Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) signed a new election law, adding to the several already signed since the 2021 legislative session, spurred by concerns from Democrats and Republicans about voting processes in the Peach State following the 2020 election. The state is expected to be a pivotal race again for President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump in November.
The bill signed by Kemp on Tuesday, SB189, attempts to improve cleaning voter rolls, among other changes. There have been over 40 bills targeting election law reform introduced in Georgia’s state legislature, but SB189 and one other made the most significant modifications to the state’s law since the 2020 backlash.
SB 202 has been one of the most publicized laws passed in the Peach State in recent years, garnering fierce backlash from Democrats.
The law prevents advocates from giving food, drinks, and gifts to voters in line. It also requires showing a state-issued ID when applying for absentee ballots and outlines procedures for early and mail-in voting. It was first put into use during the 2022 elections, which state officials heralded as a success thanks to high turnout for the midterm contests.
Biden decried the legislation as “Jim Crow in the 21st century,” and MLB pulled its 2021 All-Star Game from Atlanta, citing its opposition to the law. Two years later, MLB announced the 2025 game would be held in Atlanta despite SB 202 remaining in effect.
Biden’s administration and Democratic-aligned activist groups have unsuccessfully attempted to get courts to strike down the law.
SB 189 was signed into law by Kemp on Tuesday and offered several changes to election law ahead of the hotly contested November elections.
The bill outlines probable cause provisions to determine whether a voter should be removed from the rolls. These provisions include evidence of voting or registering somewhere else, using a nonresidential address, or indicating a primary residence somewhere else. It also allows for a voter’s eligibility to be challenged 45 days before an election.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Another change included in the bill is banning the use of QR codes on ballots beginning on July 1, 2026, in elections in the state. SB 189 also removes the state’s secretary of state from the state board of elections.
Most of the changes signed into law in this bill will go into effect on July 1, months before the pivotal November election in which Biden and Trump will battle for the state’s 16 electoral votes.