
The Georgia bill also allows challenges to be accepted and voters removed from the rolls up until 45 days before an election. That provision in part has prompted the threat of lawsuits from liberal groups because federal law says states and counties can’t make systematic changes to voting rolls within 90 days of a federal election.
The measure also says homeless people must use the county voter registration office as their address instead of where they live. Opponents have said that could make it harder for homeless citizens to cast ballots because their registered polling place might be far away.
Additionally, the bill grants access to Georgia’s ballot to any political party that has qualified for the presidential ballot in at least 20 states or territories. The change could bolster independent candidates such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose campaign has spooked Democrats worried it could draw support away from President Joe Biden.
veryGood! (6248)
Related
- Statue of the late US Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights icon, is unveiled in his native Alabama
- Florida man files a lawsuit to prevent Ohtani’s 50th HR ball from going to auction
- Dodgers win NL West for 11th time in 12 seasons
- Athletics bid emotional farewell to Oakland Coliseum that they called home since 1968
- Cold case arrest: Florida man being held in decades-old Massachusetts double murder
- As many forests fail to recover from wildfires, replanting efforts face huge odds -- and obstacles
- 'Wolfs' review: George Clooney, Brad Pitt bring the charm, but little else
- Army vs. Temple live updates: Black Knights-Owls score, highlights, analysis and more
- Democratic state leaders prepare for a tougher time countering Trump in his second term
- Falling tree at a Michigan nature center fatally injures a boy who was on a field trip
Ranking
- What Happened to Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone Character? John Dutton’s Fate Revealed
- Kristin Cavallari and Boyfriend Mark Estes Double Date With This Former The Hills Costar
- Texas official indicted, accused of making fake social media posts during election
- Best Kitten Heels for Giving Your Style a Little Lift, Shop the Trend With Picks From Amazon, DSW & More
- New Jersey will issue a drought warning after driest October ever and as wildfires rage
- 'Cowboy Carter' collaborators Shaboozey, Post Malone win People's Choice Country Awards
- Malik Nabers injury update: Giants rookie WR exits loss vs. Cowboys with concussion
- Watch: Grounds crew helps Athletics fans get Oakland Coliseum souvenir
Recommendation
-
South Carolina does not set a date for the next execution after requests for a holiday pause
-
Richmond Fed president urges caution on interest rate cuts because inflation isn’t defeated
-
Melania Trump calls her husband’s survival of assassination attempts ‘miracles’
-
Son accused of killing father, stepmother, stepbrother will be extradited
-
Research reveals China has built prototype nuclear reactor to power aircraft carrier
-
NASA's Perseverance rover found an unusual stone on Mars: Check out the 'zebra rock'
-
Oakland A's play final game at the Coliseum: Check out the best photos
-
Kate Middleton's Younger Brother James Middleton Gives Insight on Her Cancer Journey