Voting Rights and Fair Elections
From the frontlines of the 2020 election to the Georgia General Assembly, I fight to protect our fundamental right to vote.
Protecting Voting Rights
When over half a million DeKalb residents lost representation on the county commission, I fought for a change in law to move up the special election to fill the vacancies. Representation is fundamental!
I testified against SB 221, which would have eliminated automatic voter registration through the Department of Driver Services, arguing it would depress voter registration rates and harm voter roll accuracy. The provision was struck from the bill.
I introduced House Bill 1254 to curb bad faith voter challenges. The legislation shifts the cost of processing voter challenges to the challengers, aiming to deter frivolous challenges that burden election offices and disenfranchise voters. I also led arguments against a bill that makes challenging voter eligibility easier.
After Shaye Moss and Ruby Freeman’s lives were turned upside down for simply doing their jobs, I successfully introduced legislation to expand protections for Georgia’s election workers, democracy’s frontline heroes.
Promoting Pro-Voter Policies
Georgia has more elections than almost any other state in the country. I introduced HB 419 to reduce the number of runoffs, which will save taxpayers money and reduce voter fatigue and electoral disinterest.
HB 559 removes the wait time guessing game from voting for families with babies and toddlers. My bill allows parents with children under 5 to move to the front of the line at polling places.
My idea for ballot proofing— a method to ensure ballots are correct before they are printed–was adopted.
Fighting Against Takeovers of Local Boards of Elections
I led the charge against legislation like HB 422, which gives appointment power to partisan county commissioners, arguing it undermines bi-partisan representation and erodes trust in elections.
I led Democratic remarks against SB 222, which prohibits counties from receiving outside funding for elections. I argued that this bill unfairly targets Democratic-leaning counties and hinders their ability to administer elections efficiently.
In dereliction of their duties, Republican members of the DeKalb County Board of Elections voted against certifying the 2023 municipal election results. I publicly condemned and fought against those bad-faith efforts.