Georgia legislators are stepping back from controversial election proposals that would have empowered a state board aligned with Donald Trump to potentially remove thousands of voters from the rolls and mandated hand-counting of ballots by polling officials.
House Bill 397 underwent significant revisions before being approved by the Senate Ethics Committee on Thursday, clearing the path for further debate in the full Senate.
The revised bill still aims to compel Georgia to withdraw from the Electronic Records Information Center (ERIC), a multistate initiative criticized for its funding and objectives despite its aim to maintain accurate voter lists. Under the amended proposal, Georgia wouldn’t need to exit ERIC until mid-2027, a much later deadline than initially suggested.
Republican Representative Tim Fleming of Covington explained that some of the bill’s most controversial aspects were removed following concerns raised during extensive testimony, including feedback from officials affiliated with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office and county election administrators.
Fleming acknowledged, “After hearing numerous concerns, we realized some components of the bill require further refinement and attention, which we plan to address during the off-session.”
Proponents argued for ensuring that the tally of ballots gathered on Election Day coincides with the total processed by ballot-scanning devices. However, county officials advised that mandating a hand count of ballots—not individual votes—could lead to delays, errors by fatigued workers, and ballot security issues. Several Georgian counties conducted hand counts until recently.
Supporters also advocated for the State Election Board’s involvement in voter challenges as counties dismiss numerous challenges. Detractors, however, doubted the Republican-majority board’s ability to impartially oversee appeals. Statewide, GOP activists contested over 63,000 voters last summer, with most challenges ultimately dismissed by counties.
Last year, heightened scrutiny had the State Election Board implement rules, most of which a judge later invalidated citing overreach. An appeal regarding this issue was recently deliberated by the Georgia Supreme Court.
The bill aims to codify some of the discarded rules, enabling partisan-appointed poll watchers enhanced access to election offices and compelling counties to release more data concerning absentee ballots.
Other elements of the bill reflect ongoing Republican concerns with the electoral process, such as prohibiting counties from opening election offices for voters to drop off ballots the weekend preceding an election. Although attempts to halt this practice were quashed by state and federal courts last November.
Additionally, the bill proposes measures to address election integrity concerns prevalent among some Republicans. It includes requiring live nighttime video surveillance of ballot drop boxes, which once emptied, are locked within secured government facilities inaccessible to the public.