Ga Democrats Pleased with GA SOS Plan to Mail Absentees, Abrams Group Says ‘Inadequate’

• Automatically sending all registered voters ballots to vote by mail for every election this cycle, including the November General Election
• Prepaying postage for the return of all ballots and applications to vote by mail
• Streamlining the current application to vote by mail to make it easy for voters to complete
• Eliminating the signature requirement from applications to vote by mail
• Allowing voters to elect to receive vote-by-mail ballots for all future elections without having to reapply each time
• Centralizing the issuance, return, and tabulation of vote by mail ballots
• Counting all ballots that are postmarked by Election Day
• Allowing community organizations to collect and deliver completed and sealed ballots
• Maintaining early voting locations and Election Day precincts throughout the state, to ensure that there is an equitable distribution of polling locations and resources
• Allowing voters to vote at any polling location in their county on Election Day, rather than have to go to their assigned precinct.

The Democratic Party of Georgia was the first state party in the nation to have a full time voter protection program, and maintains a 24 hour voter protection hotline to serve all voters in the state. Any Georgia voter can call the hotline for assistance casting their ballot by calling 888-730-581

“It is a welcome development that — after Fair Fight Action supporters and allies mobilized — the Secretary of State has decided to send absentee ballot requests to all voters rather than just a select subset of voters that favors his political party. However, Secretary Raffensperger is now asking Georgians who have tested positive for coronavirus or who are at extreme risk for coronavirus to leave their homes and stand in line to buy stamps, rather than him taking the blatantly obvious and stunningly simple step of having the state prepay for return postage. In addition, Secretary Raffensperger is failing to provide the most basic safeguards to help voters who vote by mail, including counting ballots postmarked by Election Day, and allowing community groups to collect and return sealed ballots. He has scratched the surface of doing the right by the voters of Georgia, but in a state that now ranks fourth in coronavirus deaths and where Brian Kemp has failed to protect our people, Secretary Raffensperger has a long way to go to ensure access to our democracy and community safety in voting. We will continue to fight for free and fair elections so that every eligible Georgian can make their voice heard without jeopardizing their health to do so.”