Georgia ranked among 'top tier' states in election access
Apr. 19—ATLANTA — A new report from the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation and Research (CEIR) has ranked Georgia's election access among the top tier of states in the country. Georgia earned that ranking with both no-excuse absentee ballot voting and 19 days of early voting, including two mandatory Saturdays and two optional Sundays.
"This report demonstrates objectively and conclusively that liberals have spun their own big lie about SB 202, and the media have echoed it unquestioningly," Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said. "Georgia maintains expansive ballot access, including a minimum of 17 days of early voting plus two optional Sundays and no-excuse absentee ballot voting. Blue states like New York, Delaware and Connecticut restrict voter access with no complaint from the media or the president. In fact, Stacey Abrams and her liberal allies recently praised voting laws in states that do not provide as much voter access as Georgia. The hypocrisy and misinformation spread by liberals with only partisan goals in mind has real consequences for Georgia workers and small businesses, costing them $100 million or more."
The new report is from the Center for Election Innovation and Research, a nonpartisan nonprofit that works to "build voter trust and confidence, increase voter participation, and improve the efficiency of election administration." The organization "works directly with both Republican and Democratic secretaries of state and other election officials in states all over the country." Its founder, David Becker, "served for seven years as a senior trial attorney in the Voting Section of the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division."
For its report, CEIR compiled data on all 50 states and the District of Columbia as of April 12, 2021, grading each state by absentee voting and in-person voting access. Accordingly, the data assessed Georgia's election system after the passage of SB 202. The states were split into three tiers based on access to absentee balloting and in-person voting.
Georgia joined 34 other states and the District of Columbia in the top tier with no-excuse absentee ballot voting and early, in-person voting. Georgia has had no-excuse absentee ballot voting since 2005 and has had no-excuse, early, in-person voting since 2004. By passing SB 202, Georgia expanded its number of early voting days from 16 to a mandatory minimum of 17 including two required Saturdays plus two optional Sundays.
Among the states in the second tier because they require an excuse to vote absentee are perennial blue states New York and Delaware. Kentucky also is among the middle tier but has received praise from liberals and the media alike despite having only three days of early, in-person voting and requiring an excuse to vote by absentee ballot.
The lowest tier includes blue state Connecticut, which does not have in-person, early voting and requires an excuse to vote absentee.
