--- title: SR 937. U.S. Department of Homeland Security and United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement; refrain from immigration enforcement activity in the immediate vicinity of polling places and locations; urge collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr937 cite_as: SR 937, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr937 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr937.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr937/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74010 date: 2026-03-12 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 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/sr936.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr938.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 95 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr937.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 937 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-10 last_action: Senate Read and Referred sponsors: - Jaha Howard - Kim Jackson - Sheikh Rahman - Ed Harbison - Sally Harrell - Josh McLaurin - RaShaun Kemp - Gail Davenport - Donzella James text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR937/2025 upstream_id: 2132153 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - voting rights - immigration enforcement - election security - polling places - voter intimidation --- # SR 937. U.S. Department of Homeland Security and United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement; refrain from immigration enforcement activity in the immediate vicinity of polling places and locations; urge ## Text Senate Resolution 937 By: Senators Howard of the 35th, Jackson of the 41st, Rahman of the 5th, Harbison of the 15th, Harrell of the 40th and others A RESOLUTION Urging the United States Department of Homeland Security and United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement to refrain from immigration enforcement activity in the immediate vicinity of polling places and locations where ballots are being cast in the State of Georgia; urging the Secretary of State to issue uniform guidance and protocols to protect voters, poll workers, and election officials from intimidation; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the right to vote is a fundamental right secured by the constitutions of the United States and the State of Georgia; and WHEREAS, Georgia law establishes a protected buffer around polling places during voting, including restrictions within 150 feet of the outer edge of any building in which a polling place is established and within 25 feet of any voter standing in line, reflecting the General Assembly's intent that voting occur free of disruption, pressure, and undue influence; and WHEREAS, Georgia law further provides criminal penalties for interference with elections and for intimidation of electors, including when any person uses threats or acts that place another person in reasonable fear for safety in order to vote or refrain from voting; and WHEREAS, credible concerns have been raised nationally that the presence of federal immigration enforcement personnel at or near voting locations could chill lawful voter participation, disrupt election administration, and intimidate voters and election workers; and WHEREAS, other states have introduced legislation to prohibit federal immigration enforcement personnel from being within a specified distance of polling places during voting—for example, Rhode Island's H 7434 would prohibit ICE personnel within 200 feet of polling places. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body urge the United States Department of Homeland Security and United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as state or local law enforcement agencies to refrain from immigration enforcement actions, operations, surveillance activities, or deployments within the same protected vicinity recognized in Georgia law during any period in which ballots are being cast, including within 150 feet of the outer edge of any building in which a polling place is established, within any polling place, and within 25 feet of any voter standing in line to vote. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of this body urge the Secretary of State of Georgia to issue uniform statewide guidance to county election superintendents, poll managers, and election officials that reiterates Georgia's existing protections against intimidation and interference; establishes a protocol for responding to the appearance of federal immigration enforcement personnel near a voting location (including immediate notification of the county superintendent and the Secretary of State's office, de-escalation steps, and documentation); and emphasizes that voter eligibility questions and challenges must be handled only through lawful election procedures and not through intimidation or coercion. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the Governor, the Attorney General, the Secretary of State, the Georgia Congressional Delegation, and the Secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia Senate resolution would urge federal immigration agents and local police to stay away from polling places while voting is underway, and would ask the Secretary of State to issue statewide guidance protecting voters from intimidation. ### Plain-language summary This resolution does not change Georgia law. Instead, it asks the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), along with state and local law enforcement, to avoid immigration enforcement actions near polling places while ballots are being cast. It points to Georgia's existing buffer zones around polling places (150 feet from a polling building and 25 feet from voters in line) and asks that immigration enforcement respect the same zones. The resolution also urges Georgia's Secretary of State to issue uniform guidance to county election officials and poll workers. That guidance would restate existing anti-intimidation protections, create a response protocol if federal agents appear near a voting site (including notifying the county superintendent and Secretary of State's office and documenting the incident), and make clear that voter eligibility challenges must go through lawful election procedures, not intimidation. Copies would be sent to the Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Georgia's congressional delegation, and DHS. ### What it does - Urges DHS and ICE, as well as state and local law enforcement, to avoid immigration enforcement actions, surveillance, or deployments near polling places while voting is happening. - Asks that this request apply within the same buffer zones already set by Georgia law: 150 feet from a polling place building and 25 feet from voters standing in line. - Urges the Secretary of State to issue statewide guidance reiterating existing protections against voter and poll worker intimidation. - Calls for a protocol if federal immigration agents appear near a polling place, including notifying officials, de-escalation steps, and documentation. - Directs that copies of the resolution be sent to the Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Georgia's congressional delegation, and the Secretary of DHS. ### Who it affects Voters and poll workers at Georgia polling places, county election superintendents and officials, the Georgia Secretary of State's office, and federal immigration enforcement agencies (DHS and ICE) along with state and local law enforcement agencies that might operate near voting locations. ### Why it matters Because this is a resolution rather than a law, it creates no binding requirement on ICE or DHS. Its practical effect depends on whether federal agencies and the Secretary of State choose to act on the request, which could shape whether voters feel safe casting ballots without fear of encountering immigration enforcement nearby. ### Key provisions - The resolution cites Georgia's existing polling place buffer zones (150 feet from the building, 25 feet from voters in line) as the standard it wants immigration enforcement to respect. - It references existing Georgia criminal penalties for election interference and voter intimidation as background, without changing those laws. - It urges the Secretary of State to issue statewide guidance to county election officials on responding to federal immigration enforcement near polling places. - It calls for a specific response protocol including notification of the county superintendent and Secretary of State's office, de-escalation steps, and documentation. - It directs distribution of the resolution to the Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, the Georgia Congressional Delegation, and the Secretary of DHS. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2026-03-10) - Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2026-03-12) - Sponsors: Jaha Howard, Kim Jackson, Sheikh Rahman, Ed Harbison, Sally Harrell, Josh McLaurin, RaShaun Kemp, Gail Davenport, Donzella James - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74010 > The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr937.md?full=1