WASHINGTON — Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel released the following statement on Georgia Senate Bill 202:
“Democrats are peddling a false narrative in order to dismantle our elections processes, and the Georgia election reforms expose that lie because the bill actually EXPANDS voting opportunities. This bill increases the number of early voting days and hours overall, and in addition to making it easier to vote, the legislation includes a number of reforms that increase transparency and will improve the voting experience for all Georgia voters. Democrats can lie and spin about the bill all they want, but the real question should be: why are Democrats so terrified of a transparent and secure election process? We look forward to defending this law in court.” -RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel
Debunking Democrats’ Dishonest Narrative:
• Georgia Senate Bill 202 is a comprehensive election reform bill that creates a more transparent, efficient, and effective election process by expanding the number of early voting days, including mandating an Early Voting Saturday, allowing observation of the tabulation, scanning, and duplication of ballots, and allowing the preprocessing of ballots prior to election day.
- The Election Night reporting requirements ensure that all ballots must be counted by the end of election night, ensuring voters have results without having to wait days or even weeks.
• Additionally, the bill provides for reasonable voter ID requirements when applying for and returning absentee ballots. Voters can provide their Driver’s License number, last four digits of their social security number, or a copy of another acceptable form of identification. This requirement will be easy for voters to comply with since they merely need to list the number but will ensure officials can easily confirm the identity of each absentee voter. These requirements are similar to those already enshrined in federal law.
- 75% of voters support voter ID laws, including 60% of Democrats and 69% of Black voters.
• Prohibits ballot harvesting and protects the security of the ballot by prohibiting anyone other than an immediate family member from being in possession of an electors’ ballot.
• Ensures absentee ballot drop boxes are designated prior to advance voting, surveilled by county officials, and locked and opened every day of advance voting for added safety and security.
• Creates transparency by requiring each county to report the number of: absentee ballots issued; the number of absentees returned; the number of absentee rejected; the number of ballots cast during advance voting; number of provisional ballots, number of provisional ballots that have verified or cured and accepted for counting, and the number of provisional ballots that have been rejected.
• Prohibits collusive settlements between state officials and Democratic attorneys.
• Increases oversight and ensures competent local election administration. These are similar reforms to those found in Florida law which allowed for the removal of incompetent local election officials.
• Despite Democrats’ false outrage, the solicitation zone includes the giving of food or water by the proper personnel, not political activists. Election workers are still allowed to provide water and it allows for self-service water stations.
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