Georgia senators scrap proposal for more election rules

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia senators are scrapping plans to seek further big changes in state election law, beset by strong opposition from local election officials who say their offices would be wrapped in needless red tape.

The Senate Ethics Committee amended House Bill 1464 on Tuesday to ditch all its proposals except a provision requiring employers to give workers time off to vote early, supplementing a current law requiring time off to vote on Election Day.

Georgia’s General Assembly was upended last year by a restrictive voting law, which reduced the time to request an absentee ballot, stripped power from Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and severely rolled back the pandemic-driven expansion of absentee ballot drop boxes. It was one of the first and highest-profile restrictive laws passed by Republican-controlled legislatures, a trend that continues this year.

Republicans said Georgia's 2021 law was necessary to restore confidence in the state’s election system, while Democrats decried it as an effort to block Democratic-leaning citizens from voting.

But the 2021 law wasn’t enough for some Republicans, especially those who believe false claims that Georgia’s 2020 election was fraudulently stolen from President Donald Trump.

Despite investigations and recounts after the 2020 election finding no significant fraud, proposals were made to require extensive, new chain-of-custody requirements for handling ballots — including requirements to repeatedly count blank ballot paper. The bill as passed by the House also included requirements to let people physically inspect paper ballots after an election and let only the State Election Board accept private donations.

More than a dozen county election officials lined up Monday before the Senate Ethics Committee, testifying...