In Georgia, in particular, a series of election rules passed over the last three years threaten to overburden election officials and, in some cases, issue criminal penalties against them. New election measures passed by the Republican-led state legislature in late-March that are awaiting a signature from Gov. Brian Kemp could further hamper the way elections offices operate if enacted, experts say.
Liz Avore, lead author of the Voting Rights Lab report, argued that these laws take “steps toward almost treating election officials like they are suspects in a crime” and “treating election offices like they’re crime scenes.”
For the election workers that USA TODAY spoke with, however, the main concern is that the heightened regulations may hinder the recruitment of poll workers for the 2024 election who play a vital role in elections administration.
Republican leaders in the state, including Kemp and current Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger have defended the new laws, arguing that they bring enhanced security and provide clarity around laws for election officials.
Raffensperger said he didn’t see an issue with poll worker recruitment in 2022 after some of the initial election laws were passed, and doesn’t expect to see any in 2024. He also lauded Republican officials’ work in recent elections.