(Washington Examiner) Local governments in Georgia could face felony charges if they receive donations from nonprofit organizations after the 2020 general election saw million-dollar donations to county election offices.
Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) signed a law banning nonprofit donations to these offices on Wednesday, a significant win for state and national Republicans looking to limit outside money in elections. Georgia will join 23 other states that have prohibited, limited, or regulated private funding in elections since 2020.
The law, coming from Senate Bill 222, was authored by state GOP Sen. Max Burns. Thirteen other state Republican senators helped co-author the bill, which passed the Senate on March 2 and again on March 28 after the House introduced substitutes.
FILE – Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp delivers the State of the State address on the House floor of the state Capitol, Jan. 25, 2023, in Atlanta.
Alex Slitz/AP
Beginning July 1, the bill will effectively make it a felony for election workers or government officials to solicit or accept money to cover the cost of running elections from anyone other than the state or federal government. Republicans sought to make these restrictions after the Center for Tech and Civic Life contributed more than $400 million to county election offices nationwide, with $45 million going to Georgia offices, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Most of the money went to Democratic-leaning counties, but several Republican jurisdictions also received grants. The money went toward mail-in ballot processing equipment, protective gear for election workers, election staffing, absentee ballot postage costs, and voter outreach.
The donations prompted conservatives to call for an investigation after DeKalb County received a $2 million grant in January from the U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence, a project of the center. The money is intended for the election office’s operational budget and facility upgrades, but conservatives, led by former Georgia GOP Sen. Kelly Loeffler, were worried that the funding would influence the election outcomes.
Under the law, DeKalb County will get to keep the grant, but any other county government that accepts future money could face felony charges punishable by at least a year in prison and a $10,000 fine. Donations can still be sent to the state government, which will then decide how to distribute the funds.
“Senate Bill 222 builds on previous law to ensure that our election operations are never bought and paid for by partisan or special interests,” Loeffler, founder of the voter registration organization Greater Georgia, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “This critical measure levels the playing field for election boards across our state and safeguards them from outside influence.”
The Georgia state Senate meets in Atlanta, Wednesday, March 29, 2023, during the final day of the legislature’s 40-day session.
Russ Bynum/AP
