House Substitute to SB 202 Sponsored by Senate Chairman Burns, Carried by Chairman Fleming
The Election Integrity Act of 2021 As Passed & Signed by Governor
The Republican Caucus of the Georgia House of Representatives has worked year after year to ensure the sanctity
of the ballot box. Speaker Ralston created the Special Committee on Election Integrity. Chairman Barry Fleming
and the committee worked diligently on the House Substitute to Senate Bill 202 which was signed into law by
Governor Kemp on March 25. The House committee sub to SB 202, the Election Integrity Act of 2021, is a reform
of Georgia’s voting process to further ensure our elections are FAST – Fair, Accessible, Secure and Transparent.
The legislation covers many areas of election process and administration, focusing on improving our existing systems,
removing ambiguity, and building voter confidence.
1) Expands access to early voting statewide by requiring two mandatory Saturday early voting dates and allowing
communities the option of voting on up to two Sundays during early voting. This is a significant expansion in ballot
access and would apply in every county in the state.
2) Requires a voter provide a driver’s license or state ID card number to request and submit an absentee ballot.
This requirement replaces the subjective signature-match with a clear, objective standard to ensure that absentee
ballots have security requirements like in-person voting.
3) Secures drop boxes by requiring they are placed in early-voting locations, only accessible when the precinct is open,
and actively monitored by an on-site elections official. There is a limited exception for declared states of emergency.
This eliminates concerns raised by some about latenight “ballot dumps.”
4) Bans mobile polling locations, private funding for elections, and secures the precinct areas against non-voting
activities to preserve the sanctity and security of elections.
5) Requires shorter timelines for processing absentee ballots and certifying election results to prompt quicker results
without the uncertainty that undermine voter confidence.
6) Requires security paper to allow for authentication of ballots.
7) Makes changes empowering the State Election Board and ensuring legislative review of emergency rules, including
removing the Secretary of State as chair. More Georgians voted in the November 2020 general election than ever
before – some 5 million voters. Georgia is a state that cherishes the right to vote, encourages citizens to vote and
protects the sanctity of the ballot box.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: Does this bill eliminate Sunday voting or restrict ballot drop boxes?
A: No. This is misinformation that has been spread to discredit our efforts to make voting more accessible and more
secure. The Election Integrity Act of 2021 expands early voting statewide by including two mandatory Saturdays
and two-optional Sundays. This is the first time Sundays have been explicitly included as possible voting days in
Georgia law.
Drop boxes, likewise, were not previously included in Georgia law. They were created by emergency rule by the
State Election Board in response to the pandemic. Drop boxes had never been used in Georgia before 2020. The
Election Integrity Act of 2021 requires counties to provide secure ballot drop boxes for the first time in Georgia’s
history.
Q: Some organizations and media outlets say this bill attempts “voter suppression” motivated by “racism” or other
repugnant beliefs. Is that true?
A: These are lies – plain and simple. There are Democratic Party-aligned “dark money” groups which have a vested
interest in sowing division and spreading lies about this bill and those who voted for it. They have been fundraising
with this fictitious messaging and will continue to do so. Their interest is not what is best for Georgia or its citizens
but rather what they can do to profit from these lies. A few media outlets, like the Wall Street Journal, have reported
on the conflict of interest and hypocrisy of the left’s lies about our measure. See those articles here and here.
Q: Didn’t the business community oppose this measure?
A: No. In fact, several businesses and business organizations offered constructive input on this legislation through
the committee process. After SB 202 was signed into law, the Metro Atlanta Chamber issued a supportive statement
about the measure which may be found here. Katie Kirkpatrick, President & CEO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber said,
“The final version of SB 202 expands weekend voting, puts drop boxes into law for the first time, preserves no excuses
absentee voting, requires poll watcher training, and allows poll workers to work across county lines.”
Q: Why was the Democratic legislator arrested on Thursday night?
A: I am proud to support the men and women of law enforcement like our Georgia State Patrol who work every day to
keep everyone at the Capitol safe. Unfortunately, some people will use our law enforcement officers as political props.
This particular Democratic member previously compared our State Patrol to the Ku Klux Klan in a social media post which
you can read about here.
Q: Why was it important to pass this bill?
A: Georgians deserve to be confident in the security and integrity of their elections. This bill expands access to voting
while improving security. It is a win-win for those who care about honest elections. Despite the lies and lawsuits, we
will continue to fight for election integrity. You may also be interested in a press release expressing support for our reform
efforts from Heritage Action for America which you may find here.