Fifteen members of the Georgia General Assembly have filed a bill that, if enacted into law, would require that election officials immediately count and tabulate ballots when the polls close.
“After the close of the polls on the day of a primary, election, or runoff, the board of registrars shall notify the election superintendent of the total number of absentee ballots received by the close of the polls that were certified by the board of registrars, and the election superintendent shall post such information publicly,” according to the language of the bill.
“After the polls close, the certified absentee ballots that were received by the time for the closing of the polls shall be counted and tabulated, and such count and tabulation shall not cease until all such ballots have been tabulated.”
State Sen. Jason Anavitarte (R-Dallas), the lead sponsor, did not return The Georgia Star News’ request for comment Wednesday, and neither did the remaining co-sponsors.
The bill’s co-sponsors include, among others, State Sen. Sheila McNeil (R-Brunswick), State Sen. Bruce Thompson (R-White), State Sen. Randy Robertson (R-Cataula), State Sen. Steve Gooch (R-Dahlonega), and State Sen. Jeff (R-Chickamauga).
This bill is only one of many that legislators have filed this session to address what they said were voting irregularities after the November 2020 presidential elections. U.S. President Joe Biden carried Georgia and ultimately defeated then-U.S. President Donald Trump in that election.
As The Georgia Star News reported last week, Georgia State Rep. Charlice Byrd (R-Woodstock) introduced Voter ID legislation that she said would prohibit people from using certain types of identification for in-person voting.
That bill, HB 228, would, if enacted into law, require Georgia residents who are not U.S. citizens to have “BEARER NOT A U.S. CITIZEN — NOT VOTER ID” printed on their licenses, permits and/or identification cards. People with this information on their forms of identification could not present them to a poll worker to vote, according to Byrd’s legislation.
Also as reported, seven members of the Georgia General Assembly filed a bill that would call on members of the State Election Board to appoint a chief elections assistance officer. According to the language of the bill, this person would work for the secretary of state to help manage and oversee elections.
As reported last week, Georgia State Sen. Jeff Mullis (R-Chickamauga) has introduced seven separate bills that he said will reform Georgia’s election system. In a press release, Mullis said last November’s general election highlighted problems “that require urgent attention.”
As The Star News reported last month, Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan (R-Cumming) said he wants legislators to discuss “serious, meaningful election reform” during the current legislative session. He suggested state officials require a photo ID if people vote absentee. Duncan, during a press conference at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, also pitched the idea of a statewide grand jury to monitor possible election fraud.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
