HB 1227: Elections; revise information sought from persons registering to vote who indicate that they were previously registered to vote in another state, county, or municipality

Currently, Georgians who register to vote after moving from another state or from another Georgia county must give information to notify their old voting jurisdiction, but the law does not spell out exactly what that information must include. This bill amends Georgia's election code (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-218) to require the Secretary of State to collect specific details: whether the applicant was previously registered elsewhere, the applicant's prior address, and a signed statement authorizing cancellation of the old registration or a transfer within Georgia. For people who say they previously registered in another state, county registrars must send additional identifying information, such as name, year of birth, the last four digits of a Social Security number, and driver's license number, to the Secretary of State at least monthly through a new electronic reporting system. The Secretary of State would then notify the other state's chief election official and publicly report quarterly on how many notices were sent. The bill also allows Georgia to cancel a voter's registration here if another state sends a comparable notice. The changes take effect January 1, 2027.

• Requires new voter registration applicants who previously registered elsewhere to provide their prior address and sign a statement authorizing cancellation or transfer of that registration.
• Requires county registrars to send identifying details (name, birth year, partial Social Security number, driver's license number, addresses) of interstate movers to the Secretary of State monthly.
• Creates an electronic reporting system for registrars to upload signed voter registration applications to the Secretary of State.
• Requires the Secretary of State to notify the previous state's chief election official when a person registers in Georgia after moving from that state.
• Requires the Secretary of State to post a quarterly public report on how many such notices were sent and received.
• Allows Georgia to cancel a voter's registration here if another state sends a comparable notice that the person registered there.

Georgia voters who move from another state or between Georgia counties or municipalities, county boards of registrars who process registrations, and the Secretary of State's office, which must build a new reporting system and coordinate with other states' election officials.

People who move to Georgia from another state would face a more detailed registration process, including signing a statement authorizing cancellation of their old registration. The added data-sharing between states is intended to help keep voter rolls accurate by removing duplicate registrations across state lines.

• Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 21-2-218 to require applicants to disclose prior registration location and sign a cancellation or transfer authorization statement.
• Section 1 requires registrars to transmit specified applicant data to the Secretary of State at least monthly via a new electronic reporting system.
• Section 2 adds a new subsection to O.C.G.A. § 21-2-225 requiring the Secretary of State to notify other states' chief election officials and publish quarterly reports on notices sent and received.
• Section 3 revises O.C.G.A. § 21-2-232 to allow cancellation of a Georgia voter's registration based on a comparable notice received from another state.
• Section 4 sets the effective date as January 1, 2027.

1. 2026-03-06House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
2. 2026-02-09House Second Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-06House First Readers (House)
4. 2026-02-05House Hopper (House)

• Joseph Gullett (R, HD-019)Primary sponsor
• Tim Fleming (R, HD-114)
• Martin Momtahan (R, HD-017)
• Steven Sainz (R, HD-180)
• Brad Thomas (R, HD-021)
• Bill Yearta (R, HD-152)

• voter registration
• election rules
• voter roll maintenance
• Secretary of State