Judge hands down mixed ruling in Georgia election law challenge | Georgia

(The Center Square) — A federal pass judgement on passed down a mixed ruling in a case difficult Georgia’s election law.

U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee dominated in opposition to a provision barring somebody from giving freely meals, beverages, or items if they’re greater than 150 ft from the polling position. However, the pass judgement on saved a ban inside 150 ft, a convention repeatedly referred to as “line relief.”

The ruling bars counties from rejecting absentee ballots with no birthdate or a mistaken date of delivery on absentee poll envelopes. Georgia officers contend that state law permits citizens to amend errors on an absentee poll.

The Sixth District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and different teams filed swimsuit over the provisions of Senate Bill 202, the Election Integrity Act, which Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, signed into law in March 2021. Following the pass judgement on’s ruling, state officers and the teams suing each claimed victory.

“Today’s decisions remove some of SB 202’s barriers to absentee and in-person voting in the 2024 election cycle,” Rahul Garabadu, senior vote casting rights team of workers legal professional on the ACLU of Georgia, mentioned in a statement. “The court recognized that voters should not be disenfranchised for forgetting to write their birthdate on their absentee ballot envelope, or arrested for offering food or drink to voters in line outside the 150-foot zone around polling locations. The fight against SB 202 continues on, but today’s decisions represent an important victory for every eligible voter in Georgia.”

The court docket dominated in opposition to what the state argued could be an erosion of absentee poll drop field safety provisions and what they mentioned constituted “ballot harvesting.” The teams claimed that those provisions violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“Georgia continues to have one of the most secure and accessible voting systems in the country for all voters, including voters with disabilities,” Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger mentioned in a commentary. “I am glad that the court upheld Georgia’s common sense rules banning ballot harvesting and securing absentee ballot drop boxes. Georgia’s voting system is accessible to all voters, with multiple options for voters to choose how they want to exercise their right to vote.”