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Page 8A — Wednesday, February 3, 2021, The True Citizen
GOP moves to tighten Georgia’s voting laws
BEAU EVANS
Capitol Beat News Service
Republican state senators
have rolled out a legislative
package aimed at overhaul
ing Georgia’s election laws
by limiting who can vote by
mail, outlining how to prove
identification and outlawing
absentee-ballot drop boxes.
The eight bills, filed late
Monday by top Senate Repub
lican leaders, mark the most
sweeping attempt to change
local voting laws after the 2020
election cycle stirred mistrust
among many conservative
Georgians over the state’s elec
tion integrity.
The bills especially target
absentee voting in Georgia
after all three major elections
in the 2020 cycle saw more
than 1 million mail-in bal
lots cast amid the COVID-19
pandemic, helping Democrats
carry Georgia in the 2020
presidential election and flip
both of the state’s U.S. Senate
seats.
Democratic lawmakers
quickly cried foul, slamming
the move by Republicans as
attempts at voter suppression
seeking to halt Democrats’
momentum in statewide elec
tions that are likely to be close
for the next several years.
Republican lawmakers in
cluding Gov. Brian Kemp and
Georgia Secretary of State
Brad Raffensperger have called
many of the proposed changes
necessary to restore voter con
fidence in the state’s election
system and rein in mail-in
voting after local elections of
ficials complained they were
overwhelmed during the 2020
cycle.
Three of the bills focus on
absentee voting by requiring a
driver’s license or other form
of ID to request an absentee
ballot; Banning the mail-in
drop boxes voters used often
in the 2020 elections; and end
ing registered Georgia voters’
ability to vote by mail for any
reason.
No-excuse absentee voting
was installed by Republican
lawmakers under then-Gov.
Sonny Perdue and touted by
Raffensperger as proof against
claims of voter suppression,
particularly after Democratic
candidate Stacey Abrams’ loss
to Kemp in the 2018 guberna
torial election.
However, Raffensperger
called for ending the practice
after record-breaking absen
tee ballots hindered election
officials’ ability to quickly
process results in the 2020
elections. Former President
Donald Trump, who lost the
Nov. 3 election by 11,779
votes, lobbed claims of voter
fraud in Georgia based on ab
sentee voting.
Other top Republicans in
cluding Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan
and Georgia House Speaker
David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge,
have opposed ending no-ex-
cuse absentee voting, prefer
ring instead to boost ID rules
for mail-in ballots.
One of the bills filed Monday
would require registered voters
to provide their date of birth,
driver’s license number or oth
er ID card number to request an
absentee ballot. The bill would
also require voters to submit
photocopies of their ID similar
to a separate bill proposed by
state Sen. Jason Anavitarte,
R-Dallas, last week.
Five other bills filed on Mon
day propose:
- ending automatic voter
registration for Georgians
who receive new or renewed
driver’s licenses;
- prohibiting anyone except
state and local elections of
ficials and candidates from
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NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
A petition for zoning amendment has been filed with the Burke
County Board of Zoning Appeals, requesting the zoning a portion
of this property: 937 Murry Hill Rd. Sardis GA (Map-Parcel :
125-067) be changed from zone _A1_ to zone Rl_.
A public hearing will be held at The Burke County Court House,
located at 602 North Liberty St. Waynesboro GA. 30830 on
02/23/2021 at 7:00 p.m. All those in favor of or objecting to this
petition should be present to voice their support or objection.
For more Information call:
Burke County Planning Commission
(706) 554-8758
sending voters applications fo
mail-in ballots;
- blocking people from cast
ing ballots in congressional
or U.S. Senate runoffs after
voting in general elections in
a different state;
- requiring county coroners
to share monthly data on local
deaths with county elections
officials to prevent illegal bal
lots from dead voters;
- allowing poll watchers to
monitor vote tabulations more
closely.
The proposals address many
claims Trump and his allies
made following the 2020 elec
tions of widespread voter fraud
that state officials and fed
eral courts rejected as baseless.
Some state lawmakers who
held hearings on the fraud
claims are co-sponsors of the
bills.
The bills also echo pledges
to change state election laws
made shortly after the Nov.
3 election by Georgia Senate
Republican Caucus mem
bers, many of whom are co
sponsors.
Lawmakers in the Georgia
Senate Ethics Committee will
likely review the bills in the
coming days.
Public Hearing to Consider
Closing of Portion of Son Delaigle Road
The Burke County Board of Commissioners will hold a
Public Hearing to consider a request by Mr. John J. Flynt,
III to close a portion of Son Delaigle Road for a distance
of 0.167 miles at their meeting on February 9th at 6:00
PM at the Burke County Courthouse at 602 Liberty Street
in Waynesboro.
Public Hearing
Notice is hereby given that the Burke County Planning
Commission will hold a public hearing to discuss and consider
amending the Code of Ordinances of Burke County, Chapter
26 Land Development, Article IX, Administrative Procedures,
to provide for one public hearing for zoning amendments.
The hearing will take place on Tuesday, February 23, 2021 at
7:00 pm in Commissioner’s meeting room of the Old Burke
County Courthouse.
QUALIFYING FEE NOTICE
In Compliance with GA. Election O.C.G.A § 21-2-131 (A) (1), the
following qualifying fees were set for the office of Mayor will
be $65.00 and City Council members will be $35.00.
Qualifying for the offices listed above will begin at 9:00 a.m.
on, Monday, August 16, 2021 and will end at 4:30 p.m. on
Thursday, August 19, 2021. The General Election will be held
on November 2, 2021.
City of Keysville
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
ApetitionhasbeenfiledwiththeBurkeCountyPlanningCommission,
requesting avarianceof the BurkeCounty LandDevelopmentCode
for this property. 6938 Story Mill Rd GA. (Map-Parcel: 053-007).
A public hearing will be held at The Burke County Court House,
located at 602 North Liberty St. Waynesboro GA. 30830 on
02/23/2021 at 7:00 p.m. If approved, the variance would allow
for a reduced roadway right of way width for a RV park. All
those in favor of or objecting to this petition should be present
to voice their support or objection.
For more information call:
Burke County Planning Commission
(706) 554-8758
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
A petition for zoning amendment has been filed with the Burke
County Board of Zoning Appeals, requesting the zoning a portion
of this property: 6054 Story Mill Rd. Keysville GA (Map-Parcel :
054-057) be changed from zone _CG_ to zone R 1_.
A public hearing will be held at The Burke County Court House,
located at 602 North Liberty St. Waynesboro GA. 30830 on
02/23/2021 at 7:00 p.m. All those in favor of or objecting to this
petition should be present to voice their support or objection.
For more information call:
Burke County Planning Commission
(706) 554-8758
PROPOSED INCREASE IN BURKE COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS SALARIES
The Burke County Board of Commissioners will
consider a proposal at their February regular meeting
to increase the salaries for County Commissioners
as listed below. This proposed increase would not
take effect until January 1, 2023.
DISTRICT COMMISSIONER
BASE
CURRENT
PROPOSED BASE
$ 6,000.00
$ 7,653.25
$ 9,600.00
CHAIRMAN
BASE
CURRENT
PROPOSED BASE
$ 8,400.00
$ 10,714.55
$ 12,000.00