Georgia First Issues Statement Expressing Concern Around 2025 Election Administration Bills House Bill 397 and Senate Bill 175

The two election administration bills underwent significant last-minute changes through a flurry of committee substitutes

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga., April 3, 2025 — Despite our opposition to House Bill 397 (HB 397) and Senate Bill 175 (SB 175), Georgia First would like to express our gratitude to Senate Ethics Committee Chair Sam Watson and House Committee on Governmental Affairs Chair Victor Anderson for considering the concerns raised by democracy and election integrity advocates, and for removing some problematic language, including language regarding registration challenges and hand-counting ballots, from the final committee substitutes for both HB 397 and SB 175. Georgia First is disheartened by the reintroduction of election bills for a third consecutive year after record voter turnout in 2024 and secure elections with timely reporting.

Both HB 397 and SB 175 underwent significant revisions throughout their legislative journey and hardly resembled their original forms, which initially focused on municipal Saturday voting and timelines for special elections and ranked-choice voting, respectively. We did not support advancing these bills, based on the comprehensive revisions.

“Chief among our concerns regarding both pieces of legislation is the state’s withdrawal from ERIC, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization composed of state election officials from across the United States,” said Natalie Crawford, Founder and Executive Director of Georgia First. “ERIC has proven to be an effective tool for maintaining clean voter rolls among its member states.”

With no feasible alternative solution identified, Georgia First is gravely concerned by the language concerning the withdrawal from the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) as passed in HB 397. The proposed alternative to ERIC, shifting to agreements between individual states, requires significantly more administrative work by the state, is not an efficient use of taxpayer dollars, provides a less effective matching process than ERIC, and increases the state’s risk for breaches of sensitive citizen data, specifically personally identifiable information.

“We don’t need a fiscal note for either of these bills to know that a $97,000 annual membership fee for ERIC is more fiscally responsible than multiple, one-to-one state agreements, which we understand could require up to 20 times more state staff time to manage,” said Crawford. “Texas originally had five state employees dedicated to registration duties, and after leaving ERIC, they now have 28 people serving in that same role. Conservatives are looking for more government efficiency, not bigger government.”

Georgia First has consistently voiced concerns about ongoing legislative changes to Georgia election laws since 2022, including in our 2023 Annual Democracy & Elections Report and in our 2024 Biennial Democracy & Elections Risk Rating Bulletin, which together indicate a decline in state election security and integrity in recent years. Critical aspects to this marked decline are the frequent changes to the election code (Chapter 2 of Title 21), which harm voter confidence and often fail to make our elections safer or more secure.

It is particularly troubling that many of the election bills introduced this legislative session stem from disproven, misleading allegations spread by hyperpartisan groups. Equally concerning is the lack of deference given to administrative requests made by Georgia election officials in the legislative journey of HB 397 and SB 175, which, despite citizens and organizations raising transparency concerns during legislative hearings, emerged as last-minute committee substitutes with entirely new legislative language not generally available prior to Crossover Day, a critical deadline for legislation in Georgia. Decentering public engagement in the legislative process risks appearing hyperpartisan, regardless of party. Policymaking that injects partisanship into election administration does not serve Georgia voters.

Due to the significant fiscal and data security concerns associated with the state agreements, Georgia First submitted public testimony and official written comments to the full Senate Ethics Committee, Chairman of the House Committee on Governmental Affairs, Victor Anderson, and Secretary Tim Fleming, on March 26, 2025. Additionally, Georgia First requested that the legislature consider establishing a study committee to thoroughly examine ERIC and the significant misinformation surrounding its administration and voter engagement processes.

We are pleased to report that a House Resolution (HR 885) creating an ERIC study committee was introduced on March 31 and received a second read on April 2. Georgia First will closely monitor any remaining legislation, leading up to Sine Die tomorrow and into year two of the 2025-2026 legislative cycle.

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About Georgia First

Georgia First is a nonprofit organization committed to preserving and growing the strength and welfare of our state, her people, and our collective future. We are committed to advancing the lives of Georgians by advocating for strong fiscal policies that create a robust middle class, expanding healthcare access and affordability, and standing as a voice above the fray on democracy and elections. More information is at https://georgia1st.org/.