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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 3, 2026
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Georgia Republicans Destroy Election Security Before November Elections
Atlanta, Ga. — Senate Republicans allowed Greg Dolezal (R–Cumming), a candidate for Lieutenant Governor, to reshape Georgia’s elections yesterday in thirsty pursuit of Donald Trump’s endorsement. Senate Ethics passed dystopian election legislation that would turn November’s elections into a nightmarish, confusing disaster.
Dolezal’s SB 586 would require the state to use a paper ballot system in November, giving counties less than a year to prepare for a complete overhaul. Based mostly on the fears of the MyPillow guy, it also mandates hand recounts. Despite over 3 million people using early voting in 2024, Sen. Dolezal made early voting harder by prohibiting early voting locations from serving their entire county when a county has more than one location. The migraine-inducing labyrinth Dolezal is meant to confuse, frustrate, and ultimately disenfranchise Georgians.
Sen. Dolezal also begged for Trump’s attention with SR 838, the SAVE Amendment, an unnecessary amendment to the Constitution that Senate Democrats will happily kill this week. Finally, Sen. Ed Setzler (R-Acworth) and an all-white Ethics Committee attempted to strip power from five Black woman prosecutors.
Senate Minority Leader Harold Jones II (D-Augusta) said that Democrats will continue to oppose any measures that aim to suppress votes.
“Voters across our state and country demand sensible solutions to the cost of living crisis ripping their households apart. Here in Georgia, we spent our afternoon discussing absurd conspiracy theories and lies and opposition research against one of the GOP gubernatorial candidates. We didn’t help Georgians — they’re still broke —and now we’ve made it even harder to vote for candidates who will help just a little bit. If Sen. Dolezal’s SB 568 passes, Republicans will finally see all their lies about the 2020 presidential election come true. What’s happening here is this – Georgians know the Republicans have failed them for 25 years, and they’re ready to make a change this November. These bills are Republicans trying to insulate themselves from an electorate that’s tired of their failure and nonsense.”
Bills Introduced by the Georgia Senate Republicans
Senate Resolution 838 amends the Constitution by requiring eligible voters to be 18 years old, United States citizens or Georgia residents, and carry a voter ID. This bill is led by Senator Dolezal (R–Cumming).
Senate Bill 423 would limit outside spending on campaigns by requiring out-of-state contributions and donations to be returned when they exceed 50%. If 45 days pass after the end of the reporting period, the excess funds will go to the state of Georgia. This bill is led by Senator Tim Bearden (R–Carrollton).
Senate Bill 568 would make several changes to Georgia’s election laws. Key amendments include requiring that lists of eligible voters be made public at least five days before early voting begins, and that registrars face fines for each registration not properly removed. The bill also drastically changes election equipment requirements, proposing that optical scanners with paper ballots and ballot scanners be used for all federal, state, and county elections after July 1, 2026. The design of ballots will also be changed if SB 568 passes, ensuring that timing marks are provided to help determine
voter selections and adding lines to connect candidate names to their corresponding ovals. Additionally, each jurisdiction that uses multiple advance voting locations will now be assigned specific precincts where voters can cast their ballots. When polls close, a list of every elector will be posited and the Secretary of State must maintain a database of this information. This bill also lowers the threshold for a mandatory recount from from a 1.5% margin to 2%, which should now be conducted manually. Lastly, risk- limiting audits, which help ensure that election outcomes are correct, will also be conducted manually with the oversight of the State Election Board. This bill is led by Senator Dolezal (R–Cumming).
Senate Bill 573 will establish nonpartisan elections for DA and county commission races in Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Cobb, and Clayton counties. This will not include county sheriffs, local school board members, and county governing authorities established by local constitutional amendment. This bill aims to designate counties where the governing authority appoints a medical examiner instead of electing a coroner as “medical examiner counties.” It also mandates that elected county officials in these areas, including district attorneys, will be elected in nonpartisan elections. This will apply to elections held alongside the general election, without preceding a nonpartisan primary. The bill also updates the qualifying period for candidates seeking office. This bill is led by Senator Setzler (R–Acworth).
The Senate Minority Leader is available for comment.
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