By: Sen. Cecil Staton
ATLANTA (February 13, 2009) – The 2009 General Assembly is quickly approaching the half-way point in our constitutionally-allowed forty legislative day session. We plan to wrap up the 2009 Legislative Session in 35 days, reserving five days in June for possible budget adjustments. Each day the legislature is in session, it costs approximately $70,000 per day. By shortening the session to 35 days, we save significant taxpayer dollars. I have been dedicated, along with my Senate colleagues, to ensuring that everyday we are in the Senate Chamber or in committee meetings time is being well spent and we are working on quality, fiscally responsible legislation that will benefit the entire state.
One piece of legislation that meets those criteria is Senate Bill 86, a bill I am sponsoring that will require proof of United States citizenship when registering to vote in Georgia. As evidence of the urgent need for this bill, this past November Georgia was part of an investigation that found over 100,000 voters that appeared to have voted in more than one state and the report stated that Georgia had 42,000 voters also registered in Florida. I have worked tirelessly during my tenure in the Senate to find solutions to preventing voter fraud and promoting voter confidence at the polls. This bill is the next step to preserving the integrity of Georgia’s voting system. In 2005 I led the initial charge for voters provide identification on Election Day. The difference in this bill is that voter registration applications must be accompanied by satisfactory evidence of U.S. citizenship, for example a valid driver’s license, U.S. passport or naturalization papers. The bill provides that anyone registered to vote in Georgia on December 31 of this year will not be required to submit any proof of citizenship unless they are changing their registration to a new county. Voter registration from another state does not constitute as proper evidence of citizenship.
Georgia has been a rapidly growing state in recent years and as we work toward developing infrastructure, attracting new businesses and creating new jobs to accommodate our new citizens, our laws should provide effective protection for our voting system. From 1990 to 2000 Georgia’s number of registered voters increased from 4.75 million to over 6 million according to the Georgia Secretary of State, and Georgia will surely experience continued development over the next years with all our state has to offer. The expansion and growth of our already large voter base increases the need to uphold and protect the election system for candidates and constituents alike. Every legal vote on Election Day should not be allowed to be tarnished by an illegal vote. Our state expects and deserves free and fair elections and I feel Senate Bill 86 will fulfill that right to our constituents and give them the confidence that their vote on Election Day truly counts.
Senate Bill 86 passed favorably out of the Senate Ethics Committee and will now soon head to the Senate floor where I look forward to leading my fellow Senators in supporting important and powerful legislation that will protect voter integrity and combat election fraud in our state.
Please remember to contact me in my office on the issues that are affecting you and your area.
Sen. Cecil Staton serves as Chairman of the Science and Technology Committee. He represents the 18th Senate District which includes portions of Bibb, Crawford, Houston, Jones and Monroe counties. He may be reached by phone at 404.656.5039 or via e-mail at cecil.staton@senate.state.gov.
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
February 13, 2009
For Information Contact:
Raegan Weber,Director
Matt Colvin Communications Associate
matthew.colvin@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028