HB661: HB661 Elections; qualifications for and registration of voters; enhance penalties

Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-216) sets out who qualifies to register and vote, including rules on purged voters, nonresident voting in presidential elections, proof of citizenship, and checks against felon and deceased-person databases. Currently that section does not spell out a specific criminal penalty for breaking its rules. This bill adds a new subsection to that law stating that any violation of the section is a felony, punished according to the penalty already set out in a separate election law, O.C.G.A. § 21-2-600. The bill does not change who qualifies to vote or how registration works; it only adds the felony penalty for violating the existing qualification rules. If enacted, the change would apply once the bill becomes law, and the bill also repeals any conflicting laws.

• Adds a new subsection to Georgia's voter qualification law (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-216) declaring any violation of that section a felony.
• Directs that people convicted under this section be punished according to the penalty already established in O.C.G.A. § 21-2-600, a separate election crimes statute.
• Repeals any other Georgia laws that conflict with this new felony designation.

The bill affects anyone subject to Georgia's voter qualification and registration rules, including people registering to vote, election officials who enforce eligibility checks, and anyone found to have violated qualification requirements such as improper registration or voting by ineligible individuals.

By making any violation of the qualification and registration statute a felony, the bill raises the legal stakes for voters and officials involved in registration disputes, meaning conduct that might previously have carried a lesser or unspecified penalty could now result in a felony conviction and its associated consequences.

• Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 21-2-216 by adding subsection (i), which states that violating the section is a felony.
• Subsection (i) ties punishment to the penalty scheme already set out in O.C.G.A. § 21-2-600, rather than creating a new standalone penalty amount.
• Section 2 repeals all laws and parts of laws that conflict with the new provision.

1. 2025-03-03House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-02-28House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-02-27House Hopper (House)

• Charlice Byrd (R, HD-020)Primary sponsor
• Noelle Kahaian (R, HD-081)
• Carter Barrett (R, HD-024)
• Jordan Ridley (R, HD-022)
• Johnny Chastain (R, HD-007)
• Matthew Gambill (R, HD-015)

• election rules
• voter registration
• voter fraud penalties
• election law