Five state senators in the Georgia General Assembly filed legislation late last week that would, if enacted into law, provide people the right to a hearing when government officials challenge whether they may legally vote.
The Georgia General Assembly identified State Sen. Jason Anavitarte (R-Dallas) as the bill’s primary sponsor.
According to the language of the bill, any elector of a county or municipality may challenge the qualifications of any person applying to register to vote.
“Upon such challenge being filed with the board of registrars, the registrars shall set a hearing on such challenge. Notice of the date, time, and place of the hearing shall be served upon the person whose qualifications are being challenged along with a copy of such challenge and upon the elector making the challenge,” according to the bill.
“The person being challenged and the elector making the challenge shall receive at least three days’ notice of the date, time, and place of the hearing. Such notice shall be served either by first-class mail addressed to the mailing address shown on the person’s voter registration records.”
The elector making the challenge would have the burden of proof to show the person in question is not qualified to vote. The board of registrars could issue subpoenas for witnesses at the hearing, according to the bill.
As The Georgia Star News reported Saturday, Georgia legislators have filed a bill that would require that government officials mail absentee ballot applications only to registered voters. The Georgia General Assembly’s website identified State Sen. Max Burns (R-Sylvania) as the bill’s primary sponsor.
As reported last week, eight members of the Georgia General Assembly have filed legislation that would, if enacted into law, increase penalties for election fraud within the state. Specifically, the bill would make it a felony to “tamper with, alter, destroy, modify, or falsify the electronic data constituting the official returns or votes cast in a primary, election, or runoff.”
This bill is only one of many that legislators have filed this session to address what they said were voting irregularities after the November 2020 presidential elections. U.S. President Joe Biden carried Georgia and ultimately defeated then-U.S. President Donald Trump in that election.
As The Star News reported last week, another bill in the legislature would require that election officials immediately count and tabulate ballots when the polls close.
Also as reported, Georgia State Rep. Charlice Byrd (R-Woodstock) introduced Voter ID legislation that she said would prohibit people from using certain types of identification for in-person voting.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “People Voting” by Wyofile Wyofile. CC BY 2.0.
