Restrictions on Age of Approved Absentee Voters, Submit Copy of ID With Absentee Ballot Application, Costs to Counties, and Removing Local Control
We are asking for you to set some time aside today to walk through these actions on bills that are designed to restrict our voting rights in Georgia.
The Republican led state senate ethics sub-committee advanced anti-voting bills that would repeal no-excuse vote by mail, impose regulations that will be costly to county board of elections, and remove local control of operations. The proposed bills would limit no-excuse absentee voting to those over the age of 75, require copies of state issued IDs to be mailed along with the application form putting elderly Georgians at risk of fraud and stolen identities and further could prevent those who do not have equipment to copy their IDs from voting absentee – potentially risking health and safety during the pandemic and beyond. (NB: Your driver’s license is easily available to the state via the Department of Motor Vehicles. Those who’ve renewed their driver’s license by mail, recall that your old photo is easily pulled for a new license They do NOT need a copy).
Links to the bills we are focused on today:
SB 67: Vote By Mail Photo ID & Bans SOS From Issuing Ballots
SB 71: Repeal of No-Excuse Absentee Voting
SB 89: Creates A Chief Elections Assistance Officer For Low Performing Counties
SB 93: Bans Counties From Creating Additional Mobile Voting Locations
Call Senate Ethics Committee members and demand they oppose bills to restrict voting: Max Burns: 404-656-7586 Dean Burke: 404-656-0040 Jason Anavitarte: 404-656-0085 Mike Dugan: 404-656-7872 Steve Gooch: 404-656-9221Bo Hatchett: 404-656-7454 Butch Miller: 404-656-6578 Randy Robertson: 404-463-3931 Brian Strickland: 404-463-6598.
Email: Recipients: copy the following block of emails (live links embedded) for the Senate Ethics Committee & House Speakermax.burns@senate.ga.gov, dean.burke@senate.ga.gov, harold.jones@senate.ga.gov,jason.anavitarte@senate.ga.gov, gloria.butler@senate.ga.gov,mike.dugan@senate.ga.gov, steve.gooch@senate.ga.gov, ed.harbison@senate.ga.gov, sally.harrell@senate.ga.gov, bo.hatchett@senate.ga.gov, butch.miller@senate.ga.gov,randy.robertson@senate.ga.gov, brian.strickland@senate.ga.gov, david.ralston@house.ga.gov
Next Call: Unfunded Mandates
These anti-voting bills are essentially unfunded mandates that will require investment from your county board of elections/county commission budget and will be a drain on your county tax dollars. Call your county elections office and ask if they have the budget to cover costs to implement these new requirements and basically retool numerous operations to handle the changes in these proposed laws. This directory has contact information for your county election board.