Georgia lawmaker have just one job they need to do during special session

These two things are fundamentally different and almost antithetical.

The first needs to happen so we can have an orderly election in November, whereas the second risks sowing confusion and mistrust into our election system just as Georgians prepare to enter the polls.

In today’s tumultuous environment, lawmakers must prioritize bringing our election system into code with current law and should not take up partisan redistricting efforts that undermine voter confidence.

Legislators risk undercutting election integrity progress

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Lawmakers failed to pass vital legislation during their regular session to address the 2024 law requiring the removal of QR codes from all Georgia ballots by July 1 of this year.

If the legislature doesn’t take action during the special session, Georgia will be forced to transition to a completely new voting system without the adequate funding, training or time needed to implement new ballots.

As a solution, legislators could transition Georgia to hand-marked paper ballots alongside appropriate funding. Alternatively, they could delay the deadline to implement a new voting system, giving the state more time and funding to prepare election workers and administrators. Formalizing either option during the special session will provide for clarity and election stability here in Georgia.

But they should stop there. If lawmakers take up redistricting now — even any changes wouldn’t take effect until 2028 — they will immediately undercut the stability they will have just forged.

Mid-decade, off cycle redistricting risks the appearance of partisanship to many Georgia voters. Everyday Georgians know this redistricting push only stands to benefit political parties, not the hardworking people who make our state great.

Georgia is a diverse state filled with folks from varied backgrounds with a lot of different viewpoints, and all of those people want and have the right to have their voice heard at the polls.

Focus on what Georgians want, not D.C. politicians

Gov. Brian Kemp pointed to Louisiana v. Callais, the recent Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act, as requiring this redistricting push. But while it is true that the political majorities in other states have scrambled to redraw districts ahead of November, there is no reason Georgia has to follow suit.

Election integrity is an area where Georgia has always proudly led the way, and we shouldn’t change that now.

Public trust and voter confidence rely on the integrity of our elections. Having faith in the process is what allows voters to have faith in the outcome, even if it doesn’t go their way. Unfortunately, Georgians already have reasons to be skeptical right now.

They have watched as debunked claims of election fraud have been weaponized through federal overreach to call their election into question time and time again, and they have listened as this redistricting arms race has dominated the national dialogue.

This is a heated moment for our country, but our state leaders have the opportunity to turn down the temperature when they meet next week. Georgia’s lawmakers can and should draw the line at drawing partisan lines.

They should focus on what Georgians need, and not what politicians in D.C. might want. They should say no to partisan redistricting and yes to restoring faith in Georgia’s elections.

Natalie Crawford, a Republican, is a former two-term Habersham County commissioner and founder and executive director of Georgia First, CEO of The Mended Hearts, Inc., and chair of the BRIDGE Georgia healthcare coalition.