Bill to shorten Atlanta voting hours advances in Ga. House [View all]
Bill to shorten Atlanta voting hours advances in Ga. House
By Mark Niesse Posted: 12:27 p.m. Thursday, March 08, 2018
Voters in Atlanta would have one less hour to cast their ballots under a bill that cleared a subcommittee Thursday.
The legislation, Senate Bill 363, would force the city of Atlanta to close its polls at 7 p.m. like the rest of the state. Currently, Atlanta is allowed to keep precincts open until 8 p.m. under a state law passed in the 1970s.
The bill was filed by Republican Sen. Matt Brass after Democratic Sen. Jen Jordan won a special election in December to represent a district that covers parts of Atlanta and Cobb County. Voting in Cobb County ended at 7 p.m.
All the people in the city of Atlanta have a one-hour advantage on the rest of the state, said Brass, R-Newnan. Were trying to get a little more uniformity.
Opponents of the bill said it would limit voting options for residents fighting through Atlanta traffic after long work days.
https://politics.myajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/bill-shorten-atlanta-voting-hours-advances-house/goraM0zz8ft43NldUsjekL/