By T.A. DEFEO
THE CENTER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR
(The Center Square) — Georgia ranks second in the country for its election integrity measures, an analysis found.
According to the Election Integrity Scorecard from the Heritage Foundation, the Peach State ranked behind only its neighbor to the north, Tennessee. Hawaii ranked last on the list, just behind Nevada and California.
The scorecard compares election laws and regulations in each state and the District of Columbia that affect the security and integrity of the process with best practices. Georgia received a score of 83 on a 100-point scale.
“Georgia’s election system has integrity, and appropriately balances security and accessibility,” Interim Deputy Secretary of State Gabriel Sterling said in a news release last month after a federal judge declined to issue a preliminary injunction against Georgia’s “line relief” ban at polling places. “Just like in the primary, we hope to see record-breaking turnout once again.”
The study gave Georgia a 20 out of 20 for its voter identification requirement. It gave the state 24 out of 30 for the accuracy of its voter registration lists.
However, the study awarded the state zero out of three points for its election litigation procedures and its restriction of automatic registration. Under state law, an application for a new or updated driver’s license or identification card is also an application for voter registration for anyone within six months of their 18th birthday.
Georgia Democrats have long cast Georgia’s new election law, Senate Bill 202, passed after the 2020 election, as discriminatory and argue it will restrict access to the ballot box. Republicans, however, point to record voter turnout to show the law isn’t keeping anyone from casting a ballot.
“The Georgia Legislature’s continued efforts to burden voters with unnecessary obstacles must be stopped, and we will continue pushing to ensure these obstacles are removed and voting is accessible to all who are eligible,” John Cusick, assistant counsel at the Legal Defense Fund Inc., said in a news release last month.
