Georgia Absentee Ballot Application Deadline Challenge

Lawsuit filed on behalf of the International Alliance of Theater Stage Employees Local 927 against members of the Georgia State Election Board and members of the Fulton County registration and Elections Board challenging Georgia’s absentee ballot application deadline for presidential elections. The lawsuit argues that under the Section 202(d) of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), voters must be able to cast absentee ballots in presidential elections if they applied seven days before the election. In Georgia, under Senate Bill 202, a voter must apply for an absentee ballot before the deadline mandated by the VRA; the latest a voter may apply for an absentee ballot is eleven days before the election. The plaintiff alleges that Georgia’s absentee ballot application cutoff for presidential elections violates the VRA and requests that the court block its enforcement. 

The Republican National Committee and Georgia Republican Party filed a motion to intervene to defend the absentee ballot application deadline.

On June 13, 2024, the court granted the state defendants’ motion to dismiss the complaint. The case against the other defendants will continue.

STATUS: On July 31, 2024, the court denied the plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction. Georgia’s earlier absentee ballot application deadline will remain in effect while the case continues.

Last updated: September 12, 2024 4:53 pm EST