Here are the most significant changes to voting in the state, as written into the new law:
Voters will now have less time to request absentee ballots.
There are strict new ID requirements for absentee ballots.
It’s now illegal for election officials to mail out absentee ballot applications to all voters.
Drop boxes still exist … but barely.Mobile voting centers (think an R.V. where you can vote) are essentially banned.
Early voting is expanded in a lot of small counties, but probably not in more populous ones.
Offering food or water to voters waiting in line now risks misdemeanor charges.
If you go to the wrong polling place, it will be (even) harder to vote.
If election problems arise, a common occurrence, it is now more difficult to extend voting hours.
With a mix of changes to vote-counting, high-turnout elections will probably mean a long wait for results.
Election officials can no longer accept third-party funding (a measure that nods to right-wing conspiracy theories).
With an eye toward voter fraud, the state attorney general will manage an election hotline.
The Republican-controlled legislature has more control over the State Election Board.
The secretary of state is removed as a voting member of the State Election Board.
The G.O.P.-led legislature is empowered to suspend county election officials.
Runoff elections will happen faster — and could become harder to manage.
Some subtle, but mostly not subtle restrictions added to make voting more difficult and less equitable.
Source: What Georgia’s Voting Law Really Does – The New York Times