How the New Georgia Voting Law Limits Voting Access

By Molly Carriero

“Voting is your civic duty,” and “Every vote counts,” they say. But how accessible is this duty in Georgia? There has been a lot of talk about Georgia’s new 98-page voting law which was passed and signed at the end of March. It is important to note that this law was issued following the first Democratic victories in Presidential and Senate elections in Georgia in nearly a generation. The law proposes to expand access to the vote. However, looking at its many provisions, it is evident this law creates restrictions that make voting harder and more complicated. The new law will curtail ballot access for voters in booming urban and suburban counties, home to many Democrats. In a free democracy where voting is a human right, why is Georgia’s state legislature seeking to hamper this right or at least make this right more difficult to attain? And what does this mean for our nation as a whole?

Voters will have less time to request absentee ballots.

Georgia has cut the period during which voters may request an absentee ballot by half, from nearly six months to 78 days out. More time to request a ballot just means greater access to the vote. We know that getting people to the polls can be hard, and it is not because people do not want to exercise their vote. Sometimes it is just too difficult for individuals, such as working parents or the elderly, to go to the polls in person. What will this provision do? It will invariably reduce the number of people who seek absentee ballots and vote.

Proponents of the law say voters don’t need the 180 days they used to have to request ballots and that moving up the cutoff date makes it less likely voters will receive ballots too late to get them back in time to be counted. Interpret this provision however you see fit, but I believe Georgia, as well as every state, should be allowing the maximum amount of time possible to request ballots. In terms of expanding voting access, I think proponents are covering the true reality of this law: it is limiting voting access. 

One widely criticized provision makes it a crime for political organizations to offer water to voters waiting in line.

In densely populated communities, these lines tend to be longer, and it is already difficult for these voters to be waiting in line for hours just to exercise their right to vote. Many of these individuals have jobs, children, and families to attend to. So what good is it to deny this service? If we are being logical, the people in line likely already know who they are voting for, and it is unlikely a free bottle of water is going to change their mind. These organizations are promoting the right to vote, and this provision is only limiting that.

There will be strict ID requirements for absentee ballots. 

Voters who cast mail ballots will need to provide several forms of identification, replacing the simple signature match previously used to confirm voter’s identities. This is seen as one of the most controversial provisions because it is likely to disproportionately affect Black voters. According to the New York Times, “Stringent voter-ID laws in other states have depressed voting mostly among people of color.”

Requiring strict ID measures will limit access to absentee ballots, and it creates the space for voter pitfalls. If a voter fails to follow every step, such as incorrectly printing their date of birth or including partial SS numbers, their ballots could be tossed out. Specifically in the 2020 election, President Trump’s lawyers and supporters urged judges and officials to invalidate ballots that were out of compliance.

The Law makes it illegal for election officials to mail out absentee ballot applications to all voters. 

“… neither the Secretary of State, election superintendent, board of registrars, other governmental entity, nor employee or agent thereof shall send absentee ballot applications directly to any elector except upon request of such elector or a relative authorized to request an absentee ballot for such elector.” (Page 39).

With the loss of automatically mailed applications, voters may not request ballots on their own. These automatic applications served as a reminder to people that they were eligible to vote and that it was time to do so. As a free democracy, we should be reinforcing our nation’s values of liberty, freedom, and justice for all by encouraging and supporting the ability to vote. 

Last year, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Georgia’s Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, mailed absentee ballot applications to every registered voter in the state ahead of its June primary election. Raffensperger figured out how to make the right to vote more accessible and efficient for voters, which resulted in absentee voting by record numbers of Georgians. Raffensperger was encouraging and supporting the right to vote and such measures demonstrated the way a democracy should operate. 

 The new law forbids third-party groups from prefilling voter applications.

This process made applying for an absentee ballot drastically easier for many voters, especially working or older adults. So why would we want to limit such accessibility? Shouldn’t we want the voting process in our nation to be as easy and accessible as possible? Once again, why are we taking steps to make voting more strict, difficult, and less accessible in a nation where it is known to be a human right?

Voting is a human right, and by voting, citizens are participating in the democratic process, voting for leaders to represent them, their ideas, their freedom, and their interests. I find it amazing the way we were able to adapt during the COVID-19 pandemic to make the world more accessible and efficient. Workplaces have made the shift to remote working and educational facilities to remote learning. Packages and groceries can be delivered to your door touch free in the matter of a day, and doctor appointments can now be conducted remotely. Yet our nation still fails to find ways to make voting more accessible for its citizens, and Georgia’s new law reflects this challenge. 

These are only a handful of provisions I have outlined. Additional provisions not only hamper the right to vote, but they also strip power from state and local officials and give it to legislators. If you’re interested in learning more, I definitely recommend checking out “What Georgia’s Voting Law Really Does” byNick Corasaniti and Reid J. Epstein of The New York Times. The Times analyzed the state’s law and broke down 16 key provisions that they believe limit ballot access, confuse voters, and give more power to Republican lawmakers. Definitely check out other sources too, such as opposing opinions from more conservative news writers, and analyze the provisions for yourself. You may disagree with me, and that is okay. My goal is to outline why I believe the Georgia law limits voter access when it claims to expand it and why this is an injustice to our democracy. Staying informed about voter access and voting rights is essential as citizens to make sure that we do not let unjust laws exist unchallenged or unchecked.