Our state is known across the country for voter suppression laws. New rules continue the work of suppressing the vote for citizens of color. Many rules came into play after the fraudulent claims of voter tampering in the last presidential election that have been proven false by every court in the land. Even though none of the lies told about the 2020 election were true we’re still living with punitive laws that make it harder to vote and even harder to register to vote. I contacted LaShandra Little, the Voter Education and Outreach Manager for Fulton County, about the new rules, regulations, and some upcoming training.
I asked Little about new rules around voting that will affect the upcoming election cycle. She speaks about SB202 which went into effect after the 2020 election. She speaks about dropboxes only being available when polls are open and they have been moved inside. She also explains the new rules around absentee voting with a reminder that you will need to request this every time if you are not in three protected groups seniors 65+, disabled, or active military. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is August 19th.
Little also spoke about Deputy Registrar Training and the people who might want to consider taking the training. They can assist with churches and community centers that are interested in holding voting drives. She also shares that our state purges voter rolls of any citizen who has missed two election cycles. This is another reason to make sure that you check your status at mvp.sos.ga.gov.
I asked Little if there was a date that everyone should keep in mind and she mentioned Monday, October 7th. This is Georgia’s deadline for voter registration in the November 5th election. She also explains that SB129 provides the ability to take two hours for early voting. She encourages everyone to make a plan and to vote early. For direct assistance, you can contact her office at 404-612-7020. Early voting polls will be open from 7AM - 7PM in Fulton County. Check your county information here mvp.sos.ga.gov.
If you need information about voting in other states visit www.vote.org.