Judge upholds much of Georgia’s election law, strikes down ban on ballot selfies

A federal judge rejected a challenge against much of Georgia’s Election Integrity Act on Friday, only halting the enforcement of a provision that banned “ballot selfies.”

The judge’s move is a setback for progressives who have called Georgia’s law — and other election changes passed by red states — “Jim Crow 2.0,” claiming they aim to discriminate against voters of color.

In the order, Judge J.P. Boulee, a Trump appointee, declined a request from Coalition for Good Governance, a civil liberties group, to issue an injunction halting several aspects of the state’s new law from being enforced.

But Judge Boulee said the one part of the legislation that banned the photographing of one’s ballot outside of a polling place was overly broad and agreed with the group to enjoin its enforcement.

The judge’s order upheld other provisions of the law such as restricting the photographing of ballots in polling places, intentionally observing who another voter is voting for and restrictions on monitors and poll observers as well as restricting the deadline for requesting absentee ballots to 11 days before the election.

Georgia Republicans saw the ruling as a win.

“Since Day 1, I have committed to meeting and beating these claims in court, and this most recent ruling demonstrates that my strategy is working,” said Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s secretary of state. “This decision is a clear victory for Georgia voters and common sense election integrity reforms.”

But Marilyn Marks, executive director of the Coalition of Good Governance, said striking down the ban on ballot selfies “was an important first step.”  

“The court’s ruling affirming plaintiffs’ standing to bring this lawsuit is important in our ability to move forward to prove all of our claims,” she said.

There are several other lawsuits launched by voting rights groups against the law still pending and President Biden’s Justice Department also sued Georgia earlier this year over the same legislation, alleging the state is running afoul of the Voting Rights Act in an attempt to suppress Black voters in the state.

The law at issue, Georgia’s Election Integrity Act of 2021, was enacted in March.

It bans the distribution of unsolicited absentee ballots, requires ID with absentee ballots, limits the number of drop boxes for mail-in ballots, and bans the distribution of food and drink at polling locations.