Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill into law on Tuesday, establishing rules and processes regarding voter registration and how elections are conducted.
Kemp signed Senate Bill 189 (SB 189) into law on Tuesday, Kemp’s press secretary Garrison Douglas confirmed to USA Today.
Under SB 189, a process would be created to help each county remove certain voters from its voter registration database.
The law also establishes new rules regarding how homeless people can register to vote, explaining that homeless people without a permanent address must use the “registrar’s office” in their county as their mailing address for “election purposes.”
People use voting machines to fill out their ballots as they vote in the Georgia primary at the Metropolitan Library on May 24, 2022, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Voters would also be allowed to be removed from voter registration lists up to 45 days before an election, under SB 189.
The bill also makes it easier for third-party candidates to get onto the ballot, stating that “any political party or political body” on the ballot in 20 states is allowed to be on Georgia’s election ballot, according to CNN.
In response to Kemp signing the bill into law, the Georgia Senate Democrats issued a statement criticizing Kemp for not vetoing the bill, which, in their eyes, would “allow conspiracy theorists” to turn future elections into chaos.
“Gov. Kemp’s refusal to veto SB 189, which will allow conspiracy theorists to turn our elections into utter chaos, says it all about the Republican Party in 2024,” the Georgia Senate Democrats wrote. “They only work to please their leader, Donald Trump.”
See the statement below on Kemp's refusal to veto SB 189:#gapol #gasenatedems pic.twitter.com/3UxUtHlIwo
— GA Senate Democrats (@GASenateDems) May 7, 2024
“Gov. Kemp’s decision to put his party over our state is no surprise,” the Georgia Senate Democrats added. “The Governor has signed and celebrated bills that strip money from public schools, give workers less power in the workplace, overcrowd our jails, and encourage racial profiling by law enforcement. This sad list makes the stakes clearer than ever.”
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Georgia also issued a statement labeling the bill as being a “step back for voters’ rights.”
