(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) Georgia’s Senate Ethics Committee on Tuesday approved a bill banning ballot drop boxes from the state after a contentious session.
It now will advance to the full General Assembly for a vote, potentially fueling activist calls for boycotts against the GOP-led state.
In addition to banning drop boxes, the bill, SB 221, closed what the committee’s chairman, state Sen. Max Burns, described as loopholes in previous laws, the Georgia Record reported.
Burns said the fix will ensure more consistent election laws following the sweeping election-integrity reforms that the state legislature passed in the wake of Georgia’s chaotic 2020 election.
The previous law, SB 202, left some questions as to the National Change of Address information; the new bill deems suspicious address changes as sufficient evidence to challenge voter registration.
Left-wing former state lawmaker Stacey Abrams, a twice-failed gubernatorial candidate, notably was accused of targeting out-of-state voters, as well as deceased voters, and encouraging them to request ballots.
SB 202, furthermore, neglected to require security measures for ballot boxes—an issue highlighted by the election watchdog True the Vote in its bombshell film 2,000 Mules.
During the recent debate, pro-integrity committee members initially proposed video camera surveillance, monitoring and publicly available surveillance feeds to increase trust in the dropbox system.
However, questions about the cost and logistics, as well as worries over voter privacy, quickly emerged.
One delegate voiced concerns about counties’ ability to support the ongoing camera and necessary feed; another questioned the voters’ reactions to being recorded.
State Sen. Rick Williams requested the ability to propose an additional amendment, and when granted, asked that drop boxes be completely removed in Georgia so the state could avoid the cost as well as concerns of election fraud.
Delegates quickly approved the amendment, soon followed by the bill itself.
Left-wing activist groups attended the meeting to fight the legislation and paint the opposition as crazed “election deniers.”
“Election deniers will never be satisfied…,” said Kristen Nabers, the Georgia director of the group All Voting is Local, according to WABE. “They’re just going to keep pushing to perpetuate conspiracy theories in the name of greater transparency.”
Esosa Osa, the current director of the Abrams-founded PAC Fair Fight Action, also criticized the bill after it passed.
“SB 221 is conspiracy theory enshrined in policy,” she asserted. “It’s a direct result of uplifting the Big Lie and takes its cues from [Lt. Gov.] Burt Jones—a fake elector who sought to overturn the 2020 election and who continues to push disinformation and conspiracy theories surrounding elections in Georgia.”
