ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Over 200,000 Georgians have requested an absentee ballot and already, 60,000 of them have been returned. However, the method of voting that surged to prominence during the pandemic has become less accessible and riskier for voters in this ongoing election cycle.
Legislation passed in 2021 is finally manifesting itself for many absentee voters. Senate Bill 202, which passed in the wake of the 2020 election, in part vastly reduced the number of drop boxes across the state, allowing only one box for every 100,000 voters in a county. The drop boxes were also moved to the inside of voting precincts, where they exist.
“It needs to be more accessible,” said Georgia voter Rebecca Flynn, who lost her local ballot drop box this year. “To have it completely gone was very frustrating.”
Flynn had to drive 30 minutes one way to the next closest box. Poll workers there told her that she should always mail the ballot in, but left her with a warning…