SB270: SB270 Elections and Primaries; rules or regulations adopted by the State Election Board prior to a general primary, general election, or runoff thereof; limit the effective date

Under current Georgia election law, the State Election Board can adopt rules or regulations that take effect close to an election. This bill would change that by delaying the effective date of any board rule adopted within 60 days of a primary, election, or runoff until 30 days after that primary, election, or runoff, except for narrowly defined emergency rules tied to imminent danger to public health or safety. The bill also stops registrars and absentee ballot clerks from accepting hand-delivered absentee ballots once advance voting ends, with exceptions for ballots dropped off on election day, ballots delivered by the U.S. Postal Service, and military and overseas voter ballots. It creates a new process for 'supervised assistance events' where election officials help residents of assisted living, nursing home, or long-term care facilities fill out absentee ballots, with advance notice to candidates and rules for poll watchers at those events. It also updates reporting requirements for advance voting and adds a new same-day precinct-level vote total report after ballots are canvassed. The changes would take effect July 1, 2025.

• Delays the effective date of most new State Election Board rules or regulations to 30 days after the next primary, election, or runoff if adopted within 60 days of it.
• Bans hand delivery of absentee ballots to registrars once advance voting ends, except for election-day drop-offs, mailed ballots, and military or overseas voter ballots.
• Creates a new process letting assisted living, nursing home, and long-term care facility residents get supervised help preparing absentee ballots through scheduled 'supervised assistance events.'
• Requires notice of supervised assistance events to candidates and political parties, and lets them designate poll watchers to observe those events.
• Requires county election officials to post a precinct-by-precinct vote total report by 11:59 p.m. on the night ballots are canvassed, not counting UOCAVA, provisional, or unadjudicated ballots.
• Revises daily reporting requirements during advance voting and updates the locations poll watchers may access inside vote tabulating centers.

Absentee voters, especially those in assisted living, nursing homes, and long-term care facilities; county boards of registrars and absentee ballot clerks; the State Election Board; political parties, candidates, and poll watchers; and county election superintendents responsible for reporting and canvassing results.

Voters relying on hand delivery of absentee ballots would need to plan around the new deadline, while care facility residents would gain a formal process for getting help voting. Election officials would face new reporting deadlines, and last-minute state election rule changes could no longer take effect right before an election.

• Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 21-2-35 so State Election Board rules adopted within 60 days of a primary, election, or runoff take effect 30 days after it, with narrow emergency exceptions requiring proof of imminent peril to public health or safety.
• Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 21-2-382 to bar hand-delivered absentee ballots after advance voting ends, except for election-day drop-off, USPS delivery, and military/overseas voter ballots under the federal UOCAVA law.
• Section 3 creates new O.C.G.A. § 21-2-382.1, setting up 'supervised assistance events' at care facilities, requiring written requests at least 30 days before an election and a two-person supervised assistance team.
• Section 4 amends O.C.G.A. § 21-2-385 to revise daily reporting requirements for absentee and advance voting, including reporting nonpartisan ballots requested during primaries.
• Section 5 amends O.C.G.A. § 21-2-408 to let parties and candidates designate poll watchers for supervised assistance events and to revise which tabulating center areas poll watchers may access.
• Section 6 creates new O.C.G.A. § 21-2-493.1 requiring a precinct-level vote total report posted by 11:59 p.m. after canvassing concludes, excluding UOCAVA, provisional, and unadjudicated ballots.
• Section 7 sets the effective date of the Act as July 1, 2025.

1. 2025-02-27Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2025-02-26Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Sam Watson (R, SD-011)Primary sponsor
• Steve Gooch (R, SD-051)
• Max Burns (R, SD-023)
• Ricky Williams (R, SD-025)
• John Kennedy (R, SD-018)
• Lee Anderson (R, SD-024)
• Randy Robertson (R, SD-029)
• Jason Anavitarte (R, SD-031)
• Russ Goodman (R, SD-008)

• absentee voting
• election rules
• State Election Board
• poll watchers
• nursing home voting