HB831: HB831 Elections; make certain registration information confidential; expand provisions

Georgia law already lets people with certain protective orders or family violence shelter residents keep their voter registration address private. This bill expands that system by creating a new VoteSafe program run by the Secretary of State's office. People who believe disclosing their address would put them at risk of harm, or who have been victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking, could apply for certification even without a court order. Applicants would submit personal information, a signed affidavit, and a letter from a victim service provider, and would receive an address confidentiality card with a public 'designated address' standing in for their real address. Certification lasts four years and can be renewed. The bill also sets up training for 'application assistants' who help people apply and for local election officials, and it makes program applications and participant information exempt from Georgia's open records law.

• Creates the VoteSafe program inside the Secretary of State's office to let certain at-risk voters keep their registration address confidential without needing a protective order.
• Lets victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking apply for a confidential 'designated address' instead of disclosing their real residence.
• Requires applicants to submit an affidavit, personal identifying information, and a letter from a victim service provider confirming they are receiving related services.
• Sets certification and renewal periods at four years and requires participants to update changed information within 30 days.
• Bars registered sex offenders under O.C.G.A. § 42-1-12 from participating in the program and bars anyone using it to dodge prosecution or a court order.
• Makes VoteSafe applications and participant information exempt from disclosure under Georgia's open records law (O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 et seq.).

Georgia voters who fear physical harm or who have experienced domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking; county boards of registrars and election superintendents; the Department of Driver Services; the Secretary of State's office; and volunteers or staff who serve as trained 'application assistants.'

People fleeing abuse or facing threats would gain a formal, state-run way to keep their home address off public voter rolls without first obtaining a court order, potentially making it harder for an abuser or stalker to locate them through election records.

• Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 21-2-225.1 to let certified VoteSafe participants, not just those with protective orders, request confidential voter registration addresses.
• Section 2 creates O.C.G.A. § 21-2-225.2, defining terms like 'application assistant,' 'confidential address,' and 'designated address,' and establishing the VoteSafe program itself.
• Section 2 requires applications to include the elector's name, birth date, address, contact information, a signature, and a letter from a victim service provider.
• Section 2 sets four-year certification periods with renewal applications due within 60 days before expiration.
• Section 2 lets applicants file through the Department of Driver Services during a driver's license transaction or through their county board of registrars during voter registration.
• Section 2 excludes registered sex offenders from the program and prohibits using it to avoid prosecution or a court order.
• Section 2 creates O.C.G.A. § 21-2-225.3, directing the Secretary of State to train application assistants and local election officials on recognizing abuse and helping applicants.
• Section 3 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2025-03-28House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-03-27House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-03-25House Hopper (House)

• Arlene Beckles (D, HD-096)Primary sponsor
• Carolyn Hugley (D, HD-141)
• Spencer Frye (D, HD-122)
• Al Williams (D, HD-168)
• Robert Flournoy (D, HD-074)
• Segun Adeyina (D, HD-110)

• voter privacy
• domestic violence protections
• election rules
• open records exemptions
• voter registration