{"id":2207170,"date":"2024-03-27T07:58:02","date_gmt":"2024-03-27T11:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/georgia-legislature-tackles-key-election-integrity-measures-before-session-ends\/"},"modified":"2024-03-27T08:12:22","modified_gmt":"2024-03-27T12:12:22","slug":"georgia-legislature-tackles-key-election-integrity-measures-before-session-ends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/georgia-legislature-tackles-key-election-integrity-measures-before-session-ends\/","title":{"rendered":"Georgia lawmakers address important election integrity measures before the end of the session"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgeorgia-legislature-tackles-key-election-integrity-measures-before-session-ends%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2207170&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Georgia legislative session is close to ending, with efforts to strengthen <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ga-poll-watcher-it-expert-non-trump-supporter-affidavit-sudden-surge-of-20000-mail-in-votes-for-biden-in-early-hours-on-nov\/\" title=\"GA Poll Watcher, IT Expert, Non-Trump Supporter Affidavit: Sudden Surge of 20,000 Mail-In-Votes For Biden In Early Hours On Nov\">election integrity<\/a> gaining momentum. Proposed bills aim to enhance transparency and \u2064ballot\u2062 security, receiving\u200c bipartisan support. Despite some disagreements, measures like visible \u2063watermark features on ballots and citizenship requirements for election workers\u200d are advancing. Challenges regarding voter lists are also being addressed to ensure electoral integrity.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>As the clock ticks down on Georgia\u2019s 2024 legislative session, bills beefing up election integrity in the <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/03\/04\/in-georgia-and-elsewhere-officials-sow-distrust-in-elections-by-dismissing-voters-integrity-concerns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">confidence-shaken swing state<\/a> have met with success or stand a good chance at passage by Thursday\u2019s final day of the session \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wabe.org\/podcasts\/political-breakfast\/sine-die-is-thursday-georgia-lawmakers-scramble-to-review-hundreds-of-bills\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sine Die<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And a Peach State elections watchdog believes a package of transparency and ballot security provisions likely to pass would be huge election integrity wins.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-841879076\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-a8e84f1205700115774cea120b13920a fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-a8e84f1205700115774cea120b13920a\"><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2018A Bit Testy\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Georgia_State_Senate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Republican-controlled Georgia Senate<\/a>, working deep into Tuesday evening, passed House bills <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legis.ga.gov\/legislation\/66159\">974<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legis.ga.gov\/legislation\/66838\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1207<\/a>. The former requires that ballots in optical scan voting systems use a visible watermark security feature, according to HB 974\u2019s text. It also calls for the secretary of state\u2019s office to post ballot images online and expands the number of elections subject to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncsl.org\/elections-and-campaigns\/risk-limiting-audits\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">risk-limiting<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/groups-ask-doj-to-send-monitors-to-watch-arizona-election-audit\/\" title=\"Groups Ask DOJ to Send Monitors to Watch Arizona Election Audit\">post-election audits<\/a>. HB 974 enjoyed wide bipartisan support in the Georgia House of Representatives and the Senate.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>House Bill 1207 requires Georgia elections workers to be U.S. citizens, and it includes poll watcher, as well as poll worker, protections. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VoterGa?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Garland Favorito,<\/a> co-founder of the nonpartisan, nonprofit <a href=\"https:\/\/voterga.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">VoterGA<\/a>, said election integrity advocates pushed back on the hyperbolic narrative peddled by the left and corporate media that poll workers are under constant assault.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe flipped it around on them on the language and put protections for poll watchers equal to this for poll workers,\u201d Favorito told The Federalist late Tuesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Senate Ethics Committee Chairman Max Burns, a Republican, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gpb.org\/lawmakers\/senate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told<\/a> his colleagues that while election bills are known to \u201cget a bit testy,\u201d HB 1207 is \u201cabout as noncontroversial as they come.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-e44cf365542e23ce06afe4cf1b70540d fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-e44cf365542e23ce06afe4cf1b70540d\"><\/div>\n<p>Burns spoke too soon.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>State Sen. Derek Mallow, a Democrat from Georgia\u2019s 2nd District, took exception to a provision in the bill that would allow election superintendents to determine how many voting machines would be necessary on Election Day after they had a count on absentee ballots. Mallow also objected to the protections for poll watchers, language that expands and clarifies access and observation to allow observers to be as close as practicable without viewing confidential information.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t want these folks that close to me when I\u2019m discussing my electoral business with the poll worker,\u201d the Democrat <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gpb.org\/lawmakers\/senate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said,<\/a> adding that he doesn\u2019t care for the \u201cpower\u201d the bill gives poll watchers who \u201cthink they are the law on election.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Burns, who knocked Mallow for failing to show up for Ethics Committee meetings, said the bill is about election integrity. \u201cIt ensures we are doing a better job in Georgia for our elections.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-c32c1039abdc0308cf3e7860154c3565 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-c32c1039abdc0308cf3e7860154c3565\"><\/div>\n<p>The bill ultimately passed closer to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-joe-manchin-threatens-to-derail-bidens-1-9-trillion-aid-bill-unless-it-receives-bipartisan-support\/\" title=\"Sen. Joe Manchin Threatens To Derail Biden\u2019s .9 Trillion Aid Bill Unless It Receives \u2018Bipartisan\u2019 Support\">party-line vote<\/a>, 33-20, after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legis.ga.gov\/legislation\/66838\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">passing effectively <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.legis.ga.gov\/legislation\/66838\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">unanimously<\/a> last month in the Georgia House.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">All Is Not Well<\/h2>\n<p>General Assembly watchers expect House Bill 976 \u2014 a meat and potatoes election integrity package \u2014 to come up for a Senate floor vote on Thursday. The bill, according to Favorito, includes a couple of VoterGA\u2019s top five priorities this session.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It would make ballots cast, upon certification, public record, allowing election watchers to verify results and detect counterfeit ballots. That\u2019s a solid step forward from the current system, where the ballots are secretly counted in the machines.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s our No. 1 priority,\u201d Favorito said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Another provision strengthens the ballot chain of custody by ensuring there are not gaps in the ballot handling process. The step should go a long way in preventing fraudulent ballots from being injected, Favorito said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThose two provisions will solve problems that occurred in the past,\u201d the elections watchdog added.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has proclaimed Georgia\u2019s voter lists \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/sos.ga.gov\/news\/secretary-raffensperger-georgia-voter-lists-are-cleanest-nation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the cleanest in the nation.<\/a>\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/news\/2024\/mar\/5\/georgia-supposedly-has-cleanest-voter-rolls-in-nat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">They\u2019re not<\/a>, and the more Raffensperger insists so, the more he sounds like Kevin Bacon as ROTC cadet <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0077975\/characters\/nm0000102\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Chip Diller<\/a> in frat classic movie <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0077975\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cAnimal House\u201d<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wWBiLeVy45k\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">screaming<\/a>, \u201cRemain calm! All is well!\u201d amid the chaos of an out-of-control college parade. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Bloated voter rolls are just one of many concerns confronting battleground Georgia\u2019s election administration with a little over seven months to go before November\u2019s general.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As Mollie Hemingway, The Federalist\u2019s editor-in-chief, reported in late 2021, corporate media have driven the narrative that there was nothing to see in the myriad election irregularities dogging Georgia in the 2020 presidential election. The song remains the same two and a half years later.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAccording to the media narrative, the Georgia presidential election was as perfectly run as any election in history, and anyone who says otherwise is a liar,\u201d Hemingway <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2021\/03\/17\/medias-entire-georgia-narrative-is-fraudulent-not-just-the-fabricated-trump-quotes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrote<\/a> at the time. \u201cTo push that narrative, the media steadfastly downplayed, ignored, or prejudiciously dismissed legitimate concerns with how Georgia had run its November 2020 election and complaints about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.legis.ga.gov\/legislation\/66162\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">House Bill 976<\/a> also lays out standards for when parties and individuals may challenge invalid voter roll records. The bill allows challenges to those seeking to register to vote who are without a permanent residential address, reside outside the election jurisdiction, or have declared a homestead exemption in a different municipality or county, among other probable causes for a challenge. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Leftist activists have attacked such challenges to suspect voter roll records as assaults on \u201cdemocracy and the freedom to vote.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEchoing shameful tactics utilized in the depths of Jim Crow, the bill passed out of committee today makes it even easier for MAGA vigilantes to try to throw hundreds, thousands or even hundreds of thousands of voters off the rolls at once,\u201d far-left Fair Fight, using the usual dog whistles, dramatically <a href=\"https:\/\/fairfight.com\/georgia-assembly-moves-mass-challenge-bill-includes-provisions-from-election-deniers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">declared<\/a> last week in a statement. \u201cThis kind of activity creates a climate of voter suppression that is far-reaching, and it also jams up election offices, wasting resources and time. In fact- jamming up the election system is part of their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2024\/feb\/26\/eagleai-georgia-voter-registration-election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stated aim<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Favorito said such hyperbole defies the facts. He said 95 percent of the challenges do not involve voters but voting roll records that do not truly represent an actual voter. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis shouldn\u2019t be controversial, but counties are refusing to remove the invalid voter roll records even when faced with corroborating evidence that the record is invalid,\u201d the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/voterga-to-appeal-ruling-to-toss-ga-election-fraud-lawsuit\/\" title=\"VoterGA to appeal ruling to toss Ga. election fraud lawsuit\">election integrity advocate<\/a> said, noting the tens of thousands of invalid voter records in each of Georgia\u2019s major metro counties.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-ea440fc79c7f32ffd9bb7a95fe4473be fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-ea440fc79c7f32ffd9bb7a95fe4473be\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With Georgia&#8217;s 2024 legislative session nearing its end, bills enhancing election integrity in the pivotal swing state are progressing well. Several have already succeeded or are likely to pass before the session&#8217;s final day \u2014 Sine Die on Thursday. A local elections watchdog is optimistic about the proposed measures promoting transparency and ballot security<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":656,"featured_media":2207171,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Georgia-sign.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2207170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Georgia-sign.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2207170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/656"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2207170"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2207170\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2207171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2207170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2207170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2207170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}