ATL Standard

Voting rights groups in Georgia, including The New Georgia Project, have voiced concerns about Sen. Larry Walker’s (R-Kathleen) Senate Bill 67 (SB67), a measure to amend Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated which would require voters to submit identification for absentee ballot applications.

According to the groups, the amendment may violate existing federal voting rights laws and the groups are prepared to take legal action if necessary, WRCB reported. The advocacy groups are also urging Georgia-based businesses including Home Depot, Coca-Cola, and Delta Air Lines to oppose SB 67 which they said suppresses voting rights.

“It’s not about disenfranchising voters. It’s not about overly burdening the electorate. It’s about efficiency, integrity, allowing the Georgia public to have confidence in the vote,” Walker said, as reported by Peach Tree Times. 

"Give people the totals. Let people have the peace of mind that nothing's being done in the dark of night," an issue that Georgia elections faced in 2020,” Sen. Bill Cowsert (R-Athens), one of the 26 senators supporting the bill, said.

"We must engage with our positive message: registered but unengaged or disillusioned voters. A staggering 2.5 million already registered voters in Georgia did not vote in the November general election. And, in the final analysis, 500,000 voters who voted in November did not vote in the January runoff, the vast majority of whom were Republicans. This is why so many of us are confident that this is still a red state, but also that there is much more room to grow," former state Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Atlanta) said about rebuilding trust in the election in the state.