State GOP efforts to curb voting options nears fever pitch at Capitol

Lawmakers on a Georgia House panel are set to continue debating a sweeping election bill this week that is drawing fire from voting rights advocates and has sparked concerns among some of the state’s local election officials.

Election directors from across the state and representatives with voting rights organizations were among the witnesses who complained Friday before the House Special Committee on Election Integrity that the wide-ranging election bill filed this week by Republican Rep. Barry Fleming of Harlem will suppress voting if it passes. The committee has yet to vote on the bill, which was later modified.

House Bill 531 would prevent counties from offering a Sunday voting day, mandates a three-week early voting period, cuts down on time to request absentee ballots, and places new restrictions on the availability of absentee ballot drop boxes.

Fleming has said he is seeking to ease some of the burdens on overworked election workers, provide more consistency for all 159 counties to run their elections, and restore confidence in the election system.

Read more: https://georgiarecorder.com/2021/02/22/state-gop-efforts-to-curb-voting-options-nears-fever-pitch-at-capitol/