ATLANTA — Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger called it “another win for Georgia” after a federal judge rejected a challenge to the state’s controversial 2021 election law.
“What you have is these activists were sending out pre-filled mailers that created confusion. Voters were getting many of these, then they would flood the county election offices,” Raffensperger said.
U.S. District Court Judge J.P. Boulee agreed, ruling that the practice led to voter confusion and upholding provisions of Senate Bill 202 that restrict the use of pre-filled absentee ballot applications.
Advocacy groups behind the lawsuit argued the provisions violated their free speech rights. They say limiting their ability to send out absentee ballot applications makes it harder to reach voters.
According to Fulton County Government, prior to SB 202, signature verification was the main way to confirm voter identity on absentee ballots, and voters could request a ballot until the Friday before Election Day.
Under the new law, voters casting absentee ballots must:
- Provide a driver’s license number or another approved form of voter ID,
- Request their ballot at least 11 days before the election, and
- Use the updated absentee ballot form.
While UOCAVA ballots (for military and overseas voters) still follow the same mailing deadline, other ballots cannot be sent more than 30 days before an election.
“This ruling proves what we’ve said all along — Georgia has the best elections in America,” Raffensperger said. “SB 202 is about common sense: protecting voters from confusion, making sure every vote counts once, and keeping our elections free, fair, and secure. The fact that the law keeps winning in court shows that Georgia is leading the way for election integrity.”