This is part of the Brennan Center’s Toolkits for Activists Across the Nation.
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Political Context | What’s in Place and What’s Needed | Key Dates
Administering an election under pandemic conditions requires undertaking steps to keep voting accessible, safe, and secure. The guide below lays out the problems Covid-19 poses, what preparedness measures Georgia has, and what changes are still needed. But first, we offer some political context for your advocacy.
Advocacy Focus: Local Reform
Local officials have a lot of responsibility over elections. They are a great place to focus advocacy efforts. Though state officials can make any of the changes in this toolkit, we highlight some examples of changes that local elections officials can also make with this symbol:🔸
Political Context
Below is a list of the relevant officials and information about the legislative session.
Governor: Brian Kemp (R)
Secretary of State: Brad Raffensperger (R). The State Election Board has the authority to promulgate rules and regulations.
Legislature: House (R) Senate (R)
Legislative Session: The legislature last adjourned on June 26, 2020. Either the legislature or the governor can call a special legislative session.
Local Elections Officials: In Georgia, a number of county officials share responsibilities for administering elections. You can look up individual county officials here.
What Georgia Has and What’s Needed
Three priorities. There are three key areas where we need to shore up our elections systems for success during a pandemic: registration, mail voting, and in-person voting.
Registration
Covid-19 may disrupt the traditional ways Americans register to vote, like get out the vote drives or registering at government agencies. In the crucial weeks before the registration deadline, postal service disruptions may lead many registration forms to arrive at election offices after the deadline.
Preparatory Measures Georgia Already Has Taken:
- Online voter registration
Changes Still Needed:
- Prepare to extend online and mail voter registration deadlines based on conditions in the state
- Voter registration on Election Day
Voting by Mail
Because of Covid-19, long lines and crowds at the polls pose health risks not seen in previous elections. Allowing every citizen to vote by mail reduces the number of people at the polls on Election Day and decreases the exposure risk to Covid-19.
Preparatory Measures Georgia Already Has Taken:
- All voters can vote by mail without an excuse
- Online tool for requesting an absentee ballot (under development)
- No notary or witness requirement for return of mail ballot
- No ID requirement to vote by mail
- Provides post-election notice and cure opportunity for defects on absentee-ballot envelope, including signature mismatch or missing signatures
Changes Still Needed:
- Provide pre-paid postage for voting by mail
- Accept late-arriving ballots postmarked by Election Day
- Send absentee-ballot applications to all voters who have not yet applied
In-Person Voting
Even with expanded mail voting opportunity, states cannot close polling places. To do so may disenfranchise voters without Internet and mail access, or those who do not wish to cast a ballot by mail. In-person voting must be done in accordance with health guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Preparatory Measures Georgia Already Has Taken:
- In-person early voting
Changes Still Needed:
- Ensure sufficient polling places are open and resourced on Election Day🔸
- Open more in-person early voting locations🔸
- Take proper public health precautions to ensure safe polling places🔸
- Hold training sessions for polling-place workers well in advance of Election Day, so that election officials can better anticipate problems with staffing and logistics🔸
- Increase access to curbside voting at polling locations
Advocacy Focus: Protecting Polling Places
No matter how prepared Georgia is as a matter of policy, elections officials and advocates must stay vigilant about ensuring safe, healthy in-person voting is an option for everyone all the way through Election Day. Here are some important things to know about who makes decisions about polling places in Georgia and what rules govern the process:
- Local superintendents are charged with the responsibility for selecting and equipping polling locations, as well as appointing and training poll workers.🔸
- The governing authorities of counties and municipalities are charged with covering superintendents’ election-related expenses.🔸
- State law allows boards of registrars to establish additional locations where voters can both receive absentee ballots and vote their absentee ballots, provided that the locations meet minimum criteria.🔸
- Counties and municipalities are allowed to extend the hours for advance voting beyond regular business hours to suit the needs of voters.🔸
- Changing polling locations during the 60 days before an election is allowed only in the case of an emergency or an event that renders the original polling place unavailable for use.🔸
- County superintendents and municipal governing authorities are given discretion to provide portable polling facilities of adequate size for any precinct.🔸
Key Dates for Georgia Elections
- October 5, 2020: Deadline to register to vote for the General Election
- October 12 – October 30, 2020: Early voting for General Election
- November 3, 2020: General Election Day
- December 1, 2020: General and Special Election Runoffs for state and local offices
- December 7, 2020: Deadline to register to vote for (possible) General Election Runoff for federal offices
- January 5, 2021: (Possible) General Election Runoff for federal offices