Georgia: Protections Against Intimidation of Voters and Election Workers

Written and published in partnership with All Voting is Local.

Voters in Georgia have the right to vote free from intimidation under federal and state law.¹ The federal protections that apply to all states are explained here. The following actions are specifically prohibited by Georgia law:

• Willfully blocking or attempting to block the avenue to the door of any polling place.²
• Using or threatening violence in a manner that would prevent a reasonable elector from voting or actually prevents any elector from voting.³
• Using or threatening to use force and violence or acting in any other manner to intimidate any person to vote or refrain from voting, to vote or refrain from voting for or against a particular candidate or question, or to register or refrain from registering to vote. ⁴

The below addresses the laws that serve as guardrails against specific threats of intimidation.

Voter Challenges

Although Georgia permits any registered voter to challenge another voter’s eligibility,⁵ state law also provides for some guardrails:

• A challenge to a voter’s right to vote must be made in writing and delivered to the board of registrars prior to the voter casting a ballot and must distinctly specify the grounds of the challenge.⁶ Challenges cannot be made to any poll worker at a polling place.⁷
• A challenge cannot move forward without probable cause. The burden is on the challenger to establish probable cause, not on the challenged voter to prove their eligibility.⁸
• A challenge that is either intended to intimidate or results in the intimidation of a voter constitutes a felony.⁹
• If a challenge meets the probable cause threshold but the voter cannot immediately appear before the board of registrars and answer the grounds of the challenge before the polls close, the voter must be allowed to cast a challenged (i.e., provisional) ballot.¹⁰

The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) provides additional safeguards to protect voters from mass challenges before an election:

• The NVRA expressly recognizes that National Change of Address information is not sufficient on its own to serve as the basis for canceling a voter’s registration.¹¹
• The NVRA prohibits the systematic removal of voters from the rolls within 90 days of a federal election.¹²

More information about the limitations and process for voter challenges in Georgia can be found here.

Intimidation of Poll Workers and Election Officials

In addition to federal protections against the intimidation of election workers, it is a felony in Georgia to interfere with a poll worker or election official performing their duties.¹³ These protections for poll workers extend to the vote-counting process and all other aspects of election administration. 

Voter Intimidation by Poll Workers

Information about the rules and constraints on poll workers in Georgia can be found here.

Intimidation by Election Observers 

In addition to Georgia’s voter intimidation laws detailed above, state law places limits on who may serve as an observer (referred to as a “poll watcher” in Georgia law) and what they may and may not do: 

• Poll watchers must be appointed in advance of the election by party or candidate representatives in Georgia.¹⁴ Unauthorized watchers should not be permitted at polling places.
• A party may have no more than four poll watchers (two local and two statewide) in a precinct.¹⁵
• Watchers must wear an official badge while present in a polling place.¹⁶
• Georgia law prohibits watchers from interfering with the conduct of an election in any way. Specifically, those serving as poll watchers may not talk to voters, use cell phones, take photos, record video, campaign, or check the electors list.¹⁷ 

Poll managers are authorized to remove any watcher for interfering or violating any of these rules.¹⁸

Guns, Law Enforcement, and Federal Agents at Polling Places

Georgia prohibits firearms within 150 feet of polling places.¹⁹ Even in places where carrying a firearm is not expressly prohibited, doing so may constitute unlawful intimidation.²⁰ Such conduct may consist of

• Carrying a visible firearm at a drop box or vote-counting site,
• Carrying a visible firearm outside of the 150-foot buffer zone surrounding a polling place,
• Displaying a concealed firearm during a discussion or argument with a voter or election worker, or
• Approaching a voter or election worker while displaying a firearm.

It is a misdemeanor for law enforcement officers to neglect or refuse to clear obstructions that prevent voters from entering polling places or to quell other polling place disturbances when called upon to do so by a poll worker.²¹ It is also a misdemeanor for law enforcement officers to willfully hinder or delay poll workers in the performance of their duties.²²

Federal law limits the presence of the military and other armed federal agents at polling places:

• It is a felony for any federal official to send troops or armed persons to a polling place, unless such force is necessary to repel armed enemies of the United States.²³
• It is a felony for a member of the military to intimidate voters or interfere with elections.²⁴

Door-to-Door Intimidation

Georgia and federal law prohibit canvassing efforts that are used to intimidate voters.²⁵ Any voter who receives a visit from a privately organized canvassing group does not have to answer any questions and should report any incidents of intimidation to their local officials.