Atlanta mayor issues order to mitigate impact of SB 202, officials say
Keisha Lance Bottoms' state of the city address in 2021. (Photo: City of Atlanta)
ATLANTA - Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms on Tuesday issued an administrative order aimed at expanding access to voting for Atlanta residents.
Officials said the order directs the City’s Chief Equity Officer to implement a series of actions to mitigate the impact of new voting restrictions imposed by SB 202, signed into law in March.
Those actions could include providing training to city staff members to disseminate information to Atlanta residents, building online resources providing registration and absentee voting information and working with corporate partners to implement public service announcements clarifying the law and other voting deadlines.
Bottoms issued orders in August 2020 aiming to ease voting access and provide more flexibility during the pandemic.
The order states the "Election Integrity Act of 2021" will disproportionately impact residents in cities and counties with high-density populations, including Atlanta.
"Regardless of party affiliation, all Atlanta residents deserve to not only cast their vote, but do so in a safe, open and accessible manner," Bottoms said in a statement. "The dysfunction we saw across the state during the Primary was unacceptable. In 2020, we should be making it easier for people to exercise their Constitutional right to vote—because access to the polls is access to our democracy."
Bottoms' orders have butted heads with Gov. Brian Kemp previously. Bottoms and Kemp were involved in litigation last year over the Mayor's mask mandate that defied the governor's own executive order.
RELATED: Kemp signs order rolling back many COVID-19 restrictions, takes effect April 8
Kemp and the bill's advocates say it provides reasonable mechanical fixes to elections.
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