Georgia Legislature Scores Election Integrity Wins
The Georgia legislature passed key election integrity bills at the end of its latest session. Conservative lawmakers had been working for years to tighten up the state’s election systems against security weaknesses.
Brad Carver, a leading figure in the Georgia GOP’s Election Confidence Task Force, expressed pride in the concerted effort to build upon the successes of the Election Integrity Act of 2021 (SB 202). He told reporters that maintaining accurate voter rolls is essential to ensuring every legal vote carries its full weight.
Georgia Achieves Major Election Integrity Wins In Recently Wrapped Legislative Session https://t.co/87yHELLFRx
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) April 4, 2024
Senate Bill 189 clearly states that certified ballots are public records. By making the process for members of the public to inspect ballots more straightforward, the law enhances transparency and the detection of counterfeit ballots. The new law also creates new accounting measures to protect the chain of custody of every ballot.
The legislation also sets precise criteria for challenging voter roll records, addressing concerns over inaccuracies that can dilute the integrity of the vote. Democrats have predictably claimed outrage that challenging voter registration “undermines” the right of citizens to vote. Of course, they never seem capable of providing any argument to support the claim that cleaning rolls of ineligible or deceased voters stops any citizen from casting a legitimate ballot.
House Bill 974 requires ballots to carry watermarks to ensure they are not counterfeits. It also expands the scope of election audits to limit the risk of fraud or error. Another bill enhances protections for poll workers and observers so they can conduct their duties and oversight functions without interference or improper influence.
As the Georgia legislature works on election security, the state case against President Donald Trump, led by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, has caught national attention. Willis, who has brought forth a fourth set of charges against Trump, accuses him and 18 others of attempting to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. Trump and defense lawyers have blasted the case as politically motivated “lawfare.” Willis’s flawed prosecution is unfolding against a backdrop of fierce debates over election integrity and the right to challenge election outcomes.
Georgia’s legislative moves are a robust response to concerns over election integrity, grounded in a desire to ensure that elections are free, fair, and secure. The goal of election security measures of the type enacted in Georgia is to protect elections against fraud and mistakes — ensuring that every vote cast is legitimate and accurately counted.