Georgia Governor Signs Into Law Sweeping Election Reform Bill, Including Voter ID for Absentee Ballots

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday signed into law a number of election reforms that include photo ID requirements for absentee voting, the need for drop box security, and mandatory early voting dates, among other changes to how the state's elections are run.

The new law, the Election Integrity Act of 2021, requires a Georgia driver's license or a state-issued or state-approved ID in order to vote absentee by mail.

More than 1.3 million Georgian voters had opted to vote absentee by mail in the 2020 presidential election and the state underwent multiple manual and machine recounts, and an absentee ballot signature match audit but only in one county.

"When voting in person in Georgia, you must have a photo ID. It only makes sense for the absentee ballot to have the same standard as well," Kemp said, adding that the new state-issued ID requirement will "Dramatically streamline the verification process" on absentee ballots.

For runoffs, the law shortens the election cycle from nine weeks to four weeks and requires a minimum of one week of early voting before election day.

The law reads, "Elections in Georgia are administered by counties, but that can lead to problems for voters in counties with dysfunctional election systems. Counties with long-term problems of lines, problems with processing of absentee ballots, and other challenges in administration need accountability, but state officials are limited in what they are able to do to address those problems. Ensuring there is a mechanism to address local election problems will promote voter confidence and meet the goal of uniformity."

The law does not ban no-excuse absentee voting, something that has been allowed in Georgia since 2005.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/georgia-governor-signs-into-law-sweeping-election-reform-measures-including-voter-id-for-absentee-ballots_3750125.html