--- title: HB 324. Elections; preferential treatment during advance voting and during certain hours on election day to certain voters; provisions collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb324 cite_as: HB 324, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb324 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb324.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb324/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70035 date: 2025-04-04 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb323.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb325.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 249 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb324.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 324 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-02-06 last_action: House Withdrawn, Recommitted sponsors: - Reynaldo Martinez - Scott Hilton - Carmen Rice - Sandy Donatucci - Johnny Chastain - David Clark text_version: Comm Sub has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB324/2025 upstream_id: 1961009 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - election rules - voting access - disability rights - advance voting --- # HB 324. Elections; preferential treatment during advance voting and during certain hours on election day to certain voters; provisions ## Text 25 LC 47 3464S The House Committee on Governmental Affairs offers the following substitute to HB 324: A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to1 primaries and elections generally, so as to provide for preferential treatment during advance2 voting and during certain hours on election day to voters who a re blind, deaf, an amputee,3 pregnant, accompanied by children of two years of age or younge r, or accompanied by4 children with special needs regardless of age; to provide for r elated matters; to repeal5 conflicting laws; and for other purposes.6 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:7 SECTION 1.8 Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to primaries and9 elections generally, is amended by revising Code Section 21-2-385.1, relating to preferential10 treatment for older and disabled voters, as follows:11 "21-2-385.1.12 During the period of advance voting established pursuant to sub section (d) of Code13 Section 21-2-385, each elector who is 75 years of age or older, blind, deaf, an amputee,14 pregnant, accompanied by one or more children of two years of a ge or younger,15 accompanied by one or more children with special needs regardle ss of the age of such16 H. B. 324 (SUB) - 1 - 25 LC 47 3464S child, or who is disabled and requires assistance in casting an absentee ballot in person at17 the registrar's office, absentee ballot clerk's office, or othe r locations as provided for in18 Code Section 21-2-382 shall, upon request to a designated office employee or other19 individual, be authorized to vote immediately at the next available voting compartment or20 booth without having to wait in line if such location utilizes direct recording electronic21 voting systems or be authorized to go to the head of any line n ecessary to cast a written22 absentee ballot. Notice of the provisions of this Code section shall be prominently23 displayed in the registrar's office or absentee ballot clerk's office."24 SECTION 2.25 Said chapter is further amended by revising Code Section 21-2-409.1, relating to voting by26 electors who are 75 years of age or older or disabled electors without having to wait in line,27 as follows:28 "21-2-409.1.29 On election day between the hours of 9:30 A.M. and 4:30 P.M., e ach elector who is 7530 years of age or older, blind, deaf, an amputee, pregnant, accom panied by one or more31 children of two years of age or younger, accompanied by one or more children with special32 needs regardless of the age of such child, or who is disabled and requires assistance in33 voting as authorized by Code Section 21-2-409, shall, upon request to a poll officer, be34 authorized at any primary or election to vote immediately at th e next available voting35 compartment or booth without having to wait in line. Notice of the provisions of this Code36 section shall be prominently displayed in the voting place."37 SECTION 3.38 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.39 H. B. 324 (SUB) - 2 - ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House bill would extend the existing line-skipping privilege for older and disabled voters to also cover voters who are blind, deaf, amputees, pregnant, or accompanied by young children or children with special needs. ### Plain-language summary Georgia law already lets voters age 75 or older, or disabled voters who need assistance, skip to the front of the line during advance voting and during set hours on election day. This bill expands that list of eligible voters. It rewrites two sections of state election law (O.C.G.A. §§ 21-2-385.1 and 21-2-409.1) to add voters who are blind, deaf, amputees, pregnant, accompanied by a child age two or younger, or accompanied by a child with special needs of any age. During advance voting, these voters could ask a registrar's office or absentee ballot clerk's office employee to be moved to the next open voting machine or to the head of the line for an absentee ballot. On election day, between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., they could ask a poll officer for the same immediate access. Offices and polling places must post notice of these rights. ### What it does - Adds blind, deaf, amputee, pregnant voters, and those accompanied by young children or children with special needs to the group eligible for expedited voting access. - Lets these voters skip to the next available voting machine or the head of the absentee ballot line during advance voting, upon request to office staff. - Extends the same line-skipping right to election day between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. by request to a poll officer. - Requires notice of these voting rights to be posted prominently in registrar's offices, absentee ballot clerk's offices, and polling places. - Repeals any existing state laws that conflict with these changes. ### Who it affects Voters who are blind, deaf, amputees, pregnant, or accompanied by children age two or younger or children with special needs, plus voters who are 75 or older or disabled who already qualify. County registrars, absentee ballot clerks, and election day poll officers who must accommodate these requests. ### Why it matters Georgians in these newly listed groups would gain the right to vote without waiting in line, potentially making it easier and faster to cast a ballot both during advance voting and during set hours on election day, while election offices take on new duties to identify and accommodate them. ### Key provisions - Section 1 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 21-2-385.1 to add blind, deaf, amputee, pregnant voters and those with young children or children with special needs to the advance voting line-skipping privilege. - Section 1 requires notice of this right to be prominently displayed in the registrar's office or absentee ballot clerk's office. - Section 2 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 21-2-409.1 to extend the same privilege on election day between 9:30 A.M. and 4:30 P.M. upon request to a poll officer. - Section 2 requires notice of this right to be prominently displayed in the voting place. - Section 3 repeals any conflicting state laws. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-02-06) - Last action: House Withdrawn, Recommitted (2025-04-04) - Sponsors: Reynaldo Martinez, Scott Hilton, Carmen Rice, Sandy Donatucci, Johnny Chastain, David Clark - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70035 > The history, votes, and amendments (249 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb324.md?full=1