Georgia lawmakers on Thursday approved new rules for challenging voters and qualifying for the state's presidential ballot that could impact the 2024 presidential race in the battleground state.
Senate Bill 189 passed the House by a vote of 101 to 73 and the Senate by a vote of 33-22, sending it to Gov. Brian Kemp for his signature or veto.
Republicans in Georgia have repeatedly floated election changes in the wake of claims by former President Donald Trump and other Republicans that he lost Georgia's 16 electoral votes in 2020 because of fraud.
The bill also spells out what constitutes "Probable cause" for upholding challenges to voter eligibility, which could lead to voters being removed from the rolls.
Democrats slammed the provision, saying it would enable more baseless attacks on voters that would overwhelm election administrators and disenfranchise people.
More than 100,000 voters have been challenged in recent years by Republican activists who say they are rooting out fraudulent registrations, with thousands of challenges submitted at a time in some large Georgia counties.
State lawmakers already have sent bills to the governor that would require audits of more than one statewide election, add an additional security feature on ballots, restrict who can serve as poll workers to U.S. citizens and allow a reduced number of voting machines.
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