8/5/2021- 1:10 p.m.
Georgia -New absentee ballot request forms now require more identification. The previous ballot request form required voters to provide a signature match to verify identification.
The change is mandated by the state’s new controversial election reform bill Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law in March.
The new form also adds a warning that voters may face fines up to $100,000 or up to 10 years of imprisonment if they are not eligible to vote or provide false information.
The bill was developed on the heels of the 2020 presidential election and Senate runoff election in which Republicans claimed there was widespread voter fraud.
“Georgia’s anti-voter law (SB202) is requiring voters to provide sensitive personal information in an era where identity theft is easy,” Rahul Garabadu, voting rights attorney of the ACLU of Georgia, said in a statement.
SB 202 was backed by Republicans and passed in the statehouse on a party-line vote.
Now, the new form states those requesting an absentee ballot provide other forms of identification if they don’t have a state license or ID card number.
Republicans fashioned the bill to tighten limits on absentee voting, including a call for changes to the no-excuse absentee ballot request rule in order to help reform the state guidelines.
Identification with a voter’s photograph, including a U.S. passport, Georgia voter ID card, military ID card, and more, are also accepted as alternative options.
“Our lawsuit challenges these unnecessary and more burdensome ID requirements that will have the heaviest impact on voters of color and voters with disabilities.”
