Georgia residents who vote absentee in future elections would have to produce photocopies of their identification before they could vote, according to a bill that state legislators will soon consider.
State Sen. Jason Anavitarte (R-Dallas), the sponsor, did not return The Georgia Star News’ request for comment Friday.
Anavitarte’s bill, available for members of the public to view on the Georgia General Assembly’s website, details the conditions Georgia absentee voters would have to follow.
“If the elector fails to include a photocopy of one of the forms of identification required in this subparagraph or if the photocopy is not legible, the registrar or absentee ballot clerk shall so advise the elector promptly, and the elector shall be allowed to correct the problem,” according to the bill.
Voters who temporarily live outside of their main county of residence or who are physically disabled may ask family members — including in-laws — to apply for an absentee ballot on their behalf.
“Except in the case of physically disabled electors residing in the county or municipality or electors in custody in a jail or other detention facility in the county or municipality, no absentee ballot shall be mailed to an address other than the permanent mailing address of the elector as recorded on the elector’s voter registration record or a temporary out-of-county or out-of-municipality address,” according to the language of the bill.
“Relatives applying for absentee ballots for electors must also sign an oath stating that facts in the application are true. If the elector is unable to fill out or sign his or her own application because of illiteracy or physical disability, the elector shall make such elector’s mark, and the person filling in the rest of the application shall sign such person’s name below it as a witness.”
As The Star News reported Thursday, Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan (R-Cumming) wants legislators to discuss meaningful election reform. He suggested state officials require a photo ID if people vote absentee. Duncan also proposed that Georgia’s attorney general assign a statewide grand jury to investigate alleged election fraud in a local jurisdiction. That, he added, “would remove any sense of local politics out of the initial equation.”
As reported, absentee voters in Georgia voted for current U.S. President Joe Biden last November by a margin of two to one.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Mail in Ballots” by Cindy Shebley. CC BY 2.0.
