COVID-19: All Georgia voters to get opportunity to vote by absentee ballot

ATLANTA) — Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger reported Tuesday that in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, every Georgia voter will be given the opportunity to vote by absentee ballot. Raffensperger will be mailing absentee ballot request forms to every Georgia voter to vote without fear for their health. Extra precautions will also be made to ensure those who rely on in-person voting to access the ballot can do so safely.

“Times of turbulence and upheaval like the one we Georgians face require decisive action if the liberties we hold so dear are to be preserved,” Raffensperger said in a press release. “I am acting today because the people of Georgia, from the earliest settlers to heroes like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Congressman John Lewis, have fought too long and too hard for their right to vote to have it curtailed. Georgia has faced challenges before and overcome them, and we can do so again through the grit and ingenuity that has made America a shining example for democracies around the world.”

In the 2016 and 2018 November elections, around 95 percent of Georgia voters opted in person compared to 5 percent who did so by mail. Raffensperger said with social distancing as the most important tool for limiting the spread of coronavirus, providing alternatives to voting in person is crucial. All Georgia voters can request and vote an absentee ballot for any reason.

Raffensperger said the SOS office will send absentee ballot request forms to Georgia’s 6.9 million voters. This will allow as many Georgia voters as possible to exercise their right to vote without leaving their homes. They will just have to fill out and return the application to vote by mail in the upcoming elections.

Georgia’s most vulnerable, those over age 65 and those with a disability can request absentee ballots for the primary and general election as well as all elections through the 2020 election cycle with this one application. Other voters will need to submit another application for future elections.

While Secretary Raffensperger is encouraging as many voters as possible to vote by mail, some will still rely on in-person voting to exercise their right to vote privately and securely. People without internet or mail access, such as those experiencing homelessness; Georgians who need language assistance; and people with disabilities who rely on voting machines to cast their ballot will still be able to do so in person on the state’s new voting system. Additionally, research from the Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law shows that eliminating “in-person voting could disproportionately disenfranchise Black, Latino, and young voters.”

To that end, Raffensperger is taking extra steps to limit the threat of COVID-19 at the polling place. Poll workers will receive additional resources to clean the equipment regularly. In-person voters who show up to vote in person will be instructed to maintain a safe distance when waiting to vote.

These measures will protect poll workers as well. Understanding the extra risk Georgia’s generally elderly poll workers face, Raffensperger is working to help counties hire more and younger poll workers. Extra staff will allow those who feel sick to be absent from the polls without significantly impacting continuity while a younger pool of workers will increase resiliency in the face of the COVID-19 threat.

This information is from a press release from the office of Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.