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What's actually in the bill?

Among the nigh high-profile provisions of the controversial new Georgia election law is a alter in how the state verifies the identity of voters who request and cast absentee ballots.

The alter eliminates signature-matching -- a procedure that can be subjective at times -- as the method of confirming absentee voters' identities. Instead, if voters have a driver'south license number or a state ID number, they are required to use that to verify who they are.

This change has been criticized by many as likely to go far more difficult for Georgians, specifically minorities who are more likely to vote Democratic, to vote by post.

"The new ballot pecker in Georgia is not about showing ID to vote," Atlantic writer Jemele Colina wrote. "Republicans are salty the state went blueish, and they resent that their power was taken away past blackness voters. They want a rigged game because they're too lazy to come up with a new vision and compete for votes."

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"Georgia'south new law imposes a new ID requirement to return an absentee ballot. There is no reason to exercise this other than Trump's lies," added Popular Information writer Judd Legum.

"Previously, Georgia police force required voters to simply sign their absentee ballot applications. At present they will take to provide the number from a commuter's license or an equivalent state-issued identification," The New York Times wrote in an explainer about the police. "This is most certain to limit admission to absentee voting."

But under the new law, Georgia voters who don't have a photo ID are still provided with a menu of options to confirm their identity when requesting or casting an absentee ballot.

According to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger'due south office, voters tin can likewise verify their identities with the last four digits of their social security number; a utility pecker; a bank statement; a regime cheque; a paycheck; or some other government document with their name and address on information technology.

Absentee ballot requests can be submitted electronically and so voters tin can attach an image of their photo ID -- or one of the other forms of identification allowed if they don't have one. For mail ballots, voters tin can write their photo ID number. If they do non have that, they can write the final four digits of their social security number plus their birth date, Raffensperger'due south office said. And in the extraordinarily rare case a voter has neither, they can enclose a copy of a utility beak or other such document with their name and accost.

This virtually assures that voters will never have to pay for copying services to submit an absentee ballot request.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger speaks during a presser Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, in Atlanta. Raffensperger, who slammed former President Donald Trump over his false claims that he won the presidential election, is has defended Georgia's new elections law. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger speaks during a presser Mon, Dec. fourteen, 2020, in Atlanta. Raffensperger, who slammed one-time President Donald Trump over his fake claims that he won the presidential election, is has defended Georgia's new elections police force. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

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Raffensperger'south office noted that Georgians needed a photograph ID to register to vote earlier this new law and will continue to need i after it is passed. The difference is only express to what is required when requesting and casting absentee ballots.

During an interview with The Daily Signal, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp as well noted that voters without driver's licenses or state IDs can nonetheless prove who they are with different documents.

"And I recall it's going to be a big help and it's in no mode going to alienate or disallow someone from the opportunity to vote because most people have these IDs," Kemp said. "If they don't, we'll give them one for free. And even if you lot don't accept that, in that location'due south provisions in the beak where y'all tin still get an absentee ballot past submitting other documents that are listed out in the legislation."

Raffensperger has separately defended requiring state ID for absentee ballots.

"There'south no rational statement against requiring state ID – provided for free to those who don't have a driver's license – for absentee ballots," the secretarial assistant of state said in a statement late last calendar month. "I implemented our first version of that final yr; every absentee ballot request that came in through the state website was cross-referenced with the commuter'due south license database and other records."

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp speaks during a press conference announcing expanded statewide COVID testing on August 10, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. Kemp recently signed a new elections law in Georgia.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp speaks during a press conference announcing expanded statewide COVID testing on Baronial 10, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. Kemp recently signed a new elections law in Georgia. (Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)

Notably, Georgia'southward photo ID requirement for in-person voting, which has been in place for years, has not changed.

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Raffensperger added: "The left said that photo ID for in-person voting would suppress votes. It didn't. Registration and turnout soared, hitting new records with each election cycle. Their cataclysmic predictions well-nigh the effects of this law are simply baseless. The next election will prove that, merely I won't hold my breath waiting for the left and the media to acknowledge they were wrong."

The secretarial assistant of state'due south office also noted that the vast majority of voters shouldn't encounter any difficulty with the new law. That's because 99% of active voters already take a driver'southward license, Social Security number or some other valid ID number on file with the state.

"Total nonsense being pushed past Stacey Abrams and the Democrats," Stephen Lawson, the deputy executive managing director of Kelly Loeffler's "Greater Georgia" group, said. "The fact is this police force expands admission while strengthening the integrity of our elections—which is why Greater Georgia was proud to support it."

Republicans outside of Georgia take also harshly criticized opponents of the police force for allegedly mischaracterizing information technology.

"More than 70 pct of Americans, including a bulk of Democrats and a supermajority of independents, favor commonsense voter I.D. requirements; yet, Georgia will take alternatives to driver's licenses to verify absentee voters," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in a statement Monday. "All the facts disprove the big lie."

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"Yous're gonna have all voters being able to have multiple means to prove who they are. Drivers license, last four numbers of your social security number, fifty-fifty your utility bill or a free ID provided by the country of Georgia," former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said on ABC's "This Week" Sunday.

"Georgia's new election integrity law includes a common-sense provision to secure its absentee election system," Heritage Action president Jessica Anderson said in a statement to Fox News.

"Georgia has required photograph IDs to vote in person for years, and now the same requirement applies to absentee ballots," she connected. "This is a smart step to ensure it's easy to vote and hard to cheat in Georgia and restore Georgians' trust in their election system. Anyone calling for boycotts conspicuously has non read the facts about the law."

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Outrage over the new voting police force has led to immense pressure on corporations based in Georgia, like Delta and Coca-Cola, to condemn it. Major League Baseball even moved its almanac All-Star Game from Atlanta.

The bill also includes a variety of other provisions, many of which are controversial.

It legalizes ballot drop boxes, which would not have been allowed in hereafter elections independent of the new law -- simply places some limits on when those boxes are accessible. It also shrinks the window for absentee ballots to exist requested; expands early voting; and shifts responsibility in the State Ballot Board from the Secretary of State to a "nonpartisan" appointee selected by the state legislature; among other things.

Fox News' Cameron Cawthorne contributed to this report.