{"id":318109,"date":"2021-03-26T12:00:27","date_gmt":"2021-03-26T16:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=318109"},"modified":"2021-03-26T12:00:34","modified_gmt":"2021-03-26T16:00:34","slug":"georgias-election-integrity-act-everything-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/georgias-election-integrity-act-everything-you-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Georgia\u2019s Election Integrity Act: Everything You Need To Know"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/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%2Fgeorgias-election-integrity-act-everything-you-need-to-know%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=318109&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--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/fb_image-3722.jpeg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span>As the Daily Wire <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/gop-gov-kemp-signs-massive-election-integrity-bill-protesting-democrat-cuffed-outside-kemps-office\">reported<\/a>, \u201cGeorgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed the Republican-backed \u2018Election Integrity Act of 2021,\u2019 or SB 202, into law Thursday as Democratic lawmakers protested the bill.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWith Senate Bill 202, Georgia will take another step toward ensuring our elections are secure, accessible and fair,\u201d Gov. Kemp <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gpb.org\/news\/2021\/03\/25\/kemp-signs-96-page-omnibus-elections-bill\"><span>said<\/span><\/a><span> on Thursday. \u201cEnsuring the integrity of the ballot box isn\u2019t partisan, it\u2019s about protecting the very foundation of who we are as Georgians and Americans.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Predictably, Democrats condemned the bill as a supposed symptom of continued voter suppression and white supremacy. For example, Elizabeth Warren compared the bill to Jim Crow while promoting the now&nbsp;<\/span><span>debunked conspiracy theory that Stacey Abrams won the Georgia gubernatorial race in 2018.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThe Republican who is sitting in Stacey Abrams\u2019 chair just signed a despicable voter suppression bill into law to take Georgia back to Jim Crow. The Senate must pass the<\/span><span> #ForThePeople<\/span><span> Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Act immediately \u2014 our democracy is at stake tonight,\u201d she wrote on Twitter.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>While much of the criticism focuses either on these wildly unsubstantiated and hyperbolic comparisons to Jim Crow policies or specific cynical mischaracterizations of the bill \u2014 such as Sen. Jon Ossoff <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ossoff\/status\/1375258814505742337\">tweeting<\/a> \u201cAmong its outrageous provisions: it criminalizes giving water to voters who are waiting in line\u201d \u2014 it remains important to avoid the distractions of partisan politics and understand what the bill actually says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Here\u2019s what you need to know about <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.legis.ga.gov\/api\/legislation\/document\/20212022\/201121\"><span>SB 202<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Voter ID requirements for absentee ballots<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>One of the central components of SB 202 is an ID requirement for absentee voting.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Currently, all that was required was that voters sign an application, with signature matching processes used to verify the identity of the potential voter. Now, absentee voters will be required to provide some form of identification, whether it be a driver\u2019s license, state ID number, or other form of identification.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cAny person applying for an absentee-by-mail ballot shall make application in writing on the form made available by the Secretary of State. In order to confirm the identity of the voter, such form shall require the elector to provide his or her name, date of birth, address as registered, address where the elector wishes the ballot to be mailed, and the number of his or her Georgia driver\u2019s license or identification card \u2013 35 \u2013 LC 28 0325S issued pursuant to Article 5 of Chapter 5 of Title 40,\u201d the bill declares. \u201cIf such elector does not have a Georgia driver\u2019s license or identification card issued pursuant to Article 5 of Chapter 5 of Title 40, the elector shall affirm this fact in the manner prescribed in the application and the elector shall provide a copy of a form of identification listed in subsection (c) of Code Section 21-2-417. The form made available by the Secretary of State shall include a space to affix a photocopy or electronic image of such identification. The Secretary of State shall develop a method to allow secure electronic transmission of such form.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The deadline for requesting an absentee ballot in this manner will also be set at 11 days before election day.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Reduction in early voting before runoffs, with runoffs held four weeks after general election<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The bill reduces the early voting period before runoffs from three weeks to as little as one week.<\/p>\n<p><span>The bill also calls for runoffs to be held four weeks after the general election, writing \u201cThe lengthy nine-week runoffs in 2020 were exhausting for candidates, donors, and electors. By adding ranked choice voting for military and overseas voters, the run-off period can be shortened to a more manageable period for all involved, easing the burden on election officials and on electors.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>However, weekend voting for general elections has been expanded, with a mandatory two Saturdays of voting offered across the state. Counties are also able to decide whether to offer early voting on two optional Sundays.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Aims to address and update voter processes and disparities after COVID-19 alterations<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>The argument throughout the presidential election in favor of mass absentee voting was that it was a necessary change required to deal with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. SB 202 makes the inarguable point that, \u201cThe stress of the 2020 elections, with a dramatic increase in absentee-by-mail ballots and pandemic restrictions, demonstrated where there were opportunities to update existing processes to reduce the burden on election officials and boost voter confidence.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In the same section, the bill also noted the \u201cbroad discretion allowed to local officials\u201d when it came to altering voting dates and hours, which led to \u201csignificant variations across the state.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In addition to disparities regarding timing, the bill also notes the variation in funding. \u201cSome counties in 2020 received significant infusions of grant funding for election operations, while other counties received no such funds. Promoting uniformity in the distribution of funds to election operations will boost voter confidence and ensure that there is no political advantage conferred by preferring certain counties over others in the distribution of funds,\u201d the bill reads.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The use of drop boxes was also referenced, with the bill writing that \u201cOpportunities for delivering absentee ballots to a drop box were first created by the State Election Board as a pandemic response. The drop boxes created by rule no longer existed in Georgia law when the emergency rules that created them expired. The General Assembly considered a variety of options and constructed a system that allows the use of secured containers, while also ensuring the security of the system.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Now, ballot drop boxes will only be permitted inside early voting locations and only available during business hours.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Finally, counties will be required to certify the results of the elections within a six day period, rather than the current 10. Most notably, election workers must complete the counting of ballots once counting has commenced.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Ian Haworth is an Editor and Writer for The Daily Wire. Follow him on Twitter at <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ighaworth\"><i><span>@ighaworth<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>The views expressed in this piece are the author\u2019s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><i><span>member<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the Daily Wire reported, \u201cGeorgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed the Republican-backed \u2018Election Integrity Act of 2021,\u2019 or SB 202, into law Thursday as Democratic lawmakers protested the bill.\u201d\u201cWith &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2311196,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/fb_image-3722.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"Georgia\u2019s Election Integrity Act: Everything You Need To Know","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-318109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/fb_image-3722.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"Georgia\u2019s Election Integrity Act: Everything You Need To Know","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/318109","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\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=318109"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/318109\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2311196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=318109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=318109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=318109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}