Georgia Voter Suppression Bills: How to Help

Georgia now has two of the worst voter suppression bills in the nation moving quickly through our legislature: SB 202 and HB 531. These proposals are assaults on democracy, founded on baseless and racist far-right conspiracy theories. These bills constitute one of the worst attacks on voting rights since Reconstruction, and would erect a juggernaut of barricades to voting access. They revive Georgia’s dark history of voter suppression and racism as state policy. It is critical Congress pass HR 1 and HR 4 to protect voters and safeguard our democracy.

Republicans wrote Georgia's election laws, but they were humiliated on November 3 and January 5, so now they are seeking to silence Georgians, particularly communities of color, who exercised their power to change Georgia.

Each day we get closer to stopping these bills, but we MUST continue applying public pressure and holding bad actors accountable. Below, we have compiled, in one document, all the most up-to-date action items to help us fight these bills and hold voter suppressors accountable. 

SB 202

SB 202 is a combination of HB 531, SB 241, and other anti-voting bills - crammed into one single 93-page bill. SB 202 was released only an hour before a hearing in Barry Fleming’s Special Committee on Election Integrity - leaving advocates, legislators and voters with no time to read or analyze it. Its provisions criminalize line warming, add new ID requirements to vote by mail, allow legislative takeovers of local boards of elections, and much more.

Speaker David Ralston announced that he agreed with the Metro Atlanta Chamber and has endorsed SB 202. However, Ralston and the Metro Chamber either ignore or do not understand that SB 202 does in fact hurt the very ballot access they claim to support. Their statement says that they "have prioritized addressing absentee voting, drop boxes, weekend voting and voter ID laws" - yet SB 202 contains provisions to restrict the window to vote by mail, render drop boxes “useless”, and otherwise harm voters across the state.  With SB 202 we are seeing Georgia’s top legislative leaders trying to make it easier to not certify elections in which they do not like the results. If business leaders allow these takeover attempts to pass Georgia’s legislature, we are looking at GA’s democracy coming to a complete halt in 2022.

How SB 202 is detrimental to absentee voting:

• Slashes the time period to apply and return mail ballots
• Adds new ID requirements that risk identity theft and place a burden on over 200,000 Georgians

How SB 202 is detrimental to drop boxes:

• Mandates that drop boxes ONLY be available during early voting hours
• Limits locations and number of drop boxes
• Requires in-person constant surveillance, adding new expenses for counties

How SB 202 is detrimental to voter ID laws:

• By adding new ID requirements to mail ballot requests and ballots, voters are at an increased risk of identity theft
• Over 200,000 Georgians lack the appropriate ID under SB 202

This bill shamelessly restricts the freedom to vote for Georgians.

Call and email these Georgia legislators and demand they OPPOSE SB 202:

Speaker David Ralston: 404-656-5020, david.ralston@house.ga.gov 

Richard Smith: 404-656-5141, richard.smith@house.ga.gov 

Rick Jasperse: 404-656-7153, rick.jasperse@house.ga.gov 

Mandi Ballinger: 404-656-7153, mandi.ballinger@house.ga.gov 

Shaw Blackmon: 404-656-5103, shaw.blackmon@house.ga.gov 

Jon Burns: (404) 656-5052, jon.burns@house.ga.gov 

Chuck Efstration: (404) 656-5125, chuck.efstration@house.ga.gov 

Barry Fleming: (404) 656-5105, barry.fleming@house.ga.gov 

Gerald Greene: (404) 656-9210, gerald.greene@house.ga.gov 

Jan Jones: 404-656-5072, jan.jones@house.ga.gov 

Trey Kelley: 404-656-5024, trey.kelley@house.ga.gov 

Eddie Lumsden: 404-656-7850, eddie.lumsden@house.ga.gov 

Chuck Martin: 404-656-5146, chuck.martin@house.ga.gov 

Alan Powell: (404) 463-3793, alan.powell@house.ga.gov 

Ed Setzler: (404) 656-5143, ed.setzler@house.ga.gov 

Lynn Smith: (404) 656-7149, lynn.smith@house.ga.gov 

Ron Stephens: (404) 656-5115, ron.stephens@house.ga.gov 

Jan Tankersley: (404) 656-7855, jan.tankersley@house.ga.gov 

Darlene Taylor: (404) 656-7857, darlene.taylor@house.ga.gov 

HB 531

HB 531 has now passed on a party line vote in the Georgia House. Now, it will move to the Senate Ethics Committee. It would restrict dropbox access, add new ID requirements for mail voting, restrict weekend voting, and criminalize volunteers for handing out food and water to voters waiting in 2-8 hour long lines.

Not only are these ID requirements suppressive and unnecessary, but they would also have a disproportionate impact on Black, minority, and rural voters across our state.

HB 531 contains provisions that would pass on serious unfunded mandates to our counties that would raise taxes. An independent analysis by Voting Rights Lab found that HB 531 could incur over $50 million in total new costs statewide. 

HB 531 ACTION ITEM(S):

GEORGIANS: Call your county elections office to ask that they oppose HB 531 and the new costs for counties that it would create. You can find your county’s elections office contact information here.

GEORGIANS: Call/Email these Senators to demand they OPPOSE HB 531:

Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan: (404) 656-5030

Max Burns: (404) 656-7586, max.burns@senate.ga.gov 

Dean Burke: (404) 656-0040, dean.burke@senate.ga.gov 

Kay Kirkpatrick: (404) 656-3932, kay.kirkpatrick@senate.ga.gov 

Jason Anavitarte: (404) 656-0085, jason.anavitarte@senate.ga.gov 

Mike Dugan: (404) 656-7872, mike.dugan@senate.ga.gov 

Steve Gooch: (404) 656-9221, steve.gooch@senate.ga.gov 

Bo Hatchett: (404) 656-7454, bo.hatchett@senate.ga.gov 

Butch Miller: (404) 656-6578, butch.miller@senate.ga.gov 

Randy Robertson: (404) 463-3931, randy.robertson@senate.ga.gov 

Brian Strickland: (404) 463-6598, brian.strickland@senate.ga.gov

Sample Script: “Hi my name is [Insert Name] and I am a resident of [COUNTY YOU LIVE IN]. I am contacting you to ask you to oppose HB 531, and to oppose any other attempts to roll back voting rights in Georgia. This bill will significantly harm my right to vote.”