A federal court in the Northern District of Georgia issued rulings on Friday upholding portions of Georgia’s Election Integrity Act while also banning countries from rejecting absentee ballots that contain improper date of births.
The court upheld provisions that ban ballot harvesting and require security rules for absentee ballot drop boxes.
“I am glad that the court upheld Georgia’s common sense rules banning ballot harvesting and securing absentee ballot drop boxes,” Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said in a statement. “Georgia’s voting system is accessible to all voters, with multiple options for voters to choose how they want to exercise their right to vote.”
The court also found that the Peach State’s ban on giving away food, drinks, or gifts remained valid, but only within 150 feet from a polling location.
Raffensperger brushed off the court’s ruling on line warming, saying, “Due to the good work that both the state and county election officials have done to ensure short lines for voters, this decision should have limited effect.”
Meanwhile, the court found that Georgia counties cannot reject absentee ballots with an improper date of birth on the ballot envelope.
Raffensperger called the ruling a “misguided opinion,” adding, “Verifying that a voter who is not present is actually the person who cast the ballot is one of the most difficult and important things that local election officials are asked to do.”
“I’m afraid that this decision will have unintended consequences, which is why elected federal judges should leave the legislating to legislators who should make policy decisions instead of unelected judges,” Raffensperger continued.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Georgia applauded the court’s rulings on line warming and absentee ballots in a press release, however, did not address the court’s upholding of provisions that ban ballot harvesting and require security rules for absentee ballot drop boxes.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Georgia Star News and The Star News Network.
Photo “GA Sec State Brad Raffensperber” GA Sec State Brad Raffensperger. Photo “US District Court – No. District GA” by GSA.gov.
