New Georgia Law Allows GBI To Investigate Election Fraud Complaints

Atlanta GA

28 April, 2022

11:02 AM

Description

ATLANTA, GA — A new law gives the Georgia Bureau of Investigation the authority to investigate election fraud and election crimes. Gov. Brian Kemp signed Senate Bill 441 into law Wednesday, which he says takes additional steps to ensure secure and fair elections and enhances criminal case data exchanges to reduce criminal case backlogs. "Building on the strong, commonsense measures in our Election Integrity Act of 2021, this new law will allow us to engage highly-qualified personnel from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to assist in ensuring our elections are secure and fair," Kemp said in a statement. "In addition to signing this bill into law, I also allocated $504,116 in Fiscal Year 2023 funds for these positions." Before the bill headed to Kemp's desk for signature, it passed along party lines in both the Republican-dominated House and Senate. Meanwhile, voting rights advocates argue that the new law gives the GBI the green light to intimidate both voters and election officials. "As a result, this legislation would further burden the process of running our elections and embolden conspiracy theorists as well as threaten our elections workers," Fair Fight Action, the organization founded by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, said in a statement. The Peach State now becomes the second state after Florida to pass an elections police agency bill to investigate voter fraud allegations. To read the law in its entirety, click here.