Georgia’s chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) declared on Friday it will sue the state if Governor Brian Kemp signs a bill, already approved by lawmakers, to strengthen election integrity in the state.
The legislation, SB 189, removes the Secretary of State from the Georgia Board of Elections, creates new conflict of interest provisions for election officials and private individuals involved with the election process, revises the process for challenging presidential electors and creates new chain of custody requirements for mail-in ballots.
Additionally, after the legislation passed the Senate in February, Lt. Governor Burt Jones celebrated the bill because it eliminates QR codes from printed ballots.
“Georgians deserve to have public trust and transparency in our elections process,” said Jones. “With the elimination of QR codes on printed ballots, we can help further ensure that Georgians trust their votes were properly counted.”
If signed by Kemp, the law would become active in time for the 2024 elections in November.
While celebrated by election integrity advocates within the Republican Party, the ACLU claimed the bill’s new election challenge procedures, new rules for election workers and changes to ballot design are “harmful” and “burdensome” to voters in The Peach State.
“Access to the ballot is at the heart of our democracy,” claimed ACLU of Georgia executive director Andrea Young in a statement.
Calling the legislation an “election ‘Frankenbill,'” Young claimed the legislation violates the National Voter Registration Act, and pledged litigation against Kemp should he sign the bill.
“We are committed to protecting Georgia voters,” the executive director claimed in a statement. “If the governor signs this bill, we will see him in court.”
The promised legal action over the legislation comes after Georgia fought in courts for years following the passage of the state’s 2021 voting integrity bill, SB 202.
A federal judge denied the Biden administration’s final efforts to block the bill in October 2023, despite the Department of Justice maintaining the bill is inherently racist and discriminatory.
Kemp celebrated the following month, when Major League Baseball (MLB) confirmed its All-Star Game will return to Atlanta in 2025. The MLB previously pulled the All-Star Game from Atlanta over SB 202.
“Georgia’s voting laws haven’t changed, but it’s good to see the MLB’s misguided understanding of them has,” wrote Kemp after the announcement.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Image “Gov. Brian Kemp” by Gov. Brian Kemp.
