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Vice‑Chair reports SB 202 provisions that could change county election procedures
Summary
Vice‑Chair Hope Harmon briefed commissioners on SB 202, summarizing proposed changes—absentee application deadlines, earlier processing of absentee ballots, altered voting machine ratios and poll worker rules—and noted ACCG concerns about funding and operational burdens for counties.
Vice‑Chair Hope Harmon on April 6 summarized SB 202 and its potential effects on county election administration, including several provisions that, if enacted, would change how Ben Hill County runs elections.
Harmon said the bill includes an absentee ballot application receipt deadline 11 days before an election, would authorize counties to begin processing and scanning absentee ballots on the third Monday before an election, permit counties to reduce the 1/250 ratio of voting machines per registered voter for non‑general elections, and allow poll workers to serve in an adjoining county. She said the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) raised concerns about several provisions, including a mandate for ballots to be printed on new encrypted security paper and numerous reporting requirements that would impose additional staff time and costs.
Harmon noted ACCG asked the legislature to condition the security‑paper requirement on state funding and to make a second Saturday of advance voting optional for counties. She also reported that the FY2022 budget conference committee added $1.5 million for ballot security, which may help offset some costs associated with the bill.
County Manager Michael Dinnerman added that a Technology Fee Bill has passed for Probate Court and is on the governor’s desk for signature. The meeting record includes no county action taken on SB 202 itself; the item was an informational legislative report.
The report offers local officials context to weigh potential administrative and budgetary impacts should SB 202 become law; no formal county position or vote on the legislation was recorded during the meeting.
