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Big overhaul planned for Georgia elections: Bills aired in state Legislature’s waning days

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4 months ago

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georgiarecorder.com – Stanley Dunlap – 2025-03-27 00:00:00

by Stanley Dunlap, Georgia Recorder
March 27, 2025

Sweeping changes to election rules intended to increase paper ballot options, expand the powers of the State Election Board and remove the state from a voter registration sharing database are up for debate as the 2025 Georgia Legislature nears a close.

The Senate Ethics Committee held a two hour hearing on the latest version of House Bill 397, which could mandate big changes to Georgia election procedures if signed into law. No vote was taken on the bill sponsored by Covington Republican Rep. Tim Fleming.

The Republican backed election bill would prohibit Georgia from sharing voter information with third-party groups like the current participation in the Electronic Registration Information Center, known as ERIC The partnership allows  Georgia to share updated voter rolls with 24 other states.

Under HB 397, the Georgia elections board would evaluate the procedures and policies for withdrawing from ERIC. and provide recommendations to the Senate Ethics Committee and the House Governmental Affairs Committee by the end of this year.

It would also give the Secretary of State the authority to make agreements with other states to share voter roll data.

Secretary of State election officials asked legislators Wednesday to reconsider banning the state from participating in a multistate database  they say helps efficiently maintain accurate voter rolls.

Charlene McGowan, general counsel for the Georgia Secretary of State, said the proposals in HB 397 could undermine the states’ ability to conduct meaningful and secure data matching with other states, whether it be through a state to state agreement or a multi state compact.

“This bill does severely restrict the Secretary’s ability to share information, such as driver’s license numbers, Social Security numbers with other states,” she said. “The problem with that is that states rely on that type of information in order to conduct accurate matching.”

The bill’s Republican sponsors were also urged by the statewide association of county election officials to make changes to the bill that would require hand counting of ballots as voting precincts are closing down for the day.

Fulton County is home to more than 750,000 registered voters, according to the secretary of state office’s website. State law requires that local election superintendents report to the secretary of state and post publicly the total number of ballots cast both on Election Day and during early voting, including absentee ballots.

Rebecca Anglin, the election director in Greene County, expressed concerns about the chain of custody and hand count of paper ballots at the precinct level, emphasizing the need for secure handling and timely reporting.

Bill offers more power to State Election Board

The election overhaul legislation proposes giving the State Election Board more independence from the secretary of state’s office by moving its administration under the state accounting office.

The controversial state GOP-controlled board that is now controlled by three supporters of President Donald Trump could also be the body to hear appeals to a controversial mass voter challenge after  complaints are settled by county election boards.

“This will allow for faster adjudication. If  you start with them and then you disagree with the decision, then you’ll  go to the superior court,” Fleming said.

Georgia Republican Party District Chairman Brad Carver said it’s important that the State Election Board gets enough backing from the state to be fully staffed  to afford more investigators and other support positions that  can trim case backlogs and handle new roles “

He mentioned the significant expenses associated with voter challenges going to superior courts instead of election officials.

Georgia election board majority that was praised by Trump resumes rulemaking push this week

“If you have an appellate authority in the State Election Board, you will have more consistent application to make sure that the laws are followed across the state by all 159 counties,” Carver said.

Another provision expands board duties to allow custody of all state investigative reports and communications between the secretary of state and election superintendents.

Fleming said the bill seeks to restore more autonomy to the state board that enforces election rule compliance.

“The State Election Board handles elections investigations and complaints, and having access to this information is necessary for them to do their job and for adjudication purposes,” Fleming said., “This continues to return autonomy to the State Election Board.”

State election officials could also spell out their rulemaking powers with proposed yearround authority to adopt election rules so long as they don’t take effect within 60 days of an election.

Paper ballot bill clears committee

The Senate Ethics Committee  passed a bill Wednesday that would allow Georgia voters to cast a hand marked paper ballot at polling places during early voting and on Election Day.

The Senate Ethics Committee voted Wednesday in favor of Senate Bill 214, a proposal to give voters the ability to cast their votes in polling places using pen or pencils, which can now be used to complete absentee ballots.

Sylvania Republican Max Burns’ said the legislation gives voters during early voting and election days the  option of paper ballots or the electronic touchscreen system that’s been used for statewide elections since 2020.

“At the end of the day 214 is designed to provide us a path forward beyond the current environment and move to paper ballot  hand marked paper ballot systems tabulated with an optical scan and then supported by a print on demand ballot system,” Burns said

Burns said he expects modifications to the bill as he tries to usher it through the legislative process.

Republican Sen. Max Burns and Sen. Marty Harbin, a Tyrone Republican, cast votes at a March 26 committee meeting in favor of Burns’ paper ballots bill. Stanley Dunlap/Georgia Recorder

If Burns can get his bill signed into law it will mark a big win for a movement that has long contended that hand marked paper ballots are a more transparent and safer than electronic machines.

The state’s electronic Dominion Voting  System was rolled out statewide in 2019, but by that time the state was already involved in a legal battle with Coalition for Good Governance and other plaintiffs who argue that hand-marking ballots is the safest way to vote.

The debate over electronic voting machines versus paper ballots later became the of focus of conspiracy theorists who blamed the Dominion’s system for Republican President Donald Trump’s loss to Joe Biden in 2020.

Over the last couple of years, a prominent pro- paper ballot movement.has been led by VoterGa, a largely pro-Trump faction that has urged people to request that state officials get rid of the electronic voting system.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has defended the security of the voting machine system.

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Georgia Recorder is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor John McCosh for questions: info@georgiarecorder.com.

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Local gymnast Robyn Wilson awarded full scholarship to Arizona State University

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August 1, 2025

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www.wjbf.com – Brandon Dawson – 2025-08-01 12:06:00

SUMMARY: Robyn Wilson, a gymnast at C\&C Gymnastics in Augusta, secured a full-ride scholarship to Arizona State University, largely thanks to her exceptional vault performance at Nationals where she placed second. After years of hard work and training up to 25 hours a week, Robyn began receiving college interest post-Nationals, leading to her offer from ASU. She has trained at C\&C for six years under coach Candice and feels grateful for the support she’s received. Robyn hopes her journey inspires others to stay determined, emphasizing that plans may change but perseverance leads to success.

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Trump's new tariffs give some countries a break, shares and US dollar sink

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August 1, 2025

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www.wsav.com – The Associated Press – 2025-08-01 05:35:00

SUMMARY: U.S. President Donald Trump announced new tariff rates of up to 41% on imports from dozens of countries, effective August 7, eliciting mixed reactions. Some nations secured reduced rates through negotiations, while others expressed disappointment over missed deadlines. Canada faces a 35% tariff increase linked to drug trafficking concerns, while Switzerland’s tariff was raised to 39%. New Zealand and Australia continue talks amid higher tariffs, and Japan cautiously welcomed a 15% rate agreement. Taiwan hopes for further reductions from its 20% tariff. Cambodia, Thailand, Pakistan, and Bangladesh expressed relief over lowered tariffs and potential trade growth, though overall uncertainty remains.

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Georgia’s youngest children deserve continuous Medicaid coverage

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1 day ago

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August 1, 2025

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georgiarecorder.com – Callan Wells – 2025-08-01 04:00:00


A federal agency announced it will no longer allow states to provide continuous Medicaid eligibility for young children, ending waivers in nine states and blocking others. This change risks leaving children without consistent health coverage during critical early development years. Parents often face burdensome annual renewals, causing lapses in care despite continued eligibility, as seen in cases where children lost access to urgent treatments and medications. Georgia never applied for such a waiver, though it could have helped nearly 50% of Medicaid-covered babies. Advocates warn this CMS decision undermines children’s health and strains families and state systems.

by Callan Wells, Georgia Recorder
August 1, 2025

Each year, parents must renew their children’s Medicaid — a burdensome process that often leads to children losing health care coverage for months at a time. Renewal letters get lost in the mail, phone calls are missed and never returned, or verification paperwork is submitted but never processed. The result is the same: children lose coverage, and families lose access to the care their kids urgently need. 

For nearly 15 years, I’ve worked in Medicaid policy. Before joining GEEARS, I spent six years at a legal nonprofit serving Georgians with low incomes in the 154 counties outside of metro Atlanta. During that time, I answered dozens of calls each month from panicked parents and caregivers with the same heartbreaking concern: My child’s Medicaid was cut off even though we’re still eligible. 

Some moments have stuck with me:

  • A mother phoned from an emergency room. Her daughter had a broken leg, but the hospital refused to set it because her Medicaid had been terminated. They sent the child home with only pain medication.
  • A grandmother reached out in distress. Her grandson’s Medicaid had been cut off, and he hadn’t had his ADHD medication in months. He’d been suspended from school, and his grades were plummeting.
  • A mother, standing outside a surgery center, had just been told her daughter’s scheduled ear tube surgery was canceled. Medicaid was showing as inactive, even though they had submitted all the requested information.

In each case, the child was still eligible for coverage. These were not gaps in eligibility, but gaps in the system.

That’s why GEEARS: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students has long advocated for Georgia to adopt a Medicaid waiver that would ensure continuous coverage for children from birth through age three. The earliest years of life are critical for brain development, and stable access to care during this time helps lay the foundation for long-term health and learning. Routine pediatric visits, immunizations, developmental screenings, and early interventions — all are essential in the first three years of life.

Continuous coverage would both support children and families and also reduce the strain on state agencies by minimizing the paperwork caseworkers must review.

Yet on July 17th, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a memo announcing that it would no longer approve or renew Section 1115 waivers that provide continuous Medicaid eligibility for young children. This decision puts in jeopardy the waivers already approved in nine states and several other states’ waiver proposals.

Georgia never submitted such a waiver, though the legislatively mandated Comprehensive Health Coverage Commission recommended pursuing one for children through age six in its report last December. Had it been implemented, the policy could have stabilized care for the nearly 50% of babies whose births are covered by Medicaid.

Last year, that amounted to over 60,000 babies — 60,000 little ones who deserve uninterrupted access to health care during the most important years of their development. This waiver offered a straightforward solution. By shutting down this option, CMS has blocked a critical path to improving early childhood health outcomes in Georgia and across the country. It’s a deeply disappointing decision that ultimately harms our nation’s most precious assets: our children.  

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Georgia Recorder is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jill Nolin for questions: info@georgiarecorder.com.

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Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Left-Leaning

This content advocates for expanded and continuous Medicaid coverage for children, highlighting the struggles faced by low-income families in maintaining healthcare access. It critiques a federal policy decision by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that limits states’ ability to provide continuous eligibility, emphasizing the negative impact on vulnerable populations. The focus on government intervention to support social welfare aligns more closely with left-leaning perspectives on healthcare and social policy.

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