A New Georgia Law that Prevents Absentee Ballot Rejections has Resolved Two Federal Lawsuits over Last Fall’s Election.
The Lawsuits were filed as County Election Officials Rejected nearly 7,000 Absentee Ballots in the November 2018 Election, often for Minor Transgressions such as Marking the Outside of the Absentee Ballot Envelope Incorrectly.
The New Law Prohibits Election Officials from Disqualifying Absentee Ballots because of a Signature Mismatch, Missing Birth Year, or Missing Address.
The Georgia General Assembly Passed House Bill 316 in March, a Broad Elections Bill that Replaces the State's Voting Machines and makes many other Changes to Elections.
In addition to Absentee Ballots, the Law also covers Provisional Ballots and Election Security:
- Voters who Return Absentee ballots with Missing or Mismatched Signatures can Fix the Problem by providing Identification any time before All Ballots are Counted.
- Election Officials must Review All available Voter Registration Documentation to help Verify that a Person who cast a Provisional Ballot was Eligible to Vote.
- Officials can Review Information from a Variety of Government Agencies. Last Fall, some Ballots were Thrown Out based on Voter Registration Records Alone.
- Georgia must Create Security Protocols for Voter Registration Information, according to a Separate Measure, House Bill 392. The Legislation came after Voters Reported their Registration Information had Disappeared from Election Computers.
These Protections for Absentee Voting led to the Lawsuits’ Dismissal.
“The parties agree that the above-cited provisions make further litigation of this matter unnecessary,” according to a Joint Stipulation for Dismissal last Month.
The Lawsuits were filed last fall against then-Secretary of State Brian Kemp by Common Cause Georgia, the Georgia Muslim Voter Project, and Asian Americans Advancing Justice Atlanta.
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