by Dave Williams | Aug 4, 2021 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – A civil rights group Wednesday criticized Georgia’s new absentee ballot form as an invasion of privacy.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger unveiled the new ballot on Tuesday. Based on the controversial election law overhaul the Republican-controlled General Assembly passed in March, it requires absentee voters to provide their driver’s license number or some other form of state ID.
“Georgia’s anti-voter law is requiring voters to provide sensitive personal information in an era where identity theft is easy,” said Rahul Garabadu, voting rights attorney of the ACLU of Georgia.
“Our lawsuit challenges these unnecessary and more burdensome ID requirements that will have the heaviest impact on voters of color and voters with disabilities.”
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The ACLU, other civil rights and voting rights groups and the Biden administration’s Justice Department have sued to overturn the new law, which took effect July 1.
Among other things, the legislation replaces the signature-match verification process for absentee ballots with the ID requirement, restricts the location of ballot drop boxes and prohibits non-poll workers from handing out food and drinks within 150 feet of voters standing in line.
Raffensperger has defended requiring absentee voters to provide a driver’s license number as an objective form of identity verification compared with signature matches, which have long drawn complaints from Democrats and Republicans as requiring subjective judgment.
The law’s opponents say it amounts to politically motivated voter suppression, with requirements that will disproportionately affect low-income and minority voters.
Supporters say it’s a voting integrity measure aimed at restoring public trust in the electoral process.
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