ATLANTA – State Representative Mark Hamilton (R-Cumming) recently received a 2011 Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) Legislative Service Award. ACCG chose to honor Rep. Hamilton with the award to recognize his work to secure the passage of House Bill 92, which reduces the duration of Georgia’s in person, early voting period from 45 days to 21 days.
“We appreciate Rep. Hamilton’s leadership on changing the early voting period, which was a priority for counties this year,” said ACCG Executive Director Ross King. “This change will lead to greater consistency in Georgia’s elections and save county taxpayers’ money starting as soon as this November.”
“It is an honor to be recognized by the state’s county commissioners with this award,” said Rep. Hamilton. “I was proud to sponsor HB 92 during this year’s legislative session. This new law will make the early voting process easier and more convenient for Georgia voters while also making the process less costly and more efficient for local governments. This simple, common sense change is truly a win-win for Georgia.”
Prior to HB 92, Georgia had the longest early voting period in the country. Once fully implemented, the legislation will bring Georgia’s in person, no excuse, early voting closer to the national average of 24 days. The bill’s implementation of a standard, statewide, early voting start date will also make the state’s early voting period more consistent throughout the state by placing counties on a 21 day early voting period that is already used by Georgia cities.
HB 92 does not effect early voting by mail or absentee voting. All Georgia voters will still be able to mail their ballot up to 45 days early and request ballots up to 180 days prior to an election.
“Thanks to Representative Hamilton’s willingness to work with every interested party, the bill was introduced and passed the House with bipartisan support,” said ACCG Associate Legislative Director Matthew Hicks. “Georgia received word that the change was approved by the United States Department of Justice last week.”
Georgia recently learned that the United States Justice Department granted preclearance to HB 92. This preclearance was necessary because the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 prevents Georgia from implementing any changes affecting voting until obtaining preclearance approval from the Department of Justice. The Department’s decision to grant preclearance to HB 92 means that the state can now begin implementing the new state law, which received approval from the Georgia General Assembly and Governor Deal earlier this year.
ACCG presents Legislative Service Awards to recognize lawmakers who it believes demonstrate distinguished leadership and interest in working with county governments for the benefit of Georgia’s citizens. Presented annually, the awards have gained recognition among elected and appointed officials as a prestigious way to acknowledge Georgia lawmakers for exemplary leadership. For more information on ACCG, go to www.accg.org.
For more information on HB 92, please click here.
Representative Mark Hamilton represents the citizens of District 23, which includes parts of Cherokee and Forsyth counties. He was elected into the House of Representatives in 2006 and currently serves as Chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee. He also serves on the Appropriations, Energy, Utilities, & Telecommunications, Industrial Relations, and Transportation committees.
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