Fair Fight Issues Statement on New Challenges in Georgia’s Vote By Mail Application Process

ATLANTA — Today, Fair Fight released a statement following recent reporting from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on new hurdles in Georgia’s vote-by-mail application process enacted by Brian Kemp and Georgia Republicans’ anti-voter bill SB 202. Kemp and these far-right politicians are responsible for new obstacles, including imposing new ID requirements, shortening the window to request and return one’s mail ballot, restricting access to safe and convenient ballot drop boxes, and removing access to request a mail ballot online without signing a paper form.

Since SB 202’s signing in 2021, the data shows the significant burdens on voters who wish to vote by mail. In Georgia’s early voting period for the May 2022 primary, 2,795 applications to vote by mail were rejected – a rate that is seven times higher than in June 2020. And voters of color were disproportionately affected by high vote-by-mail application rejection rates: Black voters represented 32% of applications, but 44.7% of those whose applications were rejected.

Georgia voters with any questions on how to cast their ballot should call the Voter Protection Hotline at 888-730-5816.

Fair Fight Deputy Executive Director Liza Conrad released the following statement:

“It is no surprise Brian Kemp and Georgia Republicans’ SB 202 has made voting by mail harder for voters and harder on election officials–this just the latest iteration in their decade-long voter suppression agenda. In this year’s May primary alone, the rate of mail ballot rejections was seven times higher than June 2020. Brian Kemp may be the architect of voter suppression in Georgia–but Georgia voters have the power to be the architects of their own future by making their early voting plan now and helping friends and family to do the same. 

Fair Fight is committed to helping voters overcome these burdens–we encourage all voters with questions on how to make their voice heard to call the Voter Protection Hotline at 888-730-5816. The margin of victory to decide who leads our state on abortion rights, voting rights, protecting health care, and expanding economic opportunity is too small to allow any voice to go unheard or any vote to go uncounted.”

###